Realistically, it is very difficult if not impossible to be 100% sure that your computer is safe. Regardless, you should always be taking the appropriate measures to keeping it as safe as possible. Things like using firewalls, keeping software up to date, running antivirus software, staying away from suspicious links and phishing attempts, etc. are extremely important to this.

It is integral to also make sure you are regularly manually monitoring what tasks and processes are running on your computer. I learned a technique that if you go into your task manager and sort by processes, you can look at every individual process and check how much memory they’re using. If an application you don’t recognize is using a large amount of memory or any other part of your computer, there is a decent possibility that it is malware and that it should be removed immediately.

There are other ways of making sure your computer is safe and threat free: aside from regular maintenance and monitoring, the best way is also just to make sure you aren’t clicking on anything suspicious. Personally, I have used my personal computer for years without an anti virus without a single issue. Really, the key is just to be internet smart and not click on random things. Offers like a free new iPhone, “you are the 1000th visitor” scams, etc. are obvious and most people who have been using the internet for a while are aware of it. However, threats like emails pretending to be someone else or messages of a similar kind can get a majority of people.

Common email impersonators masquerade as a trusted company, telling you that your system is in danger and that they need to visit their website to fix it. When you visit their website, you will be prompted to download a random software that will put malware like keyloggers onto your computer, stealing your passwords and personal information. This is just one example of easy to fall for threats for your PC.

Overall, the easiest way to tell if your computer is safe is to be as safe as possible. Even if a threat isn’t visible, that doesn’t mean it isn’t there.