If you own a phone or a computer, there are problems that you just have to learn to live with. But, there are other problems that show that something much more serious is going on with your device. Here are problems you’re likely to come across on your phone or laptop that you should not neglect.
Unexpected behaviour
If some kind of keylogger or monitoring application has found its way on to your computer or phone, it might manifest itself in a few different ways, including unexpected behaviour inside apps and the operating system—almost as if a ghost is operating inside your system. You can put one or two of these incidents down to simple glitches, but if they keep happening, something more serious could be the cause.
Emails you didn’t ask for
Identity theft takes all kinds of forms, and it’s difficult to specify exactly what to look out for to see if you’ve been targeted, but unexpected emails are definitely one of the red flags. They could be from people or companies you’ve never heard of, or confirming orders that you didn’t make. If someone is using your email address fraudulently, chances are they’re using some of your other details as well.
System settings are disabled
When malware takes over your phone or laptop, it will often attempt to disable settings that would otherwise let you find it or interrupt its operations. If you find key system settings missing, you might have something unwelcome installed on your device.
Application settings get changed
As well as settings getting disabled, also be on the look-out for settings getting altered in individual apps. The classic one is the homepage in your browser being changed without your knowledge, but you might also see changes to a program’s interface, or certain options getting removed, or extra dialogue boxes appearing.
Serious slowdowns
Older devices always get slower as they get older, but sluggishness that comes on suddenly or that doesn’t seem to correspond with the age of your hardware is definitely worth investigating further.
A lot of pop-up messages
Pop-ups are part of the web and part of every modern operating system—you will see one every time you try and save a file—but if your phone or laptop has suddenly become overrun with them, then this is something you need to take a closer look at.
Random crashes and boot up problems
Random crashes and regular problems with booting up your device are not to be ignored. It might be a piece of malware, it might be your system components overheating, it might be that one of your device’s internal components is about to crash.
Very poor battery performance
You should be wary of a battery that really is becoming very bad at holding a charge, whether on a smartphone or a laptop. If its performance has suddenly dropped, then that’s even more reason to be concerned.
Unusual noises coming from your hard drive
If your laptop’s hard drive is making loud unusual sounds then it could be a sign that it’s on the way out. You’ll be able to identify these sounds because they’ll be different to what you’re normally used to hearing.
