What is a Keylogger

Keyloggers or keystroke loggers are programs or hardware devices that monitor each keystroke a computer user types on a keyboard, it logs on to a file or transmits them to a remote location  Keyloggers are placed between the keyboard hardware and the operating system. Although keyloggers are promoted for benign purposes like allowing parents to monitor their children's whereabouts on the Internet, they can be used to spy on anyone. They are a form of spyware used by cyber criminals to covertly watch and record everything you type on your PC in order to harvest your log-in names, passwords, and other sensitive information, and send it on to the hackers. This may include any passwords you have asked your computer to remember for you to speed up logging in, as these are held as cookies on your machine.


Types of Keyloggers.

Software Based Keyloggers
These are software programs designed to work on the target computer's operating system. Software keyloggers may be augmented with features that capture user information without relying on keyboard key presses as the sole input. Some of the features of software-based keyloggers includes.

• Clipboard logging: The Keylogger program can capture anything that has been copied to the clipboard.
• Screen logging: Some keyloggers with screen logging abilities may take screenshots of the whole screen.
• The recording of search engines queries, instant messengers conversations, FTP (File Transfer Protocol) downloads and other internet-based activities.

Hardware-Based Keyloggers

This type of Keylogger do not depend upon any software being installed as they exist at a hardware level in a computer system. hardware keyloggers are used for keystroke logging by means of a hardware circuit that is attached somewhere in between the computer keyboard and the computer. A hardware Keylogger has an advantage over software Keylogger  why, because it does not depend on being installed on the target computer's operating system and it can not be detected by any software.

How to avoid keyloggers.

• Install anti-virus software and keep the signatures up to date.
• Keep your hardware system secure in a locked environment.
• Frequently check the keyboard cables for the attached connectors.
• Use anti-keylogger to detect keylogger installation and remove them.