What is Keylogger?

Keylogger is a malicious program that can track a user’s keyboard and mouse inputs to record usernames, passwords, and other sensitive information. Keylogger not only captures keystrokes but mouse clicks, accessed files and folders, visited web pages, and more. A keylogger is dangerous for users because it can steal users’ bank account numbers, PINs, social security numbers, and other financial information. Keyloggers are not particularly difficult to remove, but they can be challenging to detect as the keylogger can be launched and controlled from a remote computer and run in the user’s computer background.

Find a location with Keylogger

When a user suspects that they have been infected with a keylogger, they do NOT type in any personal information. Even when typing the word text, usually, the keylogger keeps track of everything typed.

To login Email or in a safe and password-protected place, there is a way to get around the keylogger:

Click on Start -> Go to All Programs -> Click on Accessories -> Select Accessibility -> Click On-Screen Keyboard

Following the steps above will open up an on-screen keyboard for the user to click on any character he/she wants to type. Since a keylogger doesn’t track where and what user clicks, this helps get around it in an urgent time. Ordering with a keylogger on the screen is a big hassle. The only alternative is to remove the keylogger program from your computer altogether.

Detect a Keylogger

The user must detect the keylogger to eliminate it. Detecting keyloggers is not straightforward. It can be installed on more than 100 locations on a computer, usually in a file system. However, there is a much easier way to detect if a keylogger is running. Right-click on the taskbar of the desktop and click on Task Manager. Alternatively, press Ctrl + Alt + Del simultaneously to open Task Manager. Task Manager displays a list of all applications currently running on the computer. Click the tab that says Processes. This shows information about all programs, hidden and revealed, that the computer is now running.

The name of each process is under the Image Name. The keylogger will show up in the list of processes and many other programs and background processes. However, it cannot be easy to distinguish between different processes.

Many websites on the Internet provide a significant amount of information about every process. One of these sites is Integrity. This page provides some necessary information about each process and specifies the author and program it is a part of. One of the best features of this site is what it recommends with each procedure. Most of the time, this process is harmful and is simply part of the operating system or another program running.

Another excellent site for information about processes is Neuber. Like Liutilities, Neuber provides necessary information about each process. Another notable feature they have is user-generated comments. Anyone can rate a process for its security and leave a comment on how the process is handled. In general, these comments are very accurate. Neuber also provides a ‘safety rating’ for each process based on the average user rating.

However, some people find it difficult to study each process individually. Thankfully, there is a program called Security Task Manager, which is free to download. It displays information about each currently running process and determines if they are dangerous. The user is immediately notified if anything harmful happens. This Neuber program also shows a safety rating and a random user’s comments for each process. Processes that the program has never encountered are not subject to security assessment or comment. Therefore, each process should be studied step by step.

Once the damaging process is found in Task Manager, click on the process, then click the ‘End Process’ button. The selected process must be terminated immediately.

I have once done, safe computer until reboot. If the keylogger is not deleted, it will reboot when restarted.

Once the keylogger is stopped, run an anti-virus and spyware check on the entire computer. Some recommended free virus scanning utilities are A2, Dr. Web, and AVG. However, advanced keyloggers like TypeAgent, KGB, and SpyOutside can often slip through these scans and remain undetected.

If the anti-virus scan doesn’t show any results, detect and remove the keylogger yourself. Keyloggers are usually located in system files, so don’t delete anything unlikely to be the keylogger. Doing so may result in errors in other areas of the computer. Go to spyware 411 and look for the type of keylogger that has harmed the system. If it is listed, there should be instructions on how to remove it yourself.

A great way to check if the keylogger has been completely removed from the system is to reboot. Remember the name of the keylogger process and reboot the computer. If the process did not occur when the computer was restarted, the keylogger was removed.

Sample Matching

Combining the pattern involves using a signature base for keylogger detection and is the most common antispyware method. Pattern matching consists of combining unique signatures from malicious programs with signature databases to detect keyloggers and other malware. Unfortunately, the signature can only be added to an antispyware database after that particular keylogger has attacked someone. Even after the signature has been added to the signature database, users must update their database for their antispyware to recognize the new keylogger. For this reason, many users are still vulnerable to attacks by keyloggers and other malicious programs.

Personal firewall

Keylogging

Another important component that many users should keep in mind to combat keyloggers and malware is a personal firewall. Personal firewalls are designed to block suspicious activities and automatic programs from affecting users’ computers. A personal firewall is something that all computer users need, but they are not foolproof. Personal firewalls often ask too many questions. Some of them can be too complicated for the average user, so many people ignore them, leaving themselves vulnerable to keyloggers and attacks—other potential threats. Users should find a personal firewall that they can easily use and understand so that there are no “weaknesses” in the user’s security.

Use Anti-Keylogger

Anti-Keylogger is an anti-keylogger software by addressing the vulnerabilities in security discussed in this article. Anti-Keylogger doesn’t need to wait for a signature to be added to the database because it doesn’t use a signature to identify the keylogger. Instead, the software focuses on the actual behavior of a keylogger and flags suspicious behavior. When Anti-Keylogger detects a potential keylogger, it stops the program immediately and allows the user to delete the program if needed. Anti-Keylogger is easy to use and runs in the background of the user’s computer. The program uses minimal CPU and comes with its User guide. The software can be downloaded on a free trial basis, purchased for $ 59.95, and is covered by a 30-day warranty.