There are many reasons to consider monitoring the activities and history on your PC. For example, if you have kids, it can be a good idea to check out their activities while using the device. That will help you to prevent them from visiting dangerous websites or spending too much time playing video games.
Companies are also using different methods to monitor the computers of their workers. One of the best ways for that is to use an app that cannot be detected, such as spytector. Besides that, there are many other options that you can use. The two most common options are to track the system and browser. Here are some of the best solutions for that.
Check the Internet History
This is one of the easiest ways to see how other people were using your device. The process is quite simple, and all you need to do is to go to the history section where you will present a full list of websites that were visited.
If you are worried that someone was trying to steal some data from your device, or you use your platforms like social media, mobile banking, and more, it will all be recorded in this section. Besides that, it will be a clear sign that someone was trying that in case that the history was deleted. The great thing is that you can request a backup for history.
Check the System Activities
While the browser history is great for checking internet activities, there are some other models that you can use to find out what other people were doing on the PC. The process is quite simple. You will need to go to the Run command, and type recent.
After that, you will receive a file with reports related to different documents and apps that were used. If you notice that the log is deleted, that is also a sign that someone was using your device without you knowing that.
Check the Recycle Bin
If you notice that some important files are missing from your PC, and you cannot find them by using the first two options that we recommended, you can always check the recycle bin. For example, there is a data report in your company where you will find out about the lack of productivity or some other issues. That could motivate some workers to try to make such data disappear so they can avoid penalties.
That can especially be the case if your PC is in the same office. If those people were in the rush, there is a chance that they forgot to delete the bin along with those files. Therefore, you will be able to easily restore them. Even if they deleted the bin, there is s still a chance that you can get those files before they get overwritten.
Control Panel
You can find a lot of useful settings in this section. The first thing to do if you think that someone was using your device without permission is to go to downloads and installed programs. The section with downloads can be easily deleted. However, that is not the case with installed programs and features where you can check out more about the software and if there are any suspicious apps working in the background.
There are various spyware options that hackers are using to steal data. The problem is that they won’t show any signs of activity. However, there is no way to hide the installed app from this section. Another great thing is that you can also check out when the app was installed, which will help you in determining who might be responsible for that.
Administrator Tools
All of the previous options that we mentioned represent efficiency ways to detect suspicious and anonymous activities on your PC. However, they will be used by those who are not familiar with the advanced security system that Windows can provide. On the other side, experienced hackers will use some even more advanced ways to get your data. Therefore, you have to be cautious about installed apps on your device, along with various files.
As an owner of the device or a server in your company, you can use some additional tricks to find out more about the activities. For example, if you are experiencing password blockage from time to time, maybe someone installed a malware that is trying to break your password. There are some other indications, like a lot of failed attempts to log in the system, missing report on activities of other users on the same server, or changes of data that you set.
Keep You Device Safe
While there is always a possibility that someone around you might try to use your PC and even delete some files, the most important thing is to always make it safe in the online environment. Therefore, keep your firewall active, and use the right antivirus.
Moreover, updates can be very important. In that matter, make sure that all apps along with the systems are updated to the most recent versions. Developers are constantly upgrading their apps and one of the main reason for that is to upgrade the security layers. The simple solution is to keep your device locked. When it comes to PC, you can protect it with a password. Modern laptops are even better since they have fingerprints scanners.
Last Words
It depends on the situation when it comes to the right selection of methods that you can use. For example, if you want to monitor your kids, installing some app that will work in the background can be a great way to check their activities.
You can do the same with the workers in your company. When devices are connected to the same server, you will be able to check the activities remotely without the need to use their PC’s. On the other side, make sure that your device is safe and always try some methods that we presented if you think that someone was using your PC without permission.