What is a keylogger is one of the most popular questions when browsing the web looking for information on viruses and cyber threats, although in this case we are not talking about malware in the true sense of the word and this term has a double meaning.
Suffice it to say that this keylogger falls into the category of spywarethose programs that have the task of “spy” on the user e monitor his movements on the Web.
The situation is not simple and it is best to proceed step by step and get to the heart of the matter one step at a time.
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1. What is a keylogger and how does it work
When it comes to keyloggerfirst you need to understand what this program is, how it works and what impact it can have on your device.
Let’s talk about one type of spyware which can be used by digital attackers to “intercept” data keystrokes on your PC oh touches made on a smartphone and therefore have access to what the user does on their device, including password e login credentials.
In some specific cases, these malware can even record mouse movementsthe images displayed on the screen eh link which correspond to the various mouse clicks (or the various taps in the case of a phone or tablet).
When a keylogger is installed on a device, everything that passes on the PC, from the passwords typed to every single email received, is placed in a log file which, clearly, will be intended for external people ready to exploit this information against unsuspecting users.
Furthermore, we are talking about a type of software that It’s not exactly illegal because it can happen that companies or employers can track what is typed on company devices, so as to prevent any improper use.
So it is essentially illegal how the results are used of a keylogger which could also end up in the wrong hands and put the entire system at risk.
In addition to this it must be said that there are two types of keyloggers: those software and those hardware; il the first case is the most common and, of course, the one to pay attention to most because they come installed on the device without the user realizing it and do nothing more than record personal information without, in fact, causing any malfunction.
I keylogger hardwareInstead, they must be physically connected to the computerperhaps via USB or on the wired keyboard and every now and then they need to be retrieved to see the contents of the file.
A much more inconvenient solution which is usually used in a company environment to monitor its employees and what they do with their work devices.
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2. How to check for a keylogger on your PC
I keylogger hardware they are relatively easy to detect and any “foreign” device connected to your PC could potentially be one of them.
The situation is very different in the case of installed software (intentionally or not) which they can be quite complex to find.
They can be searched manually in the Task Managerbut here too there are many “unknown” voices and detect suspicious ones It might not be a simple thing, especially for those who are not accustomed with background operations Windows.
Alternatively you can do one search among installed programs and if something suspicious appears or you don’t know how it works, just do one quick Google search and check whether the application is harmful to your PC or not.
Alternatively, you can use and antivirus which through a simple scan should be able to find spyware without any difficulty.
However, there are some signs that can be foreseen the presence of a keylogger on board, such as a browser lento or responding strangely to searches, a some delay in inputs of keyboard and mouse (or in the taps of the display) and the classics application or operating system crashes which, however, underline the presence of some generic malfunction to be checked.
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3. How to delete a keylogger from your PC
If during the above searches you come across a keylogger there is only one thing to do: go and eliminate the problem.
In many cases, the user can uninstall it manually in a more or less intuitive way, but in some cases this type of software is “disguised” as if it were any other program and finding and deleting it can be very complex.
You can use, as already mentioned, a antivirus which, after a full scanit should be able to identify the offending program and help the user with its removal operations.
In other cases, however, the software can be hidden inside system folderslike that of temporary files which, generally, is very messy and represents the ideal hiding place for this spyware.
For this reason it can be useful delete useless files on your PC manually or through specific software, so as to limit the hiding places available to malicious programs.
Alternatively, if nothing seems to work to eliminate the threat, you can opt for go back to a restore point or, in the most extreme cases, proceed with formatting the device so as to delete all files including keyloggers.
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4. How to protect yourself from keyloggers
Clearly the only way to protect yourself is to prevent keylogging attacks use a good antivirus and obviously, always keep it updated.
The options, as is well known, are many and all the best-known names in the sector are more than good at avoiding the intrusion of programs of this kind and, possibly, successfully eliminating them.
Obviously, when it comes to IT security, Also a good dose of caution It doesn’t hurt and is always advisable be careful when browsing the web and when yes they install new programsespecially if they come from unknown sources or from “unreliable” sites.
Likewise, it is also good to avoid click on email attachments coming from suspicious contacts and, in general, avoid installing anything that seems strange or of dubious origin.
To know more: Computer security: guide to safe browsing on the web