How to Fix a Hacked Computer? 🖥️ What to Do?

Unfortunately, computer hacking is common these days.

So, if you’ve been hacked, you’re not alone. But, unfortunately, being the victim of a computer hack is – at best – awfully inconvenient. So, here are the steps to minimizing that damage.

Firstly, let’s look at signs that you might have been hacked…

Signs your computer has been hacked

If your computer is hacked, you might notice some of the following symptoms:

• Google searches are redirecting to sites you didn’t intend to visit. Products within this classification are considered to be PUAs (Potentially Unwanted Applications), as they usually infiltrate browsers/systems without user permission. While redirects to google.com may seem as something innocuous, especially if it is users’ preferred search engine, browser hijackers are infamous for their data tracking abilities.
• Programs show up you didn’t install. A malicious program may be disguised as legitimate software to slip into your computer. Usually, it is done by worms or malware that attach to other software to get installed together as a bundle. So, if you notice an unknown program residing on your system, it’s likely a malicious one.
• Antivirus shutting down. Some types of malware disable your antivirus or anti-malware programs and make it difficult to re-enable them. If you notice that your antivirus has suddenly stopped working and you can’t open the Task Manager properly, it is very likely that your system has been infected with malware;
• You see suspicious pop-up ads, such as antivirus warnings, or suspicious downloads. This is one of the most explicit indications of a computer being infected. If you start seeing more annoying pop-ups in your web browser, and they often flash in sites that usually don’t generate pop-ups, this is a bad sign.
• People on your email contact lists receive spam that you didn’t send. If a virus has compromised your email, it might be trying to spread further by sending malicious emails to your contacts. It doesn’t automatically mean that your computer has been hacked. However, if the fake email includes your name and email address, it is likely that your system has been infected.
• Your computer slows down or freezes.

You notice rogue, third-party activity ranging from the minimal (keyboard strokes, your mouse moving) to the very big (money taken from your online bank or credit card account).