13+ Warning Signs that Your Computer is Malware-Infected [Updated 2019]

[tarekma7]

Here’s one of the scenarios you may not like, but it could happen every day because it’s always viruses season for computers. You’re working on an important project and suddenly you start seeing annoying pop-ups displayed on your computer. Also, it takes too long for your files or computer apps to load. You wait and wait until you start asking yourself:

 “Does my computer have a virus?”

Unfortunately, the answer might be “yes” and your PC could be already compromised with viruses or next-gen malware that are slowing down its activity and performance.

This is one of the many warning signs that show your PC might suffer from a malware infection. There are more of them you need to be aware of and understand, so you can quickly take action.

In this article, we’ll show you the most frequent warning signs of malware infection and what can you do about it.

Use these quick links to easily navigate and see some of the most common warning signs displayed on a computer:

1. Your computer is slowing down
2. Annoying adds are displayed
3. Crashes
4. Pop-up messages
5. Internet traffic suspiciously increases
6. Your browser homepage changed without your input
7. Unusual messages show unexpectedly.
8. Your security solution is disabled 
9. Your friends say they receive strange messages from you
10. Unfamiliar icons are displayed on your desktop
11. Unusual error messages
12. You can’t access the Control Panel
13. Everything seems to work perfectly on your PC
14. You get the error on the browser
15. You get suspicious shortcut files

Scenario 1: “My computer applications run slow lately and it takes longer than usual to start”
If you’re dealing with this scenario, it could mean you have viruses on your computer. We know, it’s so frustrating to see it loading slowly. It is a known fact that one of the malware’s main activity is to slow down your operating system, whenever you’re navigating on the Internet or simply accessing your local applications.

What can you do?

First off, you need to check out for causes and issues and try to understand what is going on.

Here are some of the most common causes that slow down your PC:

Your system’s RAM memory is low and might be caused by the number of high apps you’re currently using. Windows Task Manager is a great tool to look for programs which use the most of your RAM memory. Press CTRL+ALT+DELETE simultaneously on your PC, choose Task Manager and will open a list of your current apps you have open;

There is no storage space on your hard disk, so you need to check out all your files and documents stored there and do a cleaning;
This behavior is particularly happening when you’re browsing the Internet, so you need to check out your browser’s Settings, then clear your browsing data;
A fragmented system which means that the storage space is used inefficiently and reduces your PC’s performance;
Your Windows OS hasn’t been updated or you’re using outdated drivers.
If you have already thoroughly verified these possible causes and all seems to work just fine, you can start considering a potential malware infection. Use these tips to help you optimize and speed up your Windows operating system.  This article shows 5 ways to keep an eye on those programs accessing your drives.

Scenario 2: “I keep getting annoying ads that are opening randomly or strange messages on my computer’s screen”
Unexpected pop-ups which appear on your screen are a typical sign of a malware infection that wreak havoc on your computer. This form of malware is known as spyware and is designed to collect and steal users’ sensitive data without their knowledge.

In this particular case, the main issue is created not only by the numerous pop-up windows that affect your Internet browsing but also because it is quite difficult to remove them from the system.

These pop-ups are not only frustrating, but they usually come bundled with other concealed malware threats and could be far more destructive for our systems. They could be disguised as legitimate programs and actually track your web browsing data or monitor your online activity to collect passwords and other personal information.

Read the full article HERE