Today, it is still true that Mac has fewer malware problems than its counterparts Windows and Android. But, it does not mean that Mac is immune to hackers, or that Mac users should take its security lightly. In 2013 Reuters reported that some Mac operating systems of Apple employees were infected with malware. So, case in point here is that your Mac operating systems are in dire need of. It is not easy to tell if your computer has been hacked but it is extremely unlikely for any Mac to get hacked because they have the best security of all personal computers in the world. The only likely way to hack your Mac would be if you allowed.

Smart hackers don’t get caught. They break into your device, steal everything they can, and finish without a trace. Sometimes they leave a trail of destruction in their wake – malware, weird ads, confused relatives, and even a drained bank account or stolen identity.

It’s pretty easy for hackers to do their job. Most people are ambivalent, but you don’t have to be. Click here for 5 security mistakes you’re probably making right now.

Computers, phones, routers, and down to the innocent webcam are vulnerable to cyber-criminals. So what if they’ve already broken in, yet you don’t even know they’re there? Here are clear-cut signs that you've been hacked.

1. Your gadget suddenly slows down

One of the side-effects of malicious software is a slow gadget. Software gets sluggish, or constantly freezes, or even crashes. If you start noticing some of these symptoms, your gadget may very well be infected with viruses, trojans or worms.

Malicious software usually runs in the background, secretly eating up your gadget's resources while it's active.

Here are tools you can use to pinpoint those nasty applications. If an application that you don't recognize is hogging your computer resources, it's likely a virus.

PC: Use Task Manager

There are a few ways to see what processes your computer is running. The easiest is to bring up Windows' built-in Task Manager. Just use the keyboard shortcut CTRL + SHIFT + ESC and go to the Processes tab.

Put simply, the Task Manager lists all of your computer’s current tasks and how much processing power they’re using, measured in Central Processing Units (CPUs). Open up Task Manager and check the CPU and memory columns for each process.

You might find one process is using 100% — or close to it — of your CPU. Open up the program associated with the process and see what it's doing. Restart the task and monitor it, but this program might be the culprit.

Click here to learn powerful Windows Task Manager secrets for diagnosing and repairing slow computers.

Mac: Use Activity Monitor

The Mac equivalent to Task Manager is its built-in Activity Monitor. The quickest way to access the Activity Monitor is by using Spotlight Search.

Click the magnifying glass on the right side of the menu bar at the top of your screen, or press Command + Spacebar to open a Spotlight window and start typing the first few letters to auto-complete 'Activity Monitor.' Just press Enter to access the tool.

Similar to Window's Task Manager, Mac's Activity Monitor displays a list of all your open processes with tabs for CPU, Threads, Idle Wake Ups and Network usage.

Learn these three troubleshooting Mac shortcuts the pros use.

If this happens when you are on an iPhone, try a soft reset by holding the power and the home button until it reboots with the Apple logo. This step can clear out frozen apps that can be hogging your memory.

2. You’re using way more data than usual

My Mac Has Been Hacked

Every Internet provider has tools that can keep track of your monthly bandwidth consumption. Look at Data Usage Meter or Data Monitor, depending on your provider. Compare the amount of data used from the prior months, and if you notice sudden spikes in your data activity even though you haven't changed your patterns, then chances are you are infected.

For example, adware infected gadgets usually perform unsolicited clicks in the background to generate profit for cybercriminals. These stealthy tactics use up bandwidth and the unauthorized data they consume should be fairly easy to spot.

Do you want to save on your data consumption? Here are 5 steps to cut your data usage in half.

More Komando: How to find everything Microsoft knows about you

3. Videos suddenly buffer and web pages take forever to load

When a streaming video suddenly freezes, and your device appears to be “thinking,” this is called buffering. This annoyance often happens, especially if you play a lot of videos or your Wi-Fi connection is weak. If it’s happening a lot, or videos fail to play at all, you’re wise to suspect neighbors are piggy-backing on your connection. Click here for steps on how to check for Wi-Fi thieves.

Then again, malware can also slow down your Internet traffic by DNS hijacking. In short, hackers can redirect your Internet traffic to unsafe servers instead of the secure servers. This will not only slow down your browsing experience, it's also a serious security risk. For example, if your router's DNS settings have been hijacked, each time you visit your online bank's website, you'll be redirected to a phishing website instead.

