Threats of keyloggers can come from many issues around the collection of sensitive data. When you are unaware that everything you type onto your computer keyboard is being recorded, you may inadvertently expose your:. Sensitive information like this is highly valuable to third-parties, including advertisers and criminals.
Once collected and stored, this data then becomes an easy target for theft. Data breaches can expose saved keystroke logs, even in legitimate use cases.
This data can easily be leaked inadvertently via an unsecured or unsupervised device or through a phishing attack. More common leaks can occur by a direct criminal attack with malware or other means. Organizations collecting mass keylogging data can be prime targets for a breach.
Criminal use of keyloggers can collect and exploit your information just as easily. They can access your accounts before you even know that your sensitive data has been compromised. If you end up with unwanted keystroke logging software or hardware, you might not have an easy time discovering it on your device. Keyloggers can be hard to detect without software assistance. Power use, data traffic, and processor usage can skyrocket, leading you to suspect an infection.
Software keyloggers can be hard to detect and remove even by some antivirus programs. Spyware is good at hiding itself. It often appears as normal files or traffic and can also potentially reinstall itself. Keylogger malware may reside in the computer operating system, at the keyboard API level, in memory or deep at the kernel level itself.
Hardware keyloggers will likely be impossible to detect without physical inspection. However, if your device manufacturer has a built-in hardware keylogger, you may need an entirely new device just to get rid of it. Fortunately, there are ways that make it possible to protect your computer from keyloggers.
Knowing how to detect a keylogger is only the first step towards safety. Proactive protection is critical to keeping your devices keylogger-free:. No matter how you approach anti-keylogger protection, the best defense is to install a good anti-spyware product that protects against keylogging malware.
Using a complete Internet security solution with strong features to defeat keylogging is a reliable route towards safety. We use cookies to make your experience of our websites better. By using and further navigating this website you accept this.
Detailed information about the use of cookies on this website is available by clicking on more information. Keystroke Logging Definition The concept of a keylogger breaks down into two definitions: Keystroke logging : Record-keeping for every key pressed on your keyboard.
Keylogger tools: Devices or programs used to log your keystrokes. How Keystroke Logging Works Keystroke logging is an act of tracking and recording every keystroke entry made on a computer, often without the permission or knowledge of the user.
These commands may include: Length of the keypress Time of keypress Velocity of keypress Name of the key used When logged, all this information is like listening to a private conversation. What does a Keylogger Do? Types of Keyloggers Keylogger tools are mostly constructed for the same purpose. Hardware Keyloggers Hardware keyloggers are physical components built-in or connected to your device. Four factors outline if keylogger use is legally acceptable, morally questionable, or criminal: Degree of consent — is the keylogger used with 1 clear-and-direct consent, 2 permission hidden in obscure language in terms of service, or 3 no permission at all?
Ownership of the product being monitored — is the keylogger being used by the device owner or product manufacturer to monitor its use? Location-based laws on keylogger use — is the keylogger being used with intent and consent in accordance with all governing laws? Legal Consensual Keylogger Uses Legal keylogger use requires the person or organization implementing it to: Involve no criminal use of data.
Be the product owner, manufacturer, or legal guardian of a child owning the product. Here are some common legitimate uses for keyloggers: IT troubleshooting — to collect details on user problems and resolve accurately.
Computer product development — to gather user feedback and improve products. Business server monitoring — to watch for unauthorized user activity on web servers. Employee surveillance — to supervise safe use of company property on-the-clock. Without consent, people and organizations can use keyloggers for: Parental supervision of kids — to protect their child in their online and social activities.
This may help prevent keyloggers from being able to record your keystrokes. Another alternative? Virtual keyboard software enables you to input characters without typing on actual keys. This is another way to avoid using a keyboard. But whether it works or not may depend on how the text is recognized by each keylogger program. Anti-keyloggers are designed to detect keyloggers on your computer by comparing your files against those in a keylogger database.
Helping protect against keyloggers may require a variety of defenses. Taken together, they can help protect your personal information, finances, and identity. All rights reserved. Firefox is a trademark of Mozilla Foundation. App Store is a service mark of Apple Inc. Alexa and all related logos are trademarks of Amazon. Microsoft and the Window logo are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the U.
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Security Center Malware What is a keylogger and how do I protect myself against one? June 1, What is a keylogger and how does it work? How do keyloggers get installed? Phishing email If you click on a link or attachment in a phishing email that is infected with malware, you could be exposing your device to a keylogger. Trojan virus Hackers sometimes use Trojan viruses to deliver and install keyloggers via phishing and fake emails and attachments. Webpage script Keyloggers can get into your devices when you visit a fake or malicious website.
Infected system Keyloggers can exploit an already-infected device or system and install other malicious software into that system.
How do cybercriminals use keyloggers? How can you detect a keylogger? How can you protect yourself against keylogger malware? Password protection In addition to using strong and unique passwords, encrypting your passwords and using two-factor authentication can help protect your computers and other devices from getting hacked.
Voice-to-text conversion software This is another way to avoid using a keyboard. Anti-keylogger software Anti-keyloggers are designed to detect keyloggers on your computer by comparing your files against those in a keylogger database.
An investigation showed that Mr. Coreflood, which records every keystroke and sends this information to malicious users via the Internet. Lopez often used the Internet to manage his Bank of America account. However the court did not rule in favor of the plaintiff, saying that Mr. Lopez had neglected to take basic precautions when managing his bank account on the Internet: a signature for the malicious code that was found on his system had been added to nearly all antivirus product databases back in Most sources define a keylogger as a software program designed to secretly monitor and log all keystrokes.
