Tips for Keylogger Buyers

You may associate computer monitoring software like keyloggers with computer hackers or computer nerds. Yet these applications have many legitimate uses. In fact, monitoring software plays an important role in computer security for families, employers and others whenever multiple users have access to a computer system.  Parents, for example, monitor their children’s use of the family computer to spot unsafe online activities or access of financial accounts. Employers monitor employees to assure company resources are used strictly for business purposes.

You can find and download keylogger software on the internet from developers’ websites or from software sites. Some of the applications are free, although those versions usually have limited functionality. Paid software, on the other hand, can usually be run secretly, undetected by the system’s users. This “stealth mode” removes the program from the system tray, visible directories, program lists and the Task Manager.

Most paid keyloggers also password protect access to the application and its logs. Oddly, password protection can confuse users who install the software without reading its instructions or FAQs. In these cases, the program runs but the user doesn’t know how to open it or doesn’t have the password. These users may have no other choice than to attempt to uninstall the software.

A modern keylogger or employee monitor can have any of a variety of features performing these and other common functions:

• recording of all keyboard keystrokes
• logging running programs, processes, open windows and websites visited
• recording chat, ICQ, MNS and other instant messages
• making screen captures at regular intervals
• preventing deletion of the application itself
• locking access to the program behind a secret key combination and password
• sending log files to an email address
• removing the application and its logs from the system at a predetermined date and time.

Most keyloggers run on Windows 32- or 64-bit operating systems running Windows 8.1, 8, 7, Vista and XP.  Applications