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Am I being paranoid? I'm seeing signs of a virus everywhere on my computers but I have no way of being sure. I've tried scanning with Windows Defender multiple times but haven't found anything. My internet connection slows to a crawl often, my games keep crashing (official support forums say a virus is probably causing the crash), and my Ubuntu server is sending things to a domain called "rubay.canonical.com" (I can see it using iftop)

I've only visited sketchy sites accidentally (misspelled site names), and all my router ports are forwarded to trusted applications. How can I be sure that Nigerian scammers aren't emptying my bank account and selling my SIN as we speak? Should I nuke my computers just to be safe?

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    Obligatory XKCD: xkcd.com/1180
    – Alexander O'Mara
    May 5, 2016 at 20:44
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    BTW, Canonical (canonical.com) is the people who make Ubuntu.
    – Alexander O'Mara
    May 5, 2016 at 20:46
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    Does your internet slow down during peak times? That suggests that your ISP is too busy. Games crashing could be down to a malfunctioning driver, or bad stick of RAM in your computer. The server is talking to an Ubuntu update service, probably checking for patches. These are all normal things. Are you seeing any evidence of strange transactions on your bank account?
    – Matthew
    May 5, 2016 at 20:46
  • I feel like an idiot, I looked up the domain a while ago and found it on a website called viruswatch or something, then I went back later and found out it was from a legit source, durr... I'm just being paranoid I guess :P
    – Nonamee
    May 6, 2016 at 5:26
  • i am having same issues. let me know if you have any progress. :)
    – aimme
    Oct 27, 2016 at 18:56

2 Answers 2

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None of the symptoms you posted is a sign of having malware on your computer.

My internet connection slows to a crawl often

Complain to your internet service provider or find a better one.

my games keep crashing

Viruses don't tend to do that. When you have problems running games, it's far more likely to be a problem with your graphic driver... or just that you happen to play buggy games. But that's not a topic for this website. Gaming stackexchange might be able to help you with a specific problem.

my Ubuntu server is sending things to a domain called "rubay.canonical.com"

Canonical is the company which makes Ubuntu, so there is nothing suspicious about that. Opening that domain in a web browser shows a directory listing with filenames which hint that it might have something to do with checking for updates. Ubuntu Stackexchange might give you a more profound answer when you are curious.

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  • Oh thank you, the tension in my shoulders just got vaporized.
    – Nonamee
    May 6, 2016 at 5:24
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There is no sure way to tell.

You can find a virus on your computer, and then I guess you'll know that there is a virus. But it is not possible to be sure that there is a virus responsible for all of the suspicious activity on your computer. It is equally possible that someone is hacking into your computer and screwing around with it.

But in terms of classic things you can do, try finding any suspicious scripts or daemons running on your computer. Employ a super-strict firewall or examine all network traffic, and see if any unwanted sites are being accessed, or any unknown connections being made. If you see nothing, chances are good that you're just being paranoid, and your problems are caused by some other factor.

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