If your system begins to behave strangely, it is a signal that your computer is experiencing spyware problems or there is unwanted software installed on it. Someone might be actually checking your online activity, without your knowledge. Although powerful antivirus programs like McAfee and Norton might be able to detect spyware, they cannot locate all forms of adware unfortunately.
Don’t Download Unknown Programs
Downloading more programs blindly in an effort to secure your system is more likely to create nasty things. Here are some steps on how to detect spyware. You can follow these tips as a Windows user to determine spyware activity. Users of Linux, Macintosh and OS/X will have quite similar methods available.
Check All the Processes Running in Background
Press Control+ Alt + Delete simultaneously; task manger would pop-up and click processes tab. When you press three-finger salute, you should look up every process name on web. Do not blindly trust all the details that come across, but go for general consensus from reputable websites, whether that process name is likely to be malicious or not. Even if the expected or normal process name comes, such as svchost.exe, it is quite possible that a crook was able to overwrite the normal process name with a tainted one. If the process tab looks too wary, for instance u-r-owned, you’ll have to attempt removal. Newer and latest Trojans or spyware use many methods to hide themselves from the task manager and hence you will have to go for a complete solution.
Detect the Suspicious Processes
Open the DOS box or command window, by pressing Start-Run-Command. Type CMD in net-start and there you will get a list of systems, you have hooked up and the systems connected to your system. Get the numbers from the listening ports; 443 and 80 are for internet and 445, 139, and 135 are typical for Microsoft networks. Learn what all they mean and in this way, you can detect suspicious process being run during the process.
Few Tips to Stay Safe
Apart from security or firewall software, you’ll have to limit the creation of the account from which you do all your browsing activity. Use only administrative account to install precise and accurate software, which you’ve downloaded from trusted sites. All software should be checked twice, until they are proved innocent. Hackers can manage to get their spyware onto distribution CDs of commercial software. If you need any software or program, then only install them. Check out what users have said or commented about the software and if there are too many complaints regarding that software, it is best to skip them.
When your system has been detected with spyware, adware and/or malware and even after you’ve removed it successfully, it is recommended to change the password or user name of your account that you usually access though your system as it is better to presume that hackers have somehow gotten your login details.
Firewall, in most of the cases, may not detect the spy’s uploading of information and if it is uploaded to a web page or sent as an email and in most of situations you mind restricting your access to the web or email.
If you’ve noticed something like this, it is imperative to act quickly.