Foil the Keyloggers

How comfortable would you be if you knew that someone out there could read every single word that you typed, up to and including email messages, passwords, and IM conversations? Probably not very, but it can and does happen via a bit of code known as a keylogger. Once these programs are installed on your PC the person who installed it literally has access to every keystroke you type - the good, the bad, and the ugly.

They've been around for a very long time, but keyloggers are only just starting to receive the attention they deserve. This is primarily because many spyware pests include keylogging elements, potentially enabling everything you type to be forwarded to some faceless entity on the Internet. However, keyloggers are sometimes installed quite purposefully and legitimately, with tracking the PC activities of employees and children in mind.

Love the idea or hate it (it really depends on whether you're the logger or the 'loggee'), keyloggers represent a serious threat to your computer's security and personal privacy. This month we explain what keyloggers are all about, and outline ways to keep your computer out of their grips.

What they are Keylogging programs are all about gathering information - specifically, anything you type on your keyboard. While usually packaged as software that silently records every key you depress, hardware versions also exist - typically in the form of a small add-on component that attaches between your keyboard's cord and its port on your PC. Regardless of their form, keyloggers are designed to track what you type on your computer for later viewing by another party.

While often associated with the powers of evil, keyloggers do have legitimate uses. Some organizations install them on computers belonging to employees suspected of theft or other unethical activities. Similarly, many parents use these programs to track their children's online activities with an eye towards ensuring that they're not visiting inappropriate Web sites or engaging in other dangerous dealings. Of course, the ethical line associated with this type of spying is blurry. In some jurisdictions, employers have the absolute right to track an employee's computer usage. The same goes for parents whose intentions may be admirable, like trying to keep their children safe online.

Where do keyloggers come from?

Today, commercial keylogging programs are flogged as tools for spying on others, ensuring one's partner is being faithful, and tracking how others use your PC. Keylogging software vendors taking the high road position their products as legitimate anti-theft and child safety tools. Examples of such programs include Blazing Tools Perfect Keylogger and eBlaster.

Legitimate keyloggers only make up a tiny percentage of the keyloggers floating around on people's computers. Hundreds of different spyware threats include keylogging elements. Designed to steal usernames, passwords, and even your identity, these programs are typically installed without your knowledge, often in conjunction with another legitimate program. Some particularly unscrupulous folks have even taken to packaging keyloggers with anti-spyware programs and then hawking them as spyware-removal solutions. Anything goes on the Internet, and sometimes you end up with more than you might expect from a free program. You should always check the source of programs you install to ensure that you're receiving a legitimate version.

For details on ways to detect keylogging programs and devices, see the step-by-step guide.

Why they're dangerous

Keyloggers are dangerous for a number of reasons. First and foremost, they enable another user to spy on your computer usage, which is highly unethical. Furthermore, outside of privacy issues, malicious keyloggers are almost always directly tied to stealing user account details such as usernames and passwords. With your details in hand, the person logging your keystrokes can potentially access your bank account, use your email, and ultimately steal your identity. If you find a keystroke logger installed on your PC and believe that you might be the victim of identity theft, you should see the Help box below.

While keyloggers certainly relate to only a very small portion of all identity theft crimes in the UK, fraud-related identity theft losses are estimated to be in the vicinity of £1.3 billion per year. One can only hope that the possibility of serious financial repercussions will help to bring the criminal potential of spyware into the consciousness of everyday users. Privacy is a serious issue, and yet thousands of computers continue to be monitored - unknown to users - as you read this.

Find, then destroy them

Finding and removing both commercial and spyware keyloggers is usually not terribly difficult, as most anti-spyware programs are up to the task. However, it's possible that you might discover a keylogger and not be able to remove it as a result of lacking appropriate administrative privileges.

Should this happen, sit down and have a conversation with the person who administers your PC. It's quite possible that the program was installed by spyware, but you may find that there's a genuine reason for its installation. If the keylogger was installed on purpose, ask why it's there. Nobody likes the idea of being spied on and if it's happening to you, it's not unreasonable to ask that the action be stopped.

After the logger

If your computer has been infected by a keylogger, removing it with a program such as Microsoft AntiSpyware is only the first step in the cleanup process. Assuming that it was present on your PC for some time, there's a good chance that one or more people now have access to some of your personal information, including sensitive usernames and passwords.

After removing the keylogger, reboot and then complete another scan to be sure it's gone for good. Once it is, start changing all of your passwords - those associated with email accounts, online banking, instant messaging programs, online auction Web sites, and so on. While the person(s) responsible for installing the keylogger may have only been interested in spying on your computer activities, there's an equal chance that user account details were what they were after. With access to enough information, stealing your identity (not to mention your money) is a relatively simple affair.

Now you should consider how the program made its way on to your system in the first place. Did another user of your PC install it? Was it downloaded from the Internet? Do you have updated firewall, anti-virus and anti-spyware software protecting your computer at all times? If any good comes from a keylogger, it's the security awareness that it raises. Nobody likes to be spied on, so take the necessary steps to ensure that a keylogger doesn't end up on your system again.

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