by Arjun Wadhwa

Created on: July 15, 2009

Sometimes you may not even know that you have become a victim of hacking. A lot of us tend to think that a problem will not affect us, until we actually get the problem. These days, hackers are getting smarter and crimes relating to computer hacking are increasing.

As the number of Internet users increase, the number of hackers will increase as well. These hackers use advanced techniques to hack into your computer. The more we rely on the Internet, the more hackers rely on advanced technologies to get into or computers.

The worst part about getting hacked is losing your financial information. One of the most convenient ways for a hacker to get your financial info is through a keylogger. This is a program that tracks every single keystroke that you press. Does this scare you? It should. Every stroke means that every time you log on your online bank account, your credit card number and the password will be saved in a file. Think of this file as a Word file, which has information written in simple text. Similarly your keystroke information will be saved in the hacker's computer. Even when you change your passwords, or contact your credit card support companies online, they will find out about it.

This means that they can claim your accounts, and leave no way for you to prove that you are the real owner of the bank account. A hack that has already ruined many people's financial lives. To tell if you are a victim, regularly keep a track of your credit/debit cards activity, and check your bills. Also make sure that you run an anti-virus scan. These key loggers will most likely get detected once you run an anti-virus scan.

Some keyloggers use the information to force downloads of products that you will be interested it. For example if you search for a toolbar on Google, the hacker will automatically download their own toolbar on your computer. Look for programs on yoru computer that you didn't install. This is one of the biggest signs that your computer has been hacked.

To further tell if you have been a victim, look for any change in your computer information. Is there files that have suddenly corrupted? Has the anti-virus program stopped responding, are programs being deleted from the computer without your permission?

It is scary to get hacked. It seems like a ghost is sitting inside your computer. But, you can prevent yourself from being hacked by using secure Internet connection and not downloading files from an unknown source.

These are some ways that you can tell whether you have been hacked. Don't worry, for every problem there is a solution!

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