How to tell if your PC has been hacked

Most "is my computer hacked?" advice is vague. Here are concrete, checkable signs — the same ones a security scan looks for.

1. Programs you don't recognise talking to the internet Malware has to "phone home". Open Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc) → **Performance** → **Open Resource Monitor** → **Network**. Look for programs you don't recognise, or trusted-looking names in the wrong place (for example **svch0st.exe** — a zero instead of an "o").

2. Remote Desktop or file sharing exposed If Remote Desktop (port 3389) or SMB (port 445) is reachable from the internet, anyone can try to log in. This is how a huge share of ransomware gets in. Turn Remote Desktop off if you don't use it, and never expose it directly to the internet.

3. Antivirus turned off — by itself One of the first things malware does is disable protection. Check **Windows Security → Virus & threat protection**. If real-time protection is off and you didn't turn it off, treat it as a red flag.

4. New startup programs or scheduled tasks Attackers add themselves to startup so they survive a reboot. Check Task Manager → **Startup apps**, and Task Scheduler for tasks you don't recognise — especially ones that run **PowerShell**, **mshta** or **rundll32**.

5. Your email shows up in a breach If your email and password leaked in a breach of another site and you reused that password, attackers may already have a way in. Check your address against a breach database and change reused passwords.

6. The browser or search behaves oddly Redirects, a changed home page, or results going through sites you didn't choose can mean a hijacked proxy, a tampered hosts file, or a malicious extension.

7. The PC is suddenly slow or hot Crypto-mining malware uses your CPU to make money for someone else. Sustained high CPU from a process you don't recognise is worth investigating.

The honest part Any one of these can have an innocent explanation. The point isn't to panic — it's to **check**, with real data. A Keepvik Quick Scan looks at all of the above in about a minute and tells you what it found and where.