Keyloggers: All That You Need To Know

Keyloggers are the people who track and record your keystrokes. They can trace the keystrokes made by the user into a website or any application and send it back to third parties for malicious purposes. This is one of the oldest forms of cyber terrorism but is now widely used in Law enforcement and intelligence agencies for the following purposes:

  1. Better User Experience
  2. Investigate Data Breaches
  3. Track The Activities Of Employees
  4. Issuing Real-Time Alerts

The amount of information traced by keyloggers varies from software to software. Some of them can only access what you type on a website while others can trace every keystroke made by you. Be it copy-pasting or typed content. The other variants of keyloggers know how to tap a cell phone and can record your call history, audios, etc. Sounds crazy? Indeed it is.

The first keyloggers were used in the Soviet Union to trace IBM typewriters. Nowadays, keyloggers can be both hardware and software. The hardware joins the keyboard connector and computer’s board. The software can be an application or a malicious program installed on the computer.

You’ll be shellshocked to know that these keyloggers can very well have a sneak peek of your mobile phones too. Keylogger for Android and iOS comes only in software. Even temporary access to your phone without your knowledge can set them in full swing to steal your valuable information. Keylogger software prying in phones not only records your virtual keystrokes but can also dive into your camera, microphone, files, messages, and emails.

How Can You Identify A Keylogger?

It is very difficult to ascertain one way through which these keyloggers gain access to your phone. A keylogger can invade your privacy by disguising itself in some email, text message, or after you accidentally click a malicious website.  One of how these keyloggers can be identified is that your smartphone might start hanging a lot than usual; you’ll notice a discrepancy between the time you type in and when does it appear on the screen; also, you might not be able to access some websites.

The best way to protect yourself from stumbling over such poor keyloggers is to keep yourself updated with the best cybersecurity program. Avoid falling for alluring emails and text messages. Always be skeptical about the sites you visit and the links you click on. Try to set difficult passwords and don’t use the same passwords for multiple purposes.