To check your router's DNS settings, you can use an online tool like F-Secure Router. For more security, consider changing your DNS server to one with advanced hijacking protection like CloudFlare or Quad9.

Do you want to make your router hack-proof? Click here for more tips.

More: 6 ways to speed up slow Wi-Fi

4. Programs and apps start crashing

Now, here is a clear sign that your system has been infected. If your antivirus software and task manager are either crashing or disabled, a nasty virus has likely taken hold of your critical system files.

You may not be able to click on once-reliable apps. In the worst case scenario, ransomware may prevent you from opening favorite files.

You can try and fix the problem by booting your gadget in Safe Mode. With Safe Mode, your computer will be running with just the bare essentials. This way, you can safely delete and uninstall any programs and files that you can't during normal operation.

Windows:

On Windows, search for System Configuration then open it >> select Boot tab then tick off Safe Boot >>check Minimal (this is enough for most cases) >> click on OK to confirm >> Restart your computer.

Click here for detailed steps on how to boot into Windows Safe Mode.

macOS:

On a Mac, press and hold down the Shift key while restarting your computer. Keep holding the key through the Apple logo and release when you see the login screen.

Android:

Android also has its own version of Safe Mode but there are different ways to activate it, depending on your phone model. Click here to learn how.

iOS:

Stock iOS doesn't have a Safe Mode but you can try a soft reset to fix most issues. To do this, press and hold both your iPhone's Home button and the Sleep button at the same time, wait for it to restart then let go of the buttons when the Apple logo is displayed.

The iPhone X doesn't have a Home button so the process is a bit different. Press and quickly release the volume up button, press and quickly release the volume down button then press and hold the side button and release when the Apple logo appears.

5. You start seeing pop-up ads

Malware can also add bookmarks that you don't want, website shortcuts to your home screen that you didn't create, and spammy messages that entice you to click through. Apart from slowing down your gadget and eating away at your data, these intrusive notifications can also install more malware on your system.

Criminals can also use DNS hijacking to modify the ads that you see while browsing. Instead of the regular ads that you should be getting, they can be replaced with inappropriate or malicious ones.

On Windows, clean out adware with SpyBot Search & Destroy. On a Mac, use Malwarebytes for Mac.

6. Your gadget suddenly restarts

Automatic restarts are part of normal computer life. Software updates and new application installs can prompt you to reboot your computer. Your system will warn you when these happen, and you can delay or postpone them.

Yet sudden restarts are a different story. With Windows 10, there's a free malware detection and extraction program called Microsoft Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool.

I recommend a Full Scan with this tool to verify that your computer is updated with the latest malware definitions.

7. Unexplained online activity

Hackers covet your usernames and passwords. These details, coupled with social engineering tricks, can gain access to your banking accounts, your social media profiles, and your online services.

Keep an eye on your email's 'sent' folder and on your social network posts. If you notice emails and posts that you don't remember sending or posting, it's likely that you have been hacked.

Constantly check your accounts for unauthorized activity including movies on your Netflix profile that you don't remember streaming, mystery purchases that you haven't made, songs on your Spotify list that you didn't listen to, credit card charges that came from nowhere.

What other tech tips will help you?

Call my national radio show and click here to find it on your local radio station. You can listen to the Kim Komando Show on your phone, tablet or computer. From buying advice to digital life issues, click here for my free podcasts.

If your email account has been hacked, would you know what to do? Changing your password isn't good enough. You'll also want to make sure the hacker hasn't set up your account to let him get back in or to keep spamming, even after he's locked out. Here's what you need to do to get everything back in order and keep hackers out of your account for good.

Step #1: Run a security scan on your computer

Run a full scan of your computer with your anti-malware software — don't do a quick scan, if that's an option. Sending email to your friends and family isn't the end goal for hackers. They want to separate you from your money and that means that they'll try to install keyloggers to get your passwords and other malware. We like Malwarebytes (free for Mac/Windows) as well as Bitdefender Total Security (check price on Amazon) and Symantec Norton 360 Deluxe (check price on Amazon).

Step #2: Change your password and security questions

The very first thing you should do is keep the hacker from getting back into your email account. Change your password to a strong password that is not related to your prior password; if your last password was billyjoe1, don't pick billyjoe2—and if your name is actually BillyJoe, you shouldn't have been using your name as your password in the first place.

Try using a meaningful sentence as the basis of your new password. For example, “I go to the gym in the morning” turns into “Ig2tGYMitm” using the first letter of each word in the sentence, mixing uppercase and lowercase letters and replacing the word “to” with “2.”

