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One of the most intrusive types of malware out there is the keylogger category which comes with its many interesting permutations. This type of malware can be every cyber users worst nightmare. Having some or all of one’s keystrokes logged and not even knowing about it is very creepy to say the least. It is like a silent spy running on your PC.
Let’s learn a bit more about keyloggers and what you can do to change your lock on your endpoint device such as laptop or desktop.
List of Keyloggers
1. Hardware
This keylogger works exclusively at the mechanical/hardware level and collects the keystrokes at the physical layer before they reach any software.
2. Application Targeting
This keylogger will only log keystrokes from specific targeted applications that the cyber spy may be interested in.
3. The EVERYTHING Keylogger
This type of keylogger will log every single keystroke on a given device.
4. Work Related Keylogger
This keylogger is used by companies to monitor employee activity for various reasons such as for training. This is not a malicious type, and employees are typically made aware that their keystrokes and sometimes screen activity screen captures may be collected on company furnished hardware.
Keystroke Delivery Methods
Emails, FTP and direct Database access are used as methods to send the keystrokes to the hacker’s remote location of choice. In more elaborate attacks, the hacker has already taken full control of the infected device and collects the keystrokes manually from the affected device.
The Keylogger Password Connection
The keylogger password connection is very strong because this is one of the main pieces of information that hackers could be looking for. With the WFH trend becoming the norm in our pandemic driven era, hackers that know you work for a company of interest may want to access some of your passwords to those systems. One password collected, can be instrumental for a hacker group to carry out a much larger elaborate cyber attack. Also, many people choose the easy path and use the same password for all of their online accounts. With one successful password collected via a keylogger the hacker could potentially access all the other user’s accounts.
Keylogger Protection: Time to Change Your Lock
The most wise and prudent first step to take to tackle keylogger malware and the myriad of other cyberthreats out there is to look for a free trial of a comprehensive cyber security suite for your endpoint devices such as laptops and tablets. Look for an evaluation copy only from reputable and experience firms in the space.
During the evaluation period, evaluate application characteristics such as ease of use or general UX – User Experience. Look into the online help provided by the firm and other cyber security related content. This is important because as you may need assistance with the product you want to make sure that the content is clear and delivers the answers you are looking for quickly and efficiently.
Once you feel confident with the product, purchase the full version for real-time uninterrupted long term protection from some of the most evasive and aggressive keyloggers out there such as the Snake keylogger.