Keylogging devices are much rarer than keylogging software, but it is important to keep their existence in mind when thinking about information security. Most modern keyloggers are considered to be legitimate software or hardware and are sold on the open market. Developers and vendors offer a long list of cases in which it would be legal and appropriate to use keyloggers, including:.
However, the justifications listed above are more subjective than objective; the situations can all be resolved using other methods.
Additionally, any legitimate keylogging program can still be used with malicious or criminal intent. Today, keyloggers are mainly used to steal user data relating to various online payment systems, and virus writers are constantly writing new keylogger Trojans for this very purpose. Furthermore, many keyloggers hide themselves in the system i. As such programs are extensively used by cyber criminals, detecting them is a priority for antivirus companies.
The information collected includes keystrokes and screen-shots, used in the theft of banking data to support online fraud. Unlike other types of malicious program, keyloggers present no threat to the system itself.
Nevertheless, they can pose a serious threat to users, as they can be used to intercept passwords and other confidential information entered via the keyboard. As a result, cyber criminals can get PIN codes and account numbers for e-payment systems, passwords to online gaming accounts, email addresses, user names, email passwords etc. Keyloggers can be used as tools in both industrial and political espionage, accessing data which may include proprietary commercial information and classified government material which could compromise the security of commercial and state-owned organizations for example, by stealing private encryption keys.
Users who are aware of security issues can easily protect themselves against phishing by ignoring phishing emails and by not entering any personal information on suspicious websites. In recent years, we have seen a considerable increase in the number of different kinds of malicious programs which have keylogging functionality.
In August Nordea clients started to receive emails, allegedly from the bank, suggesting that they install an antispam product, which was supposedly attached to the message. This was how cyber criminals were able to access client accounts, and transfer money from them.
On January 24, the notorious Mydoom worm caused a major epidemic. MyDoom broke the record previously set by Sobig, provoking the largest epidemic in Internet history to date. The worm used social engineering methods and organized a DoS attack on www. The worm left a Trojan on infected computers which was subsequently used to infect the victim machines with new modifications of the worm. The fact that MyDoom had a keylogging function to harvest credit card numbers was not widely publicized in the media.
In early the London police prevented a serious attempt to steal banking data. In May a married couple was arrested in London who were charged with developing malicious programs that were used by some Israeli companies in industrial espionage. The scale of the espionage was shocking: the companies named by the Israeli authorities in investigative reports included cellular providers like Cellcom and Pelephone, and satellite television provider YES. The Mayer company, which imports Volvo and Honda cars to Israel, was suspected of committing industrial espionage against Champion Motors, which imports Audi and Volkswagen cars to the country.
Ruth Brier-Haephrati, who sold the keylogging Trojan that her husband Michael Haephrati created, was sentenced to four years in jail, and Michael received a two-year sentence. In February , the Brazilian police arrested 55 people involved in spreading malicious programs which were used to steal user information and passwords to banking systems. At approximately the same time, a similar criminal grouping made up of young 20 — 30 year old Russians and Ukrainians was arrested.
In late , the group began sending banking clients in France and a number of other countries email messages that contained a malicious program — namely, a keylogger. Furthermore, these spy programs were placed on specially created websites; users were lured to these sites using classic social engineering methods.
In the course of eleven months over one million dollars was stolen. There are many more examples of cyber criminals using keyloggers — most financial cybercrime is committed using keyloggers, since these programs are the most comprehensive and reliable tool for tracking electronic information. The fact that cyber criminals choose to use keyloggers time and again is confirmed by IT security companies.
According to research conducted by John Bambenek, an analyst at the SANS Institute, approximately 10 million computers in the US alone are currently infected with a malicious program which has a keylogging function. Kaspersky Lab is constantly detecting new malicious programs which have a keylogging function.
One of the first virus alerts on securelist. SVR, a Trojan with a keylogging function. Since then, there has been a steady stream of new keyloggers and new modifications. Kaspersky antivirus database currently contain records for more than families of keyloggers. This number does not include keyloggers that are part of complex threats i. Most modern malicious programs are hybrids which implement many different technologies.
Due to this, any category of malicious program may include programs with keylogger sub functionality. The number of spy programs detected by Kaspersky Lab each month is on the increase, and most of these programs use keylogging technology.
The main idea behind keyloggers is to get in between any two links in the chain of events between when a key is pressed and when information about that keystroke is displayed on the monitor. Experience shows that the more complex the approach, the less likely it is to be used in common Trojan programs and the more likely it is to be used in specially designed Trojan programs which are designed to steal financial data from a specific company.
Keyloggers can be divided into two categories: keylogging devices and keylogging software. Keyloggers which fall into the first category are usually small devices that can be fixed to the keyboard, or placed within a cable or the computer itself.
The keylogging software category is made up of dedicated programs designed to track and log keystrokes. We will provide a detailed explanation of the different ways keyloggers are constructed in the second half of this article to be published in the near future.
But first, here are some statistics. Recently, keyloggers that disguise their files to keep them from being found manually or by an antivirus program have become more numerous. These stealth techniques are called rootkit technologies. There are two main rootkit technologies used by keyloggers:.
A rough breakdown of the techniques used by keyloggers to mask their activity is shown in the pie chart below:. Keyloggers spread in much the same way that other malicious programs spread.
Excluding cases where keyloggers are purchased and installed by a jealous spouse or partner, and the use of keyloggers by security services, keyloggers are mostly spread using the following methods :. Most antivirus companies have already added known keyloggers to their databases, making protecting against keyloggers no different from protecting against other types of malicious program: install an antivirus product and keep its database up to date.
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