There is one fact that most Mac users are yet to understand; it entails their systems getting infected with viruses even when they follow the cardinal rules such as avoiding spams, upgrading the operating system as well as programs, skip clicking those links that seem suspicious and so on. Even when these have all been adhered to, you still need to be on your toes to ensure that you are fighting viruses all the time.
Are you struggling to detect viruses in your Mac? Do you know that this can reduce the efficiency of your system? Most people don’t know when their Macs are being attacked or infected. This can bring about a disaster in the end as your system can disappoint you when you need it the most.
The major aim of this post is to help you out by listing out the top ten signs tell that your Mac has been infected with a virus. Just look out for these signs, and if it happens that your Mac is showing any of them, have your system cleaned up using anti-virus software as soon as possible.
1 Strange Windows
Have you ever noticed a situation whereby four or five windows are against the one or two that you initially opened? This isn’t an accident as it is a sign that a virus is attacking your system. This usually occurs during its process of booting. Sometimes you will even be warned that there are drives which you will not be able to assess on your system. Whenever you notice that windows are popping up here and there, know that something has gone wrong.
2 Unexpected Crashes
Most systems usually experience this from time to time. Whenever your Mac crashes suddenly, know that it is being eaten up by a virus. This happens most of the time when you don’t take care of the virus earlier on before it starts multiplying. Anytime your system crashes, ensure to get it scanned for viruses. It is the last thing you want to experience, most especially when you have important files or documents in your system.
3 Slow Response
There are times when you feel that your system is responding slowly to commands due to low functionalities. While this may be true, there is every chance that it has been attacked by a virus, especially when it was once responding very fast to commands given. You don’t have to wait for minutes before an application or window that you click on opens. Any time you notice any slow response from your Mac to commands given, scan it before something goes wrong.
4 Strange Messages
Have you ever received messages whenever trying to get files opened? Do you know that this could be as a result of a virus attacking your system? There are times that you may be doing something and all of a sudden you start seeing dialogue boxes. This isn’t a good sign in any way, and as such, it will be wise to have your system scanned. Messages cause an interruption in the flow of what you are doing and this can be quite frustrating.
5 Erratic Emails
Have you ever got messages from others that they received emails from you even when you never sent any message? It is a sign of a virus attack that you need to deal with. Sometimes you may receive false messages that the password to your email has gotten stolen. Once this happens, know that a virus is breaching the security system of your Mac. The bad part is that it will only get worse when ignored.
6 Displaying of Ads
This is the last thing that you want to experience on your system as they can be very annoying. Have you ever seen those ads that display whenever you browse on your system? This is a sign of virus attack, and when you don’t do anything about it immediately, they will increase in numbers. It doesn’t make any sense allowing unsolicited ads to be displayed or showing on your system while you surf the web. These are real time wasters and need to be eliminated as soon as possible unless you seem to be enjoying them.
7 Unfamiliar Icons Showing on The Desktop
This is a very popular or common problem which most Mac users usually experience at one time or the other. The unfortunate thing is that they can’t seem to understand the main cause. When you start seeing icons or applications that are installed (on their own) on your desktop. It is a sign that a virus has attacked your system. Some of these icons can be very harmful to your system.
8 Unable To Access Your Control Panel
Your control panel is where you are likely to have programs uninstalled or removed. However, if you are denied access to it, such could be due to a virus attacking your system. It is important that you get your Mac scanned to ensure that it doesn’t spread out to other parts of the system.
9 Changing of the Homepage of Your Browser
There are times you must have seen this and ignored it. The truth is that you are only inviting more problems than you can handle it could get worse than what you are experiencing. Just get an anti-virus application and use it in scanning your Mac any time you notice that your browser homepage has changed suddenly.
10 Disabling of Security Solution
This is also another clear sign of your Mac infection with a virus. You are trying to set up security measures to ensure that your documents are protected but somehow they are not working. Ignoring a problem such as this will only lead to a situation whereby your private files become available to everyone.