Virus Warning Signs

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Welcome to Class !!

We are eager to have you join us !!

In today’s Computer Science class, We will be learning about Computer Virus Warning Signs. We hope you enjoy the class!

 

 

Viruses are malicious software – known as malware – that can destroy files, steal personal information and damage your computer.

Here are the top ten signs your PC has a virus.

1. Slow start-up and slow performance – If your PC is taking longer than normal to start or programs are taking ages to open, then your PC may have a virus.  If your computer’s performance is sluggish, check first that it isn’t due to a lack of RAM memory or hard disk space. If not, the culprit may be a virus.
2. Applications won’t start – How many times have you tried to run an application from the start menu or desktop and nothing happens? Sometimes another program might even run. This could be another type of problem, but at the very least it’s a symptom that tells you that something is wrong.
3. Programs opening and closing automatically – Malware can also be present when your programs are opening and closing automatically. However, do check if some programs are meant to behave this way or if they are simply incompatible to run with your hardware first before coming to the conclusion that your computer has a virus.
4. Pop-ups, websites, toolbars and other unwanted programs – These are irritating signs that your computer has a virus. Pop-ups come from clicking on suspicious pages, answering survey questions to access a website’s service or installing free applications. Don’t click on ads where Jane says she earned $8000 a month staying at home. When you get pop-ups appearing out of the blue, refrain from clicking anywhere on the pop-up page and just close out of the window and use your anti-malware tool immediately.
5. Suspicious hard drive activity – An excessively active hard disk where it makes continual noise or constantly spins – even though you’re not using your computer nor have any programs running – can be a sign your PC is infected with a virus.
6. Crashes and error messages – If programs start opening and closing automatically, your system freezes or shuts down for no reason, or you see odd error messages, then you may have a virus infection.
7. The sudden disappearance of Files – Where have my files gone? Hopefully, nobody will be asking this type of question, although there are still some threats around designed to delete or encrypt information, to move documents from one place to another… If you find yourself in this situation, you really ought to start worrying.
8. Email is Hijacked – If friends start receiving emails or instant messages from your social networks asking them to click on an attachment or link, it’s likely that a virus is attempting to spread to other computers via your accounts. If so, change your passwords immediately.
9. My antivirus has disappeared, my firewall is disabled… Another typical characteristic of many threats is that they disable security systems (antivirus, firewall, etc.) installed on computers. Perhaps if one thing shuts down it might just be a specific software failure; but if all your security components are disabled, you are almost certainly infected.
10. My computer is speaking a strange language. If the language of certain applications changes, the screen appears back-to-front, strange insects start ‘eating’ the desktop… you might just have an infected system.
11. Browser woes – Your web browser becoming sluggish, your home page changing or being redirected to unusual websites are all warning signs of a computer virus infection.
12. Security attacks – Some viruses are designed to disable your computer’s protection. So, if you can’t open or install an anti-virus program or your firewall, your computer may be infected.

                                                                                           

EVALUATION

1. Highlight EIGHT signs to know your PC has a virus?

 

 

We have come to the end of this class. We do hope you enjoyed the class?

Should you have any further question, feel free to ask in the comment section below and trust us to respond as soon as possible.

In our next class, we will be talking about Virus Detection. We are very much eager to meet you there.

 

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