Of all the malware scattered around the internet, keyloggers are the worst. Why? Because they expose everything you type: your passwords, your credit card information, your searches, and your private messages. Read on to learn more about how keyloggers work, why they are dangerous, and how to protect yourself from them.
What is Keylogger?
A keylogger (short for keystroke logger ) is control software or hardware designed to record what you type. It can be a program on your computer or a device connected to your PC and keyboard, which controls everything you've been typing.
Thus, hackers can steal confidential information such as the following:
- Your usernames and passwords.
- Your credit card number and verification code.
- All the history of your chats.
- A list of the websites you have visited.
- The applications you have used.
- The documents you have opened.
- Screenshots of your activity
However, keyloggers were not initially created to steal personal information. In fact, monitoring software is legal and can be easily purchased online. Creepy and haunting? Definitely! Companies use keyloggers to control employees, distrustful people, to surprise their partners if they are unfaithful, and parents, to know what their children are doing.
How Does a Keylogger Enter Your Computer?
As already stated, keyloggers are not illegal, it is what you do with them that makes the difference. For example, if indicated in company policy, IT employees in your office can pre-install one on their work laptop to monitor their productivity. You may not like it, but it is not illegal.
Instead, if they end up in the wrong hands, they can cause a lot of damage. If you're in the habit of leaving your personal computer unlocked at home or a coffee shop, anyone nearby can quickly install a keylogger when you're not looking and use it to steal data from you.
Like any other malware, this type of software spreads mainly over the Internet, usually as part of a Trojan. Trojans are programs that pose as useful tools. However, in reality, they include malware that installs itself on your computer without your knowledge. Once installed, keyloggers run in the background and record all keystrokes.
Stolen information is typically encrypted and posted to a public Internet forum, where hackers can download it without being tracked.
How to Detect and Remove Keyloggers
Finding out if such software is on your computer is difficult because when you run it looks like a legitimate program. Here's what you can do to detect keyloggers on your computer:
Look for keyloggers in your running processes - Open Windows Task Manager and look for something suspicious. In this way, you get a complete overview of the applications running on your computer. So, unfortunately, this only works if you are tech-savvy enough to recognize this type of software.
Check your firewall activity log for anything suspicious - use a firewall to check and control what goes into and out of your computer. The keyloggers send their data to a remote location, but to do so they need an Internet connection. This way, everything that is sent will appear in the activity log of your firewall.
Use antivirus to scan your computer and remove keyloggers: Instead of having to manually scan a long list of applications and processes, use an antivirus or a reliable keylogger detection application to scan your entire computer. This is the fastest and easiest way to find suspicious programs and remove them from your computer.
And what about keyloggers in the form of hardware? They are small devices connected between your keyboard and your computer. They tend to look like an adapter and appear to be part of your typical hardware setup, making it very difficult for you to recognize them if you don't know what to look for. Be sure to check the keyboard, especially if you are using a public computer, and to remove all suspicious junk.
How to Protect Yourself From Keyloggers
The best way to protect yourself from keyloggers is to stay well away from untrusted applications. They may sound useful, and they're probably free, but unless they come from a reliable source, you shouldn't install them.
How to Get Your Computer Without a Keylogger
Always use an antivirus to prevent suspicious applications from installing on your computer without your knowing it. Our Protegentdetects and blocks malware in real-time, as well as protecting you from the latest threats, completely free of charge.
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