How to Find Out If Your Computer Has Been Hacked
If your computer has been acting erratically or if strange programs, emails or websites appear on your computer without your direct action or consent, your computer may have been hacked. Your probability of getting hacked increases with risky behavior, including using peer-to-peer (P2P) networks, not using a secure firewall or router and surfing to unknown websites. You can prevent security problems by keeping your anti-virus and anti-spyware software up-to-date and by installing all operating system critical updates, hotfixes and service packs.
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Things You'll Need
- Administrator access
- Additional computer that is secure and up-to-date
- Internet access
- CD/DVD burner
- Blank CD or DVD
Instructions
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1
Check your email accounts. Look for emails in your "Inbox" and "Sent" folders that you do not recognize.
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2
Examine your startup applications by clicking on "Start" then "Run." Enter "msconfig.exe" (without quotes). Press the "Enter" key. Click on the "Startup" tab. Note any unknown programs, especially program listings that show blank fields. Research any suspicious programs.
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3
Update and perform full scans of your anti-virus software and anti-spyware software.
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4
Install and run a software utility program such as HijackThis or Belarc Advisor for a listing of programs installed on your computer. While HijackThis won't tell you if the program is malicious or if it should be there, you can print out the findings and perform research.
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5
Check your router or firewall logs for unknown access.
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6
Download and install a port scanning tool that will show which of your ports are open and which programs are accessing your ports.
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Tips & Warnings
Burn your helper applications to a CD or DVD to prevent your other computer(s) from becoming contaminated. Do not use external hard drives or USB flash drives to transfer data from a potentially hacked computer to a secure computer.
Disconnect your computer from Internet access immediately if you suspect that your computer has been hacked. Download programs and perform research on a different, secure computer in this case.
