We all have an unobtrusive roommate or co-worker, here are some tips to use if we fear they are using our computer without notifying us
We all have a sibling or roommate who is a bit intrusive. He steals our clothes, finishes our snacks and we have the doubt that he also uses our computer when we are not at home. And what about that colleague in the office who looks at our screen when we enter a password?
Unfortunately, we can use some simple tricks to tell if someone is using our computer without warning us. The first step in protecting your PC is to enter a PIN or password for access. But an intrusive person just needs a little peek to figure out what our device's credentials are. What to do in this case? Simple, we regularly change the PIN for unlocking the PC screen. In this way, we'll make life harder for the brother or colleague who isn't very discreet. However, this action may not be enough with people who do not respect our privacy.
How to tell if they use our PC
To check every access then just check the login log. Yes, our computer has one. If we fear that our PC is being used by someone then the advice is to leave it on standby instead of turning it off. In this way if someone logs in the log will see the exact time of each login. How to see the logs? Easy, on a Mac just go to Console and View Your Logs. If we have a Windows computer, we open the Event Viewer.
Check History
If our intrusive friend is a bit distracted, we won't need to look at the registered logins to understand whether or not he has taken possession of our PC. We'll just have to look at the browser history. If we notice websites that we haven't visited, then someone is definitely using the PC without our knowledge.
Apps and cameras
If we want to check what our roommate or brother is doing with the PC, we just need to install an app like Prey. It's a program that monitors different devices, from Mac to Windows computers via smartphones and tablets. Once installed, the program notifies us with a notification on the phone of each access made on the computer. In this case we'll be able to decide to lock the PC's screen, make a full-screen message appear or shut down the computer even remotely. We can also use apps like Revealer Keylogger (Windows) or Elite Keylogger (Mac). These programs record every key pressed on our computer's keyboard. One last extreme solution would be to install a hidden webcam on your computer. Surely, however, this is an uneconomical option. Although it is the most effective for catching an intrusive person in the sack.