Internet use has boomed over the past decade, and there are no signs that it will be slowing down any time soon. Unfortunately, cyber criminals are also fully on board with the trend, and are busy unleashing new viruses and malware. For business owners who are dependent upon the Internet in their daily operations, this presents a dilemma: How much risk are you taking, and would you even know if your computers were infected with malware?
Of course, prevention is always the best medicine. This is particularly true when it comes to malware and viruses. But if you see any of the following signs, you should proceed directly to emergency care for your work machines.
Things are running more slowly than usual. Malware can slow down your operating system or make applications run more slowly than usual. You might even notice that booting up your computers in the morning seems to take forever.
Excessive pop-up ads. These are often a sign of a spyware infection. Don’t ever click on any links within these windows!
Crashes. Is your system crashing unexpectedly? This is a definite sign of trouble. It could be a technical issue with your hardware or software, but only an expert can tell for sure.
Low disk space. Are you suddenly receiving notices that you’re running out of disk space? Many malware programs operate by filling up your hard drive, which then causes your computer to crash.
Something’s different. Has your internet browser changed, or are you seeing a new home page? What about strange new tool bars? This is a sign that unwanted software has been downloaded onto your machine.
Programs are opening or closing themselves. Sometimes this is a technical issue, but often it’s a sign that malware has infected your computer.
Friends or clients mention strange messages. This one could get embarrassing pretty quickly. If anyone mentions that they received a strange message from you – especially if that message asked them to click on a suspicious link – something within your system has been compromised. Aside from running a full virus scan, you also need to change your passwords to social media accounts, email, and messaging services.
These are just some of the most common signs of malware. Unfortunately, sometimes malware can lurk undetected within your system, and you won’t notice any of these signs at all. That’s why everyone should take strong protective measures to prevent infection in the first place. Give us a call at 888-RING-MY-TECH, and we’ll help you secure your system against dangerous malware infections.
