Computer slow? Make sure you aren’t hacked.
David January 4th, 2009
Five to ten years ago the PC industry was really pushing anti-virus software, even as the most popular versions became large and bloated, taking up scarce computer resources. Just a couple years ago anti-popup and anti-spyware software were all the rage. With free alternatives to the expensive Norton and McAfee software services, the focus seems to be less on installing the expensive versions of this software. But with more people not keeping their computers protected, that leaves open the opportunity for new viruses and trojans to spread across the internet.
Some computers have been compromised by just visiting compromised web sites. Recently Microsoft published warnings that Internet Explorer was particularly susceptible to attack, prompting a massive migration to other browsers. In some cases the trojan software won’t even prompt you for confirmation to installation. If you discover that your PC is running slower that it has in the past even without you installing new software, you may have a virus or be hacked by a trojan.
Here are a few resources: (anyone out there have other favorites?)
Trend Micro online virus scanner
Do You Run Antivirus Software?
Avast (popular virus checker… a free version is available)
AVG (another popular free virus checker)