by Raleigh Stout

Created on: May 09, 2008

Keyloggers are input recorders. The owner/operator of the computer uses many input devices, such as mouse, keyboard, and touchpad screen among them. The keylogger is usually software, but can be hardware. Special keylogging keyboards have been marketed in the past.

The keylogger records the input from such devices and stores them for forwarding or recall by the author of the keylogging program. In most cases, the program author is also the installer of the program on a system, and is not necessarily the owner/operator of the computer.

Keyloggers and input recorders are used in employee monitoring at work, but parents may also employ them to monitor a child's interaction with the Internet or other network resources. Keyloggers may play a role in future law enforcement and anti-terrorism activities if these programs can be surreptitiously deployed on a suspect's computer.

Keyloggers are also infamous for being a tool of criminal computer hackers, also known as "crackers." Crackers use the keylogging tool for stealing personal logon information from unsuspecting computer owners and operators in order to gain financially or to cover up their own criminal hacking. If the data can be input, then the criminal hacker can read it with a keylogger and discover bank account numbers, PIN codes, verification codes and responses to security questions, etc.

A "screen scraper" is a form of keylogger program in which the computer is made to take a snapshot photograph/recording of the video monitor display in order to trap passwords and profile logon data to be used by the author of the program. It is actually simpler than it sounds - the program author simply needs to view the snapshots and read the private information from the screen images. Such screen scrapers are handy for defeating other antispyware measures being taken by a computer owner / user, e.g., an on-screen keyboard in which a mouse selects the data to be input. The on-screen keyboard was originally developed as an anti-keylogging measure as well as a tool for people who cannot or do not use keyboards.

The most popular form of keylogger is the keyboard recorder in which the program records keystrokes from the keyboard and forwards them on to its author or installer.

Keyloggers also can be classified among such groups as malicious software and spyware. Keyloggers are spyware at the basic level because of the monitoring of private computing activities is performed without the informed consent of the computer owner and operator. Without such informed consent, there is little motivation to deter computer operators from processing risky personal information or performing unauthorized or illegal tasks on the computer.

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