What Is A Keylogger And How Does It Work?

What Is A Keylogger And How Does It Work?

A keylogger is a type of spyware that can be used to track and log the keys you strike on your keyboard, capturing any information typed. Keyloggers are insidious because you don’t know they’re there, watching and recording everything you type.

Who uses keyloggers?

Keyloggers are mostly used by internet service providers and hackers (cybercriminals). When it comes to ISPs don't worry for they collect the data to protect you (for security reasons). The data captured can include your personal and financial information, PIN codes, passwords, account numbers, CC numbers, and their CVV, the username (Facebook, Instagram, Netflix, Tiktok). Cybercriminals can then use this data to do fraud or identity theft.

Keyloggers can be software or hardware. Software is more common. The majority of keyloggers are used to capture payment card data you might enter online with a device. Once captured, your data can be retrieved by the person on the other end of the keylogger program.

Many keyloggers have root-kit functionality. That means they’re hiding in your system. These so-called Trojan-spy programs can track user activity — including keystrokes and screenshots —save the data to your hard disk, and forward the information to cybercriminals. 

Example

An example of a hardware-based keylogger is the keyboard overlay on an ATM. Every time a bank customer presses the buttons on the criminal’s fake keypad — thinking it’s the legitimate ATM keypad — the keylogger records the keystrokes and forwards the information to the cybercriminal.

How to Protect Yourself from Keylogger Attacks

And that's how easy it is for hackers to see and record every keystroke you press on your computer. When a hacker has an unnoticed backdoor on your computer, anything is possible, but there are a few things you can do to minimize the risk of having your keys captured

1)Using Antivirus Softwares

While there's not a catch-all solution, and antivirus software won't protect against sophisticated and cutting-edge keyloggers, there's still no excuse for not using antivirus software that protects against most known keylogger software.

2)Use on-screen keyboards when entering passwords

Yep, you read right, though it's laborious it is one of the best ways to kick keyloggers out. Not that exactly but leaving them with nothing send back to their servers. One of the limitations of most keyloggers is that they only capture actual keystrokes being pressed on the keyboard. The Windows on-screen keyboard will provide a virtual keyboard that may help circumvent keyloggers.

3)Use Firewalls

It's possible lazy attackers won't go through the effort of disguising their payloads to appear as being normal DNS (port 53) or HTTP (port 80) transmissions. A firewall might catch suspicious packets leaving your computer on port 35357.

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