With nowadays’ new trend of stealthiness in computer attacks, it behooves the common user to be aware of the subtle indications that tell his/her computer might be infected. That is the purpose of this article.

These are all signs of a possible infection:

1. Your computer slows down without any apparent reason.

2. When you try to go to a particular website in your web browser, it re-directs you to a different one.

3. Random pop-up windows while surfing the internet.

4. Your installed antivirus solution is not working properly or cannot update.

5. Your web browser’s homepage has changed “by itself”.

6. The default search engine in your web browser has changed “by itself”.

7. Web pages are unexpectedly added to your Favorites folder.

8. Your web browser cannot access any websites, yet the computer is connected to the Internet.

9. The computer cannot access certain websites (especially if they’re computer security companies’ websites or the Windows Update website).

10. Your computer screen displays a skull and two bones flashing with a red background and a window that says “You’re infected!” (joke)

There are some others, but the above covers the main ones.

What to do? of course, if you can, run a scan with your current installed antivirus solution. Sometimes doing a System Restore to an earlier point to the perceived date of the infection might do the trick.

Beyond that, look for specialized help. You can always contact me for help in asserting whether or not your computer is infected, and in removing any existing infections.