Sometimes the question arises as to whether they have been able to attack our team. There are many threats in the form of malware that exist on the Internet and this can negatively affect us. For this reason, in this article we have wanted to make a compilation of the main signals that may indicate that we have suffered a cyber attack . So we can take action as soon as possible and correct it.
Have we suffered a cyber attack?
Normally when we are victims of a computer security attack we can detect certain irregularities. We are going to have problems using the equipment, they may be slow, some applications fail … There are different signals that help us understand that something is wrong and that we must fix it.
Malfunction
An obvious sign is when we see that something is wrong . For example, we notice that our system is slow, that it constantly restarts, that we cannot open a program or it does not work as it should.
Whenever this happens, one of the first reasons it could be is due to a security attack. Some varieties of malware, such as adware that floods the browser with search bars or pop-up windows, as well as Trojans that create a backdoor and allow intruders, can seriously affect performance.
Programs have appeared that we have not installed
Of course we can also see some obvious signs such as when programs that we have not installed appear. This usually happens after installing an application that, in turn, contains malicious software capable of adding another additional program.
Suddenly we see that icons of applications that we do not know appear on the desktop. Also if we enter Start or go to the section where the installed programs appear, we can find unknown “surprises”.
The connection drops or does not work well
Are we having problems with the Internet speed or are there outages? It is not necessarily going to be due to a computer security attack, but it could be one of the causes. If we notice that our Internet is suddenly slow, we open a program to use the cloud or surf and there are continuous cuts, we can suspect that something is not right.
This could happen if the computer we are using has been infected by a variety of malware, but also if an attacker has managed to access our network. The latter will slow down the connection a lot and will not allow us to connect normally. There are many threats on the net that can affect us.
We see unwanted access
We can observe this in the online services that we use. For example on social networks like Facebook or Twitter. Also even in email . They usually have a section within the configuration to see where and when we have logged in. If we see something strange, there may have been an intruder who has attacked us and knows the password. To avoid these things, for example, we must recognize fake emails.
But we can also receive alerts of unwanted access. This happens when that social network or any platform that we use detects that something could be suspicious. You inform us of improper access so that we can take action as soon as possible.
The attacker himself reports
It can also be a clear signal that even cybercriminals inform us that we have been attacked. When does this happen? Usually when they are victims of a ransomware attack or data theft. The attackers will contact us to inform us what we must do to release the encrypted files.
In this case we are facing attacks that seek to profit economically at the cost of our data. Ransomware, for example, is responsible for encrypting system files and later asking for a ransom in return.
In short, these are some obvious signs that can alert us that there has been a security problem. They can help us understand that we have been the victims of a cyber attack and we must correct it as soon as possible.
