March 20th, 2012 by ElizaP

You may use your computer to do any number of things on any given day. And none of what you do is illegal. Or is it? Even now as you surf the internet, your computer could be a part of a network of other computers just like yours, and be being used to take web sites down, spam email addresses or even distribute illegal materials.

If your computer becomes hijacked by hackers and becomes part of such a network, called a botnet, police could link illegal activities to your computer which could cause you to be the one who ends up having to pay, even though you did nothing wrong.

How To Identify If Your Machine Is Part Of A Botnet
The easiest way to tell if your computer has been hijacked is to monitor your computer’s performance. If you find performance is slow when you try and access online resources which offer ways to protect yourself, such as antivirus or antimalware programs, that is a reliable clue that all is not as secure as you thought.

How To Remove Your Computer From The Botnet
Unfortunately, the most effective way to extricate your machine from a hacker network is to wipe it completely, or format it. To do this, you will need to ensure that all of your important files, images, programs and other items have been backed up so that they can be restored when the wipe is complete.