Computer viruses come in many shapes and forms, each with their own objective built into to their code. Some are worse than others, but one thing is for certain – none of them are good. Having a good anti-virus programme installed is always a must (more on that later), but vigilance and fore thought is also important. Clicking on random links or pop-ups when browsing, especially if they offer you large sums of money or a free car, is a recipe for disaster. What follows are 5 things to look out for in your computer’s behaviour that could spell bad news.
1. Pop-Up Ads
One of the most obvious and annoying signs that you likely have a virus is the sudden appearance of pop-up on your computer. They can be adverts, but they can also be dramatic warning relating to your computer itself, telling you that it is in danger of virus infection (which is ironic). The type of virus/malware is generally known as adware. Whilst not as common as they used to be, they are still an easy way for more malicious payloads to be dropped into your system, if you’re not mindful.
2. Constantly Crashing
Viruses can do serious damage to your computer’s hardware – specifically your hard drive. If this is the case you may start to experience random freezes and crashes, whereby your system shuts down, or restarts, for no discernible reason.
3. Low Hard Drive Space
If you suddenly find that your hard drive space is inexplicably low, this should be a warning sign. A virus may install copies of itself or unwanted files on your computer. If you start to find strange files on your computer, you will definitely want to investigate further. On the flip side, viruses can also delete files unexpectedly, so that’s also something to watch out for.
4. Programmes Start Automatically
Viruses can do all kinds of strange things to your computer. If you find that programmes or files start or open automatically, or mouse clicks don’t respond, or the computer even acts like a key on the keyboard has been pressed, when it hasn’t – you should be wary. Computers are very clever, but it shouldn’t seem like it’s thinking for itself (not just yet, anyway!)
5. Your Browser Keeps Getting Redirected
Not every website redirect is malicious, but if you find that trying to reach Google takes you to an unfamiliar search site, you’ve got a problem. Redirections often come from browser extensions, so if you know how to install and look at these extensions, dig into your browser settings and see if any have been installed that you don’t know about. Then remove them, quick smart.
What Should You Do If You Suspect You Have a Virus?
Get yourself some anti-virus software, stat! Windows 10 PCs come with Windows Defender pre-installed, so simply tap the windows key on your keyboard and start typing ‘windows defender’ – when it pops up, open it and run a scan. It’s also well worth acquiring a copy of the popular anti-malware software, MalwareBytes (the free version will be enough for most folks). Run a scan with this once a week, (along with Defender) just to be on the safe side. For Mac users, a good free option is Sophos Antivirus for Mac.
