A virus is a computer user\u2019s worst nightmare, and unfortunately, as time passes, viruses get trickier to detect. It\u2019s hard to keep up to date with all the forms a virus can take \u2014 worms, trojans, spyware and adware alone are tough enough to repel, let alone the myriad of other malicious software types we\u2019re not yet aware of. All of these types of malware act in different ways, so we\u2019ve gathered some of the telltale signs that your computer is infected.<\/p>\n
Ghost Messages<\/strong><\/p>\n Malware spreads easily – that\u2019s what makes it so dangerous, and with the high amounts of traffic on social media sites today, passing along viruses is easier than ever. If you receive responses from emails you\u2019ve never sent, this could be a sign that you\u2019re infected. Typically, these \u201cghost\u201d messages are sent with a link and an exciting caption to get your friends and family interested (remember that Nigerian prince scam?) Usually, the virus spreads once someone clicks on the link. Make sure to always check your \u201csent\u201d folder in your email, and if there are any messages you didn\u2019t send, immediately change your password and account details.<\/p>\n Ransom<\/strong><\/p>\n If you\u2019re ever surfing the web and a message comes back alerting you that you are locked out of your account until you pay a fine, this is almost always a hacker trying to steal your information. This type of virus is called ransomware<\/em>, because the virus is holding your computer ransom until you pay this fine. If this happens to you, whatever you do, don\u2019t pay up. Sometimes, the ransomware encrypts your files – at that point you might not be able to recover your data even if you remove the virus. For protection, make sure to continuously back up your data to an external hard drive or cloud so you won\u2019t lose your data in the event your computer fall victim to malware.<\/p>\n