
Updated · Mar 28, 2023
Updated · Feb 07, 2023
Ah, the internet!
An endless ocean of possibilities and knowledge. But don’t be fooled by how calm the water looks because danger lies ahead.
An experienced swimmer is always prepared to encounter something fishy. The web surfer should also be prepared.
Brute-forcing, cyberbullying, and keyloggers are some of the modern-day traps of the Internet. Today we’re focusing on the latter.
You'll find out what a keylogger is, how it works, and how you can be safe.
That’s right. Hop on your surfboard and follow me to learn more.
Keylogging is a way to spy on a computer user. It’s generally used to gain access to passwords and other confidential information through fraud. It records every keystroke made on your computer.
Have you seen the movie “The Truman Show”?
It’s the story of an ordinary man living a normal life. He is married, has a job, a nice house, good friends, and kind neighbors. Or that’s how it seems on the surface.
Actually, this man is living in his own reality show. He has been monitored ever since his birth, without having a clue about it.
Every step he takes is followed.
Every action he takes is recorded.
Sounds like fiction (and it is), but it can also be a reality.
Your whole life is practically stored on computers. You have your online banking, social media, conversations, downloads - you name it.
You know what phishing is, SSL is your best friend and you have the top antivirus installed. Then again, banks also have guards, safes, padlocks, and code combinations, but robbers still manage to steal money.
To paraphrase Henry Ford: A reserve of knowledge, experience, and ability is the only real security a man can have in this world.
Just like a hidden surveillance camera that tracks all your actions. A keylogger is a type of software that records keys as you strike them on your keyboard. Keystroke loggers arrive just as any other malware and are hard to discover if you don’t know what to look for.
You can get infected by simply visiting a website. Furthermore, some keylogging software can take screenshots of your activity and record your microphone.
A certain action may trigger the keystroke logger too. For instance, the keylogger software may start recording only once you’ve opened the browser to access your online banking.
But you’re probably wondering:
A keyboard logger can be tricky to detect. The first signs of an infection could be:
Here are the steps you need to take:
While keyboard loggers are mainly software-based, there are some hardware options as well.
Here’s the deal:
This is the free version of the paid Spyrix Personal Monitor. It can take screenshots, clipboards, and capture keystrokes. However, advanced features like social network monitoring, log delivery, and alerts are not available. Spyrix may appear to be hidden but can be easily spotted by the task manager. The program’s folder is visible, as well.
An absolutely free and open-source user activity monitoring tool. It can be used for logging keystrokes and clipboard, but also to record USB drives, files, and folder usage. On top of that, you can record sound from a microphone and take screenshots. KidLogger is available for most platforms, including Windows, Mac, Android, Blueberry, etc.
The program runs hidden in the background but is visible in the task manager and explorer. You can protect KidLogger with a password.
A free security monitoring software that can be used as a keylogger. BlackBox works slightly differently compared to the other software on the list. You can monitor 1 local PC and up to 200 remote computers in the network. Perfect for business means. And you can exclude a user you don’t want to monitor.
BlackBox Express can log keystrokes, web searches, ran programs, visited websites, and much more. The program is hidden by default, but you can still see it in the task manager.
Very responsive and light on system usage. It can record keystroke and has automatic log cleanup. You can protect the program with a password. It’s invisible in the taskbar and in add/remove programs. To uninstall it, run the program, click on the question mark icon at the top right, go to Program end and select Uninstall.
It used to be for free, but the current version has turned into shareware with the program renamed to Actual Spy. The last free version (2.4) is from 2006 but seems to work perfectly on Windows 7. It can only capture keystrokes, however.
This is the stealthiest option of all the above. You won’t be able to detect it in task manager, the program folder is hidden and doesn’t show up in the Windows uninstall list.
Some keyboard loggers can be implemented entirely as hardware devices. A person puts a specialized USB device, which acts as an intermediary between the computer’s USB port and the keyboard’s USB connector.
The device stores signals from the keyboard, while everything appears to be working normally. If you keep your computer under a desk, the device would practically remain invisible.
Security software won’t be able to detect the keylogger since it’s pure hardware. The person can come back a couple of days later, grab the device and no evidence will remain. You won’t even realize what has happened.
To prevent this, simply check the back of your computer to see if there’s any device between your PC and keyboard.
Good news is that there are no hardware keystroke loggers for mobiles, but both Androids and iPhones are vulnerable to keylogging software. Since modern phones use a touch screen, keyloggers adopt a specific approach.
They eavesdrop on what you press on your screen. From there on, your camera, microphone, connected networks, devices, and all your messages are monitored.
Anyone who has temporary access to your phone can load a keylogger. Your device can also get infected in the same way as a computer - via phishing emails and malicious websites.
As with computers, there’s an abundance of keylogging software for both Android and iPhone users to choose from.
Let’s narrow it down:
One of the most popular keylogging software for mobiles at the moment. You can monitor up to four devices from one account with the option to remotely read text messages. It is hard to detect and provides notifications and data quickly. Spyzie costs $30 per month for Android and $40 for iOS. You can also try a free demo version of the tool.
This tool is easy to use, as the name suggests. It’s considered as one of the more sophisticated monitoring ways since it can provide all the data from a mobile, including text messages, GPS tracking, and a call log. EasySpy costs $70 per month.
This keylogger software does an excellent job of keeping call logs, browser history, social networking logs. The pricing starts from $30 a month for the basic package and $40 for the pro one.
Captain Smiley is always on duty to protect your keyboard!
But even he can have bad days at the office. For such days, he recommends reading on:
In general, you should be cautious when opening attachments. Keyloggers could be injected into files received through email, text messages, chats, networks, and even social media. Pay attention to fishy emails, asking for your personal information.
It’s crucial to have an antivirus program with the latest updates. Be cautious when you turn your antivirus off, because that’s the chance keyboard loggers are waiting for to creep in.
Virtual Keyboard also helps to avoid personal data interception by hackers. It is a software used to allow the user to input characters without the actual need for physical keys.
Enabling two-step authentication with a one time password would help protect you, too. Since the one time password is temporary, hackers cannot use the same password again.
Include your phone number for authentication and even if keyloggers crack the actual password, it will be useless to them.
On top of these prevention measures, there are dedicated tools you can use to detect a keystroke logger.
The program offers a powerful free version, compatible with Windows and Mac systems. You can utilize it to detect not only keyloggers but other types of malware too. It has a simple interface and will also monitor your passwords – warning you when there’s a breach and providing solutions.
One of the top tools for online protection. It offers both a free and premium version. The free download will remove infections that are already on your system. Going premium will also provide active protection against incoming attacks.
A very handy program for all Windows users. It uses keystroke encryption to protect your computer and has a set of functions to detect and stop malware. SpyShelter is fast, has a great design and won’t affect your system’s performance.
I see you’ve spent the last five minutes reading through the article. No keylogger in use, honest!
Seriously, though - knowing what a keylogger is and how to combat keylogging will provide you with the ability to swim calmly in the vast ocean that is the internet.
Denis Metev
A graduated journalist with a passion for football. A horror writer with a black sense of humor. A poet with dark aesthetic. A cinephile with a preference for old movies. A singer filled with experimental vibes. And most of all, a scorpion with purple features.
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