pctechguide.com

  • Home
  • Guides
  • Tutorials
  • Articles
  • Reviews
  • Glossary
  • Contact

Identifying and Protecting Against the Most Dangerous Keyloggers

Keyloggers are among the most frightening tools in the hands of a skilled hacker. They are malicious devices or malware applications that enable hackers to capture every keystroke that you type.

Most Dangerous Keyloggers

You need to be aware of the different types of keyloggers and know how to protect against them. Here are some of the most common keyloggers infecting the Internet and some tips to recognize and guard against them.

Spyrix

This is one of the most dangerous keyloggers that hackers used to exploit their victims. One of the scariest things about it is that the application is undetectable to most antivirus applications. The keylogger can be accessed by any device with a modern web browser, which means that hackers can use it from across the world.

Best free keylogger

This keylogger uses sophisticated machine learning capabilities to decipher text that users type. Most other keyloggers are only useful for capturing passwords and financial data, because the hacker can use a search function to identify the point that the user typed in the login address. This one gives them much deeper insights into your behavior by being able to decipher the meaning behind text that would otherwise be harder to read.

Wolfeye keylogger

This keylogger was so sophisticated, that it actually received a German award for innovation. It is frequently used by hackers to spy on their target social media activity.

Hardware keyloggers

Hardware keyloggers are another common threat that you need to be aware of. They are installed in the back of a computer or other device. If you don’t notice them physically, then they are virtually invisible if you are trying to look through your system directory for traces of malicious software.

How can you identify and protect against keyloggers?

Keyloggers are very difficult to protect against if you don’t know what to look for. A team of IST computer security division experts have been studying these malicious devices for the past 26 years. Here are some lessons that they have shared.

Require applications to be whitelisted

Software based keyloggers are rarely installed manually by the hacker. The hacker usually dupes their target into downloading them through sophisticated social engineering strategies. The application is usually installed by tricking the user into thinking that it is a common file that they work with every day, such as a Microsoft Word document.

You will be able to minimize the risk of downloading a keylogger by requiring all applications to be whitelisted first. This will mean that applications won’t be installed without your permission.

Regularly inspect your registry

Many malicious programs are designed to be undetectable to malware protection technology. This means that you need to carefully review your registry to identify them. It is a good idea to inspect your registry at least once every other week.

You will obviously notice a lot of different types of programs when you are looking at your rootkit. You should go to explorer.exe and click on the “Threads” tab to see a list of known programs. Each program will have its own TID. If you can’t determine the purpose of a program, then it is a good idea to stop it from running. You should always Google the name of the application to find out. Some of them will easily be identifiable as malware.

Use the most recent malware protection software

Some malware protection applications are not equipped to handle recent types of malware. You are going to need to make sure that you use the latest protection. Here are some things to assess before choosing a malware protection tool to guard against keyloggers:

  • Make sure that they offer real-time protection. Many people were nearly duped into downloading a keylogger by a hacker impersonating someone that they had legitimate business with, because the keylogger was disguised as another application. The only reason the keylogger was discovered was that the user had real-time protection from their malware protection technology, which identified it and prevented it from being installed.
  • The software needs to use the latest libraries. Otherwise, it might not have the recent keyloggers in its database, which means that they might not be detectable.

Even the most sophisticated malware protection tools aren’t guaranteed to stop keyloggers. However, the odds are much better than if you used an outdated application.    

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)

Related

Filed Under: Communications

Latest Articles

How Does a Virus Impact my Computer?

… [Read More...]

How Do You Diagnose a Failing Disc? – Part 1

You need to know what steps to follow to learn and identify the causes of a disc that is not working and not being recognized by Windows or your computer. How to check the SETUP or BIOS settings. There are many possible symptoms in connection with these problems. Here are all of the steps that you … [Read More...]

IT Security Rules for Small Business to Consider

IT Security is not just for big business. Small businesses are just as susceptible as their larger counter parts. In fact, there are times were they are more easily prayed upon by cyber criminals. Make sure your business is not prone to security failures by following these basic steps. Know Where … [Read More...]

2021 PC Hardware Releases to Bolster Your Gaming

If you are a PC gamer, then chances are you are looking to upgrade your kit over the coming year. However, a lot of money can go into building the … [Read More...]

New Transfer Feature in Dropbox Enable Sharing files with Third Parties

Dropbox has been a popular P2P sharing platform for many years. They don't announce new features as often as other applications, since they have a … [Read More...]

Ransomware Operators Find Data Theft Profitable

How valuable is your data? That’s not a question that organizations or individuals have to ask themselves all that often. You might know the market … [Read More...]

Engineers Encounter the Quantum Challenge with Computers Running a Hundred Million Times Faster

Quantum computers have been a subject of discussion for many years. They have probably been something that philosophers and technology pundits have … [Read More...]

Transferring Image Files from Your Cell Phone Without Cables or Email

You don't have a cable available to transfer the photos from your cell phone to your computer? You don't feel comfortable sending them through your … [Read More...]

Why Drupal Accessibility is Vital for Your Website

Drupal may not be as popular as WordPress, but it is still used in over 1 million websites. The Internet might be more conducive to our needs if more … [Read More...]

Guides

  • Computer Communications
  • Mobile Computing
  • PC Components
  • PC Data Storage
  • PC Input-Output
  • PC Multimedia
  • Processors (CPUs)

Recent Posts

Windows XP Upgrade Advisor

If you're smart, installing Windows XP will involve less guesswork and less nasty surprises than has traditionally been the case when upgrading to … [Read More...]

Perfect Data Solutions PST Repair Review

PROS: Quick and easy installation. CONS: You must register this product to use it. Otherwise, you just get a demo screen. OVERVIEW: Perfect Data … [Read More...]

How to Use Print Screen in Windows

There are times where you would like to show something on your screen to someone. I use this all the time in my tutorials and you may be wondering how … [Read More...]

[footer_backtotop]

Copyright © 2021 About | Privacy | Contact Information | Wrtie For Us | Disclaimer | Copyright License | Authors