Keystroke loggers / keyloggers - a boon or a bain

A keylogger, sometimes called a keystroke logger, key logger, or system monitor, is a hardware device or small program that monitors each keystroke a user types on a specific computer’s keyboard.

As a hardware device, a keylogger is a small battery-sized plug that serves as a connector between the user’s keyboard and computer. Keystroke logging (often called keylogging) is used in software development that captures the user’s keystrokes. Once it is installed it just captures anything that is typed: usernames, passwords, URLs, email, banking info, everything

A Keylogger program does not require physical access to the user’s computer. It can be downloaded on purpose by someone who wants to monitor activity on a particular computer or it can be downloaded unwittingly as spyware and executed as part of a rootkit or remote administration (RAT) Trojan horse.
It can also be useful for the following;

1: Parents can use keystroke loggers to keep track of what their kids do on the computer.
2: Employers could use it for monitoring measure employee productivity and activity to make certain they are staying within the companies Internet Acceptable Use policy.
3: Keystroke loggers can be used to providing a means to obtain passwords or encryption keys and thus bypassing other security measures and to also determine sources of error in computer systems

Spector Pro is one of the better keystroke loggers at the moment. However, there are equally good ones available such as eBlaster 5 and Spector CNE. Visit here for more information on keystroke loggers.

Alternately, most privacy advocates agree that the potential for abuse is so great that legislation should be enacted to clearly make the unauthorized use of keyloggers a criminal offense. Besides, currently there is also no easy way to prevent keylogging.

In the future it is believed that software with secure I/O will be protected from keyloggers. Until then, however, the best strategy is to use common sense and a combination of several methods. Users should constantly observe the programs which are installed on his or her machine. Anti-spyware applications are able to detect many keyloggers and cleanse them.

Interestingly, this is exactly how one of the greatest attempted bank heist in history was pulled off. The bank robbers installed these devices on machines inside the bank and eventually got access to Sumitomo Bank’s wire transfer capability. They then proceeded to transfer more that $440 million to various accounts in other countries. More details on this available by clicking here

Once again, for more info on keystroke loggers CLICK HERE.