Keyloggers

How does a Keylogger violate my privacy?

Did you know that if you have a keylogger on your system someone could obtain access to everything you type, which means your passwords, credit card information, emails, even your chat conversations. Everything you do or see on your computer becomes logged into a file that you may never know about putting your privacy at risk. Some keyloggers also have the ability to email the captured keystrokes without ever needing to physically access your computer.

What is a key logger?

A key logger can either be hardware, which resembles the keyboard plug making it difficult for you too know it’s there. This type key logger is a designed to spy on what you may be doing on your computer, hence the name spyware. Once a key logger is installed on your computer, every keystroke you type can be recorded and kept in a log file or possible emailed to someone that wants to monitor your viewing habits without you ever knowing what is going on. The other form of key logger is a program that is downloaded while you’re on the Internet. This type of key logger is used to monitor our activity as spyware, which part of a rootkit, or as an executable. The keyloggers that are designed as spyware and come in the form of a Trojan horse, can record your passwords, can detect when you type digits checking to see if it’s a credit card, bank accounts or information you consider private and personal. Spyware keyloggers are also used to track your surfing habits so an advertiser can use that information too send you pop-ups and other forms of advertisements.

Are keyloggers easy to remove?

Since keyloggers involve monitoring every keystroke they can involve hiding in several different files on your computer making it difficult to remove without the proper tools. You try to manually remove the keylogger, but there is a risk of causing damage to your operating system during the process. Incorrect removal of the keylogger can result in your keyboard malfunctioning, your mouse may become unusable, or you can cause damage to your operating system. Even if you think you have completely removed the keylogger manually there is always a chance you missed something and the keylogger will just re-install itself once you reboot your computer. The best and most secure way to remove a keylogger is with the use of a good removal tool, take a look at our side-by-side comparison on our homepage.

Are keyloggers legal?
Even though an individual may be using a keylogger find out information about you, like your usernames and passwords or credit card information, they are perfectly legal. It's the individual trying stealing your password and credit card numbers that is performing an illegal act, not the keylogger software itself. There are times when keyloggers are useful. An employer may want to make sure his employee is not divulging trade secrets, or a spouse wants to make sure his or her spouse is not cheating on them. Or possible you want to make sure your child is not carrying on inappropriate conversations with an adult. There may be a moral issue involved on its use, but it is legal.

What if I already suspect a keylogger is installed?
Even though there are a variety of different anti-spyware programs designed to eliminate spyware, not all anti-spyware programs can detect a keylogger and remove it from your system.

If you think you might have a hardware key logger or suspect keylogger software has been downloaded from the Internet, then check out our number one ranked product, Spy Sweeper that can scan your system to see if your system has already been infected with keyloggers and other forms of spyware. Click Here - To review the top ten anti-spyware products and see side-by-side comparisons.