Don't just change your email password. Also change the passwords of any accounts that share the same password as your hacked email account and even those that are variation of that password. As an extra security measure, also change the passwords for any sites that story your credit card information, like your Nextlix, Amazon and credit card company.

For accounts that require security questions, change those as well. And if the questions are generic, like what's your mother's maiden name, lie when answering and record those answers in your password manager. If you want to be extra careful, use a password generator to create a nonsense answer.

Step #3: Reclaim your account

If you’re lucky, the hacker only logged into your account to send a mass email to all of your contacts.

If you’re not so lucky, the hacker changed your password too, locking you out of your account. If that’s the case, you’ll need to reclaim your account, which is usually a matter of using the “forgot your password” link and answering your security questions or using your backup email address.

Check out the specific recommendations for reclaiming possession of your account for Gmail, Outlook.com and Hotmail, and AOL.

Step #4: Enable two-factor authentication

Set your email account to require a second form of authentication in addition to your password whenever you log into your email account from a new device. When you log in, you'll also need to enter a special one-time use code the site will text to your phone or generated via an app.

Check out two-step authentication setup instructions for Gmail, Microsoft’s Outlook.com and Hotmail, and AOL. And for a full list, check out twofactorauth.org

Step #5: Check your email settings

Sometimes hackers might change your settings to forward a copy of every email you receive to themselves so that they can watch for any emails containing login information for other sites. Check your mail forwarding settings to ensure no unexpected email addresses have been added.

Next, check your email signature to see if the hacker added a spammy signature that will continue to peddle their dubious wares even after they've been locked out.

Check your 'reply to' email address. Sometimes hackers will change your 'reply to' email address to one they've created that looks similar to yours. So when someone replies to your email, it goes to the hacker's account, not yours.

Last, check to make sure the hackers haven’t turned on an auto-responder, turning your out-of-office notification into a spam machine.

Step #6: Find out what else has been compromised

My mother-in-law once followed the ill-advised practice of storing usernames and passwords for her various accounts in an email folder called 'Sign-ups.' Once the hacker was into her email, he easily discovered numerous other logins.

Most of us have emails buried somewhere that contain this type of information. Search for the word 'password' in your mailbox to figure out what other accounts might have been compromised. Change these passwords immediately; if they include critical accounts such as bank or credit card accounts, check your statements to make sure there are no suspicious transactions. You should also consider adding a fraud alert or security freeze to your accounts with the major credit agencies.

Step #7: Humbly beg for forgiveness from your friends

Let the folks in your contacts list know that your email was hacked and that they should not open any suspicious emails or click on any links in any email(s) that recently received from you. Most people will probably have already figured out that you were not the one recommending they buy Viagra from an online pharmacy in India—but you know, everyone has one or two friends who are a little slower to pick up on these things.

Step #8: Prevent it from happening again

While large-scale breaches are one way your login information could be stolen, many cases are due to careless creation or protection of login information.

Am I Hacked App

A look at Splash Data's worst passwords reveals people still choose common passwords and passwords based on readily available information, making their accounts hackable with a few educated guesses. Easy passwords make for easy hacking, and spammers use programs that can cycle through thousands of logins a second to identify weak accounts.

Picking a strong password is your best protection from this type of hacking. It also is prudent to use a different password for each site or account, or, at the very least, use a unique password for your email account, your bank account and any other sensitive accounts. If you're concerned about keeping track of your passwords, find a password management program to do the work for you. Check out our picks for the best password managers.

Limit the amount of personal information you share publicly on social media. Hackers use this publicly available personal information to help answer security questions that protect your accounts.

Bookmark websites that you frequently use to access personal information or input credit card information. This will prevent you from accidentally landing on a site that hackers set up to catch people mistyping the site address.

In a friend's case, her passwords were pretty good and there was no malware on her computer. But she was careless about where she was logging in. On a recent trip overseas, she used the computer in her hotel lobby to check her email. That was a bad idea.

Computers in hotel lobbies, libraries and other public places are perfect locations for hackers to install key-logging programs. The computers are often poorly secured and get used by dozens of people every day who don't think twice about logging into their email or bank accounts or entering credit card information to make a purchase. The best practice is to assume that any public computer is compromised and proceed accordingly.

Updated: 6/4/2020 with new resources

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[email security keyboard via Shutterstock]