How can we tell if our computer is safe? There are many ways for us to tell actually, but also there are symptoms per say, for us to determine if it is not safe? Some of these symptoms include short battery life. Now this only occurs on laptops, but if you recently replaced your battery and it continues to rapidly drain, it is very likely some malicious software could be running in the background, such as a virus. Another symptom would be if your computer runs extremely slow, for example if it takes a very long time for it to start up, or if simple navigation around the desktop seems to be a huge problem, it could mean your computer may have malware. Also if programs consistently crash, it is very likely that a hacker may be trying to collect data by placing codes on these programs, which in turn causes them to, as mentioned, run slower or outright crash. Hackers also will sometimes attempt to spy on the person they are targeting. A big red flag that someone may be spying on you is if you notice your webcam starts suddenly recording you, you notice your microphone is on without you turning it on, or you may even see messages on your screen that you did not type. The best way to make sure your computer is safe is to make sure your endpoint devices are secured, and also to have a good cybersecurity system in place. Other methods include testing your computer’s settings. The Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer is a free tool that examines your Windows and Office settings for any potential problems, especially contamination from malicious software. Testing your firewall is also a great way to make sure your computer is safe, port testing services will help show you if your computer is “invisible”. If its visible and you can see it, so can the hackers. Always having antivirus software is extremely important as well, as it can help prevent many kinds of malicious software from attacking/infiltrating your computer.