How to Spot if You’ve Been Hacked

It’s been one of those bad tech days. Your phone that was on its last legs just went dead. You lost the charger for your tablet, and your laptop seems to be running slower than usual. Is that about to break, too? Well, since you bought it a year ago, the chances of it being on its last legs should be quite low. Can it be chalked up to a poor connection? Possibly. But you’re sitting right next to your router, and the weather is clear. Your next instinct tells you that you’ve been breached. Is that really the case, though? Here are a few sure-fire ways to tell your system is under attack:

1. Your machine slows down

You were right to assume you may have been the victim of a cyberattack by the speed of your machine. You may even notice an odd lag happening while you’re working offline. Even though you won’t notice it right away, malware and other malicious software operate by running in the background of your gadget, meaning they eat away at your resources while the device is running. Another sign of these viruses running behind the scenes is your data usage. If you notice it’s been higher than usual, it’s likely some sort of worm causing your device to visit sites and click ads without your knowledge.

2. You lose control on and off

If your cursor is jumping and seems to have a mind of its own, this may signal that a hacker is infiltrating your device. You may also try typing or using other functions that start acting unusual, indicating a breach.

3. You can’t perform updates

Malware is often to blame if you’re unable to update your anti-virus software and sometimes even your OS.

4. A password you know inside and out no longer works

You’ve typed it in once and typed it in again with extra care, and it still won’t let you access your account. This is a good indication that a hacker breached your system and changed your password to prevent you from gaining access to your account. Plus, if you notice messages and or emails in your sent box that you didn’t actually send, you’ve definitely been breached.

5. Your device suddenly restarts

Generally, if your system is performing an automatic update, it will inform you in a pop-up or message before shutting down. If your device restarts without any prior notice, you’ve likely been breached. Sometimes, the best defense is a good offence. Make sure you have an effective backup and recovery plan in place in case your device suffers a cyberattack. StorageCraft is the data recovery pro. Contact us today so we can help you find a solution that’s right for you.