Hackers never sleep. There is a lot of money and leverage obtained from the nefarious activities that hackers get up to and 43% of small businesses are targeted by bad actors. Surprisingly, big corporations are less likely to be attacked because they have the resources to protect their servers and employees. This means small businesses are vulnerable.
Anyone running or working for a small business needs to take appropriate steps to protect any equipment connected to the internet, like a business laptop. Here are some signs to watch out for that indicate your laptop has been hacked.
Strange Emails Sent from Your Account
When colleagues and friends start querying the emails you’re sending, it is time to take a closer look. Hackers love to hijack a person’s email account, so they can send emails to everyone in that person’s contact list. These spam emails might contain links containing malicious software, or worse, they could try to entice someone in the company to hand over sensitive information, such as banking security details.
Pop-Up Messages
Pop-ups are super annoying and definitely not a good thing. Malware has a nasty habit of causing lots of on-screen messages inviting you to click on them and download something. A good example of how this works is a pop-up warning that your laptop has been hacked, but if you click on the link, this amazing software program will miraculously cure the problem. Unfortunately, downloading the software is only going to make your problem a whole lot worse.
Sluggish Computer
Malware and other malicious programs utilize a lot of a computer’s bandwidth. This causes the computer to slow down, and it may even freeze. Be vigilant if your laptop starts crashing for no reason or overheats quickly. It is a sign that malware is doing damage in the background.
Webcam Action
Webcams are useful for video chatting, but when not needed, they switch off. One clear sign a webcam is currently in use is when there is a small light visible. Hackers like to use laptop cameras to spy on their victims, usually to obtain blackmail material. If you notice your laptop’s camera appears to be in use, even though you are not using any kind of video chat software, cover it up immediately. Even if you don’t spot anything amiss, it is a great idea to stick something over the lens of the camera on your Lenovo small business laptop unless you are actively using it.
What You Can Do If Your Laptop Has Been Hacked
Prevention is always better than cure when it comes to hackers. Don’t click on dodgy links in emails or download software that hasn’t been authorized by the business. Keep up to date with security patches for Windows and Mac. Finally, always use strong passwords and two-factor authentication (2FA) where available.
If the worst does happen, run a full security scan, or consider wiping the hard drive and reinstalling the operating system to completely remove any infection.
