You’ll find use of keyloggers in everything from Microsoft products to your own employer’s computers and servers. In some cases, your spouse may have put a keylogger on your phone or laptop to confirm their suspicions of infidelity. Worse cases have shown criminals can implant legitimate websites, apps, and even USB drives with keylogger malware. Whether for malicious intent or legitimate purposes, you should be aware of how keylogger malware is affecting you. First, we’ll further define what a keylogger program is before diving into how keyloggers work. Then you’ll be able to better understand how to secure yourself from unwanted eyes.
Keylogger: Overview
Keyloggers, also known as keystroke loggers, are software programs that record what a user writes on a computer. Some acceptable and good uses for keyloggers exist, but most of the time, they use them in bad ways. Keylogger software watches what the target types on their computer and sends the information to the attacker.
A popular keylogger attack uses a type of malware called DarkHotel. Hackers target hotels with public Wi-Fi networks that are not protected and ask users to download software. DarkHotel is a keylogger that alerts hackers to keystrokes once it is downloaded. DarkHotel moves off of the device after a certain number of recorded keystrokes. That way, it won’t stay on a computer for too long and will not be captured.
In essence, protecting yourself from keylogger threats by bad people is important. Keyloggers are a big problem for safety because they can record and quickly recover private data. Learn about keyloggers, how to stop an attack, and how to get rid of a keylogger if you are attacked to stay safe.
What is a keylogger?
A keylogger is a piece of software that can keep track of what a person does on their computer and send it to someone else. Keystroke logger is what the name means, and one of the main ways that keyloggers keep track of you is by writing down what you write as you type it. There are, however, various types of keyloggers, and some can record a wider range of keystrokes.
What is a keylogger?: How does a keylogger work?
An important thing that a keylogger does is keep track of what you type and send that information back to the person who put it on your computer. Some of the most important ways you connect with your computer and the people you talk to online are through your keyboard. This means that someone can easily get a huge amount of information, from private messages and passwords to banking information. Some keyloggers do more than just record words and text. They also spy on you in other ways. Advanced keyloggers can do the following:
- Record information that you copy and paste from other papers on the clipboard.
- Keep track of things like opening folders, papers, and apps.
- Take pictures at random times and record them.
- It’s possible to get passwords by asking for the text value of some on-screen buttons.
What is a keylogger?: Types of keyloggers
A lot of people get keyloggers from phishing scams, Trojan bugs, and fake websites that they visit online. The hacker’s main goal is generally to get the passwords, personal details, usernames, or banking information of the people they target. There are two main types of malicious keylogging programs: software and hardware.
#1. Software-based Keyloggers
Many software-based keyloggers have rootkit features, which let hackers quickly sneak into your system and spy on what you do, save the information, and send it to other cybercriminals. Some can even see what you copy and paste, your location, or what you do with your microphone and camera. At a few different levels, keylogging apps can get to you:
- kernel Level
People do not use them because they are tough to understand and write; it takes a lot of effort to identify and remove keyloggers that have been built into the operating system of your device. This is because they have been given the “keys” to your device.
- API Level: Application Programming Interface
Most types of keylogger software listen in on the data that your keyboard sends to the program you’re using. It works like a recorder between your computer and a program on your screen, like a word processor.
- Screen Level
The name for these kinds of keyloggers is “screen scrapers.” They regularly take screenshots of your screen to record what you see.
- Browser level
This type is the simplest and least rooted of the four, but it can still be very risky. This trick called “form-grabbing” saves what you put into web forms. This could be anything from your Social Security number to your login information.
In addition, keylogger software is much more common than hardware keyloggers because it’s easier to find, not visible, and can be packaged as malware. It’s important to remember that keylogger gear is still applicable for many reasons.
#2. Keyloggers that are Hardware-Based
Hardware-based keystroke loggers have a physical implementation, either in the wires or hardware of a device or in the settings around it. Because these keyloggers are not on the computer, antivirus software can’t find them. They also store and encrypt data in their internal memory. The following are the main types of hardware-based keystroke loggers, with varying levels of sophistication:
- Keyboard
Keyloggers are either on the keyboard itself or the wire that connects it to the computer.
- Drive Physical
This type of keylogger Trojan usually comes on a USB drive or a Mini PCI card.
- Third-party recordings
An outside recording device, like a camera, can be carefully placed to watch public keypads or computer keyboards. This is the simplest type of keylogger attack.
- Acoustic
Keystroke tracking, which doesn’t happen very often, records the sounds that are made when different keys on a keyboard are pressed.
Software-based keylogging may be more common, but hardware-based keylogging can still be very dangerous and reveal important data.
How to Find Keylogger
So, how will you or your coworkers know if a keylogger has infected any of your devices? You most likely will not. Most advanced keyloggers have been developed to go unnoticed and cause no damage or disruption to the system, allowing victims to be spied on without their knowledge for months, if not years.
