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Software

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
in General Chat
How would I know if someone had installed software on my computer that tracked what I said to people / what webpages I visited etc?

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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Go through the programmes list (especially "add / remove" in control panel) and see what you don't recognise?

    Do you think this is likely?
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Thanks. I couldn't see anything.

    And maybe, I think people know things about me that they shouldn't.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Firstly, are you sure it isn't social engineering. Someone who is clever/sneaky enough can probably find out a lot about you by putting some good old fashioned effort in. It's no secret that a lot of people are very lax when it comes to protecting their offline identity when they are online.

    Secondly, if you have been "hacked" going to the control panel isn't going to reveal anything. Goto start/run and type in msconfig. In the new window click on the tab marked "startup" and look through the list of programmes that run when you switch on. A lot of the stuff will be unfamiliar, but a lot of it can be unticked. If something isn't familiar, type it into google (don't miss this step_. If it isn't a system process or a programme you use often, untick it. This will also speed up your system. You do have to be careful, a wrong move here can knacker up your pc.

    Once you've done that, restart the PC into safe mode. Take a look at Msconfig again, any programme that you had previously unticked but is now ticked is suspicious. It's either an important system process, or it's malware. Run a virus killer, I use Avira which is one of the best.
    If you have been hacked and had a tracker installed on your pc, this should show it up. It would probably be a good idea to download and run a spyware finder as well if you're particularly paranoid/concerned.

    Now unless your stalker works for MI5, all of this will have worked. I'd bet money that if you are being hacked it will be by a script kiddie who doesn't know what they're doing. Saying that, being physically hacked in the way you're describing is very rare and difficult to do, so I reckon it's a bit of social engineering going on. Good luck.
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    Indrid ColdIndrid Cold Posts: 16,688 Skive's The Limit
    Malwarebytes anti-malware is a good scanner to use too.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Have you considered using a VPN? It's like a go-between which encrypts your data from the server you are connecting to and back to you. Lifehacker has a really good explanation and breakdown:

    http://lifehacker.com/5940565/why-you-should-start-using-a-vpn-and-how-to-choose-the-best-one-for-your-needs

    But with regards to software, you should check that your virus/malware-scanner is set to find Potentially Unwanted Programs, or PUPs.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    A VPN would make zero difference if there's stuff on the user's computer itself.
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