If your laptop is slow or behaving strangely, then it may be infected with a virus or some other form of malicious software (also known as malware). These are the classic symptoms to watch out for.
Poor performance:
Malware often slows down your system, hogging processor power to run their tasks and using memory. Cryptojackers, which hijack your PC’s resources to mine cryptocurrencies, can make it very slow. If your laptop seems a lot slower than it used to, then you might have a problem.
Low battery life:
Batteries degrade with age and don’t last as long as they used to, but if your laptop seems to be running out of juice much faster than it once did, then malware could be working it harder than you normally would, and might be to blame.
Hangs and crashes:
Some malware stay hidden, but others will conflict with Windows and with the applications you use, causing them to hang or even crash – or your laptop to do the same. There may be other reasons why your laptop can no longer be relied on, but malware is often the real reason. The same goes if your laptop has trouble powering off or going to sleep when you ask it to.
Browser misbehaving?
Is your browser taking you to a different home page than the usual? Has a strange toolbar appeared from nowhere or do you keep getting redirected to a new website? These are all bad signs that malware has taken control. Malware that does this is often less dangerous, but it can be very irritating and hard to remove. It might also be tracking your web surfing to gain information or sell advertising.
Antivirus AWOL:
One of the first things malware might try to do is attack your antivirus software and prevent it from working. You may get pop-up messages from Windows warning you of potential security issues or that you don’t have antivirus running, or you might find automatic updates have been turned off. Some types of malware might even stop you from browsing antivirus websites or downloading antivirus programs.
RANSOMWARE:
One of the worst forms of malware is ransomware, which tells you that it has locked files or the entire hard disk in your laptop, and the authors will only release the files if you pay up. You may even see messages implying that you’ve done something illegal, to frighten you. If so, don’t pay up. You can find advice online by searching for the text used in the note, including tips on how to defeat the ransomware and links to anti-malware tools that can uninstall it.
GreyFusion have a tried and tested PC check that ensures your computers are safe and free from infections, if you would like us to check your PC then please contact us on the button below and have peace of mind everything is safe.
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