If you’re wondering whether your computer has been hacked, we have some bad news and some good news. First the bad news: if you suspect you’re infected, then you’re probably right. The amount of new malware on the internet – particularly the kind intended to infect home computers and small businesses – is still growing rapidly. Over 350,000 new malware samples are created every day, with a total of 856.62 unique viruses discovered in 2018 alone.
Here’s the good news: information security is slowly catching up to the attackers. Although there’s a lot of unique malware out there, not all of it is dangerous. Some of it is quite clumsily put together, and security researchers usually find that a “new” malware sample is actually just a number of modules from older malware smashed together.
This means that even new malware will usually behave in ways that are well-understood – so it will be easy to find and put together instructions to remove it once you identify what’s going on. Remember, viruses don’t work instantly, so prompt action is the best way to make sure that you don’t lose money or personal data even if your PC or mac has been infected. With that said, here are the best ways to tell if your computer has been remotely hacked.