Unfortunately the tech revolution of the 21st century has also brought about more sophisticated computer viruses. Unlike the computer bugs of the 1990s, modern viruses are becoming very good at staying hidden. This way they can hijack your computer, steal your sensitive data and potentially even spy on you, without you even realising that your computer has become infected. There are however tell-tale signs which let you know you may have a problem. Here are just three:
1. Your computer has slowed down dramatically
There are many reasons that a computer may slow down. One of the most common causes is just age, another is that your hard drive might be too full, but a third possibility is that you may have a virus. If your computer is relatively new and isn’t overloaded with files, then this is definitely worth looking in to. Viruses operate in the background of your system, using up precious processing power and slowing all other operations down. If your computer has slowed down dramatically and you can’t work out why, then a virus could certainly be the cause.
2. Links don’t take you where they are meant to
Do you often find that, when you click seemingly harmless links, they don’t take you where you want to go? You may be reading an online newspaper for example and, instead of going to the sports section, a link may send you to a gambling site. Viruses will often hijack links on a web page, so that when you click on them, it will send you to a sinister site. Keep an eye on what you’re clicking on, and run regular scans for viruses to combat this.
3. Battery drains much faster than it should
As previously mentioned, viruses can take up a lot of processing power and this can not only effect how fast your computer runs but also how quickly your battery runs out. If your battery is draining faster than you think it should, that may be a sign there are things happening on your computer that you don’t know about.
If you have any questions or you’re experiencing any of the above issues on your computer, call us today for a security assessment and removal of your virus infections.
