How to Spot a Spy—Spotting Cyber-Spies,Corporate Spies,Identifying Spies in Your Personal Life:

Spying and espionage is not just found in a James Bond movie. Cyber-spying and corporate espionage are two common ways for people to be tracked and have information stolen in the modern world. And of course, there is always the danger of being stalked, followed, or watched, especially with the technology available to a determined tracker. If you are concerned that someone is watching you or your company, there are several ways of spotting these individuals. Knowing how to spot these kinds of spies can be useful in stopping them from making you a victim.

Spotting Cyber-Spies

Check your browser history. If there are unusual websites, or sites that you did not visit, someone may be using your computer. Likewise, if your search history has been cleared out, and you did not do it, someone else may have done so. In these cases, someone has spied on you by directly accessing your computer.

Remember to turn your machine off when you aren’t using it, or have a strong password with letters, numbers, and symbols to lock out unwanted users.
Check to see if third party software is running on your machine. These programs, sometimes called virtual network computing (VNC) software, allow someone to access your computer from a remote location as long as it is on. Many people use programs like LogMeIn or GoToMyPC to do work remotely. If you have such a program, and someone else obtained your log in information, they could access your machine from an outside location.

Be aware of your computer or device’s operating speed. If you notice a lag in speed, it may be the result of someone using the internet to track your activity. A tracking app will take up valuable memory, and cause other processes on your computer to slow down. Look at the apps your device is running, and notice any unfamiliar ones.

Most major commercial antivirus programs, like Symantec, McAfee, and Norton, are good at tracking apps like this on your computer.
Check your bills. If someone has access to your devices, they probably have access to other information about you, and may be using that to steal your identity. In addition, spying apps on your phone will use the GPS to send tracking data, and so will likely drive up your data charges.

Watch out for downloads from insecure websites. If you are downloading something from a website, use your computer’s ........Continue Reading