By recognising early indicators, you can significantly reduce the risk of infection and contain threats before they escalate. Recognising ransomware promptly can be the difference between a minor inconvenience and a full-blown crisis.
If you notice any of these signs below, act quickly, as time is critical.
Sign 1 - Sluggish system performance
During a ransomware attack, the system can be overloaded by the malware, which leaves less capacity for legitimate programs to run. Watch for sudden slowdowns, frequent crashes, or unresponsive applications. These can be early signs of malicious activity.
Open Task Manager (Windows) or Activity Monitor (Mac) and look for unfamiliar or resource-heavy processes. Malware often tries to disguise itself with random names.
Sign 2 - Locked or inaccessible files
If you can’t open documents, images or folders that were previously usable. You may still be able to see the files, but you won’t be able to open or use them.
Sign 3 - Unusual file extensions
Ransomware attacks are prone to targeting and corrupting files and data. Inspect your files for strange extensions. If you see something like .locked, .enc, or .crypt, it’s a red flag.
Sign 4 – Malicious pop-ups or ransom notes
Look for text files or suspicious pop-ups with unexpected warnings, fake updates or ransom demands. These often appear on your desktop or in folders with encrypted files.
Sign 5 - Disabled antivirus or firewall
Check your antivirus and firewall logs for recent alerts or blocked activity. If your security software is turned off without your input, these logs can reveal it and help show attempted intrusions or malware behaviour.
Sign 6 - Unusual network activity
If you have high outbound traffic to unknown IP addresses or domains, you should use a network monitoring tool to investigate. This could indicate data exfiltration or communication with a command-and-control server.
Sign 7 - Unexpected redirects
If you are being redirected to strange websites when you try to visit legitimate websites. This could be an indication that a malicious browser extension has been installed.
Sign 8 - Unfamiliar software running
If you notice new apps are running in the background. For example, software removal applications, this could mean bad news. Take a look at your Task Manager or Activity Monitor to check that nothing suspicious is silently happening behind the scenes.
Sign 9 – Invest in threat detection tools
Run a full system scan using updated anti-malware software. Tools like Malwarebytes, Bitdefender, or Windows Defender can help detect and quarantine threats.