So, without adequate knowledge and security safeguards, you’re unlikely to detect a keylogger until it’s too late, and most of your sensitive data has already been stolen and utilized maliciously. While we recommend that prevention is the best defense (and we’ll look at how to prevent keyloggers later in the post), let’s look at some of the ways you can find it yourself.
How to Find Keylogger: Step-by-step Guide
Unfortunately, finding a keylogger is not always easy. Your best bet is to combine all of the approaches listed here with a high-quality anti-malware application. Keyloggers, contrary to popular opinion, do not always slow down your system; in fact, you may not discover them until it is too late.
#1. Invest in effective anti-malware software.
You can run a full scan with strong and up-to-date anti-malware software to find and block keyloggers and other types of malware. The software gives you a list of all the risks it found and got rid of from your device. This is where you might find the keylogger and any malicious files it used to get on your device.
#2. Check the Activity Monitor or Task Manager in Windows.
All machines can see the processes and programs that are currently running. Looking through this data, you might find a keylogger in the background.
You can find this information in your Task Manager if you are using Windows. Press Ctrl + Alt + Del on your keyboard, choose Task Manager, and click “more details” to open it.
The Mac version is called Activity Monitor. The app can be opened by looking for “Activity Monitor” on your launchpad and clicking on it.
It’s called “process” or “processes” in both Task Manager and Activity Monitor. To find possible hidden keyloggers, you can directly search through this list of events that are happening on that device right now.
#3. Clear Out Any Temporary Files
Temporary files are a great place for keyloggers to hide because they are rarely checked and can get crowded, making it harder to find any strange files.
- For Windows users, type “Run” into the search bar and press “Enter.” Then, type “%temp%” into the search bar that comes up.
- For Mac users, start the Finder app, hold down Cmd + Shift + G, and type -/Library/Caches/ into the search bar that comes up.
You might also be able to find a strange file in the temporary files, but just to be safe, you should delete all the files in the folder.
#4. Inspect your Hardware
These methods are great for finding software keyloggers, but you should also check your computer’s hardware by hand to find hardware keyloggers as well. Anti-malware software and the software-based checks we discussed above are probably not going to find hardware keyloggers. A hardware spy can be tucked away between your keyboard and computer. This could be a USB stick or PS2 cable that you placed in the back of your computer or somewhere else you’re not likely to check. Hardware keyloggers are made to look like the computer’s hardware, so you need to look for them. If you don’t, you’ll never know what’s hiding.
#5. Restart your computer.
Rebooting your computer is the last but most efficient way to remove keyloggers. This action will erase your information. Because of this, you should use a professional backup tool to make a copy of all your important files before you do that.
What is a keylogger?: Ways To Prevent It
You can learn about hacking risks and take general safety measures, but you might also want to use the following tools to stop keyloggers from being installed:
#1. Put up a firewall.
A firewall is a type of security system that helps keep an eye on network traffic to find any strange behavior. By blocking the data that a keylogger tries to send over the internet, firewalls can help stop keylogging.
#2. Frequently update your passwords and use a password manager.
You only need to remember one master password because a password manager will store all of your account passwords. Because you won’t have to remember them, using a password manager allows you to use stronger passwords and update them frequently.
#3. System update
Malicious people can’t take advantage of known bugs when you update your operating system and apps. To keep your system safe, run updates as soon as they come out.
#4. Always use antivirus software.
Antivirus software can stop malware and find and remove it more quickly than you can by hand.
#5. Check to make sure emails are coming from legitimate sources.
Examine requests to see if they are legitimate and look for odd email addresses. Ask yourself if your bank would send you an email asking you to change your password. If you’re not sure about the link, don’t click it. You can still change your password right from your bank’s site.
#6. Security Training to Raise Awareness
For your workers, half the fight is being aware of what they’re facing. To stop keylogger attacks, employees need to know what keyloggers are, how to catch them, and how to protect their devices from them.
Through interesting modules and phishing simulations, security awareness training helps teach workers about advanced cyber threats. Many vendors also offer modules that specifically cover keyloggers and spyware. You can also warn them not to visit harmful websites where drive-by malware can be downloaded.
How illegal is a keylogger?
keylogging tools are not necessarily illegal; they are often used illegally by cybercriminals, identity thieves, or other malicious actors.
Can keyloggers go undetected?
Cybercriminals can disguise them in the computer cabling or a USB adapter, making it hard for the victim to detect.
Can someone put a keylogger on my phone?
Yes, a keylogger for an Android device is often installed using a text message.
Does the FBI use keyloggers?
FBI agents used a device known as a Key Logger System (“KLS”) to record the keystrokes typed on Scarfo’s computer keyboard.
References
