[Must-Know] How to Check If Someone Is Remotely Accessing Your Computer

Remote access is a convenient way to access another computer remotely. However, did you know that Americans lost $806 million in 2022 due to remote access scams (tech support scams)? Moreover, remote access scams are up by 52% in Australia during Q1 2024.

Remote access scams are terrifying. A third party secretly watches all your computer activities, accesses your accounts and data, and even pushes you out of your computer. So, if you are curious to know how to check if someone is remotely accessing your computer, then stick around.

In this guide, we will list signs to detect if someone is remotely accessing your computer and then list some effective measures to block unautomated remote access.

Part 1. Things to Know Before Checking

1Can Others Access My Computer Remotely Without Me Knowing?

Yes, other people can access your computer remotely without you knowing. There are now many tools and techniques that can help hackers access your computer remotely. For example, remote access software, like TeamViewer, AnyDesk, and similar others, can give hackers complete control of your computer and even the ability to have unattended access.

Imagine that you received a fake support call. The person created a sense of urgency that your computer was vulnerable and should be fixed. You were convinced to install the remote access software and give access to your computer to troubleshoot the issue. That's it! Now, the hackers have complete access to your computer.

Other than the above approach, hackers can also access your computer through other means, like software vulnerabilities, malware, etc.

2Can You Tell When Someone Looks at Your Computer Remotely?

Yes, if you keep a close eye on your computer activities, you can suspect if someone is looking at or accessing your computer remotely. If you suspect unexpected cursor movement, new software installed, increased CPU usage, unusual network activity, and similar things, it can tell that someone is looking into your computer remotely.

Yes, if you keep a close eye on your computer activities, you can suspect if someone is looking at or accessing your computer remotely. If you suspect unexpected cursor movement, new software installed, increased CPU usage, unusual network activity, and similar things, it can tell that someone is looking into your computer remotely.

Part 2. How to Check if Someone Is Remotely Accessing Your Computer

There are many ways to detect if hackers are accessing your computer. Below, we have shortlisted five ways on how to tell if someone is accessing your computer remotely:

1Look for Intrusion Signs

If your computer is being accessed remotely, there will definitely be some signs of intrusion. Your job is to suspect those signs and then take action accordingly.

Here are some commons signs about how to know if someone is remotely accessing your computer:

All the above signs are the indication that your computer may be under remote access by hackers.

2Check Your Computer's Recent Activities

Hackers won't just sit and watch you; they will try to perform different activities on your computer. So, another way for how to check if someone is remotely accessing your computer is to look into your computer's recent activities:

3Interrogate Remote Access Programs

To access your computer remotely, the most common tactic is to install a remote access program in your computer and then use it to access your computer.

Check the Presence of Remote Access Program:

If you haven't installed any remote access program, then you should check the list of currently installed programs. Check if any remote access program is present on your computer, like AnyDesk, TeamViewer, etc. If yes, immediately uninstall it.

Check Remote Access Program Activities:

If you use a remote access program for personal or work-related activities, you should check it under the currently running programs list. If you are not currently using the tool, it shouldn't be running on your computer. If it is still active, it indicates that scammers are using it in the background.

To check remote access program activities, launch Task Manager (for Windows) or Activity Monitor (for macOS) and view the running status of the remote access program.

4Check Your CPU Usage

CPU usage is another excellent way on how to know if someone is remotely accessing your computer. A high CPU usage when you are not running any power-hungry programs is an indication that some unknown processes are running in the background.

You can access CPU usage status from the Task Manager (for Windows) or Activity Monitor (for macOS). However, high CPU usage does not always mean unauthorized remote access. Sometimes, a program may be getting updated in the background, which can also lead to high CPU usage.

5Perform a Deep Antivirus Scan

The last way on how to tell if someone is accessing your computer remotely is to perform a deep antivirus scan. An antivirus tool can deeply scan all your computer programs and files. If it finds any malicious software or files, it will notify you and remove them. This will also be an indication that your computer is compromised.

Part 3. How to Block Unauthorized Remote Connections

If you are sure that someone has made it into your computer and is now accessing your computer remotely, don't waste any more minutes. Quickly follow the below steps to block unauthorized remote connections right away:

1Disconnect from the Internet Immediately

The Internet is the main source through which a scammer can access your computer. Once you disconnect the internet, you break the connection between your computer and the scammer. This now gives you time to diagnose your computer, remove malware or malicious software, and secure your accounts.

2Change Passwords from Another Secure Computer

If the scammer has been accessing your computer remotely for a while, they may also have your accounts' passwords. So, the next step is to change passwords.

To do so, use another secure device, such as a computer or a smartphone, and change the passwords of all your accounts, including banking, social media, email, etc. Try to create strong and different passwords from your previous ones.

3Scan and Remove Malicious Programs Using Antivirus Software

Now that your accounts are secured, your next move should be to detect and remove malicious programs from your computer.

First, manually check the list of your installed programs from the Control Panel (on Windows) or the Applications folder (on Mac). If you find any unknown or suspicious software, uninstall it. Secondly, also remove any remote access software you have installed.

Next, install antivirus software and let it scan and remove all the malicious programs and files.

4Backup Data and Factory Reset Your Computer

To ensure that your computer becomes free from any traces of hidden malware, you should factory reset your computer. However, make sure you backup your computer data first on a cloud or external hard drive.

5Secure Your Network Connection (Router)

Today's malware is capable of penetrating other devices linked with your Wi-Fi router. Therefore, the last step is to secure your network connection as follows:

That's it! This way, you can block unauthorized remote access and remove all the traces of malware or malicious tools in your computer.