Is Your Computer use Being Tracked? 5 Things to Look Out For

Is your computer being tracked with the use of computer monitoring software? Ethically tracking someone’s computer to get to the root of an issue or for protection is great, but some people use it to for negative reasons. Here we look at five ways to tell if your computer is being monitored with the use of an intelligent, developed and insightful tool, such as the computer monitoring software in our range – the Global PC Spy.

1. Check Your Programs – Can You Detect Computer Monitoring Software?

Third parties looking to track a computer often assume that the normal user won’t understand the software they have installed and choose to ignore it. Tracking can be done with virtual network computing –or VNC – software. Read through the list of programs on your start menu, and if any look suspicious or contain those letters in the title it means that someone is able to access your computer without you realising, as long as that program is enabled in the background.

2. Check Your Firewall Settings

Modern computers come with built in firewall settings which block many of the available ports to increase security. A port is the connection through which computers can share their information. For most people, these do not need to be open. If you enter the Control Panel for your computer and select Windows Firewall, you will be able to see which if any ports have been opened. Computer monitoring control is in use with this!

3. Manage Your Exceptions

Within the Firewall security, certain programs on your computer will have been granted access. From the Windows Firewall control screen, select the ‘Exceptions’ tab. Any line which is ticked is able to move freely through the firewall. Read the list of program names and if any are suspicious, look into their function. Any with the VNC initials or other connected names should be disabled. Some third parties use names for their tracking programs as obvious as LogMeIn which should be easily identified amongst the usual and necessary processes on your system. Managing your expectations can be made easier through our custom built, easy to use and highly versatile computer monitoring software.

4. User Names

Whilst running processes on your computer, these are assigned to your user name in the registry. From the Windows Task Manager, accessed by pressing the Control, Shift and Escape buttons simultaneously, read the list of names active on your device. In the user name column of the Processes tab, four names are acceptable: your own username, Local Service, Network Service and System. Any other names present in that list are a cause for concern, because they mean someone else is logged into your computer.

5. Email, Internet & Computer Monitoring

When you send an email from any program or client on your computer, it needs to connect to the email server. There are two options for this: directly connecting or connecting through a proxy server. A proxy server is designed to receive the request, check it (whether for content or size or another concern) and alter it if required, then forward it to the receiving server. If your web browsing or emails are routed through a proxy server, all of the websites you visit and the emails your write could potentially be saved for viewing later on.

Interested in learning more about computer and PC monitoring or discussing the computer monitoring software that we sell to our customers? Contact us today, we are here to help you get the desired results and stay safe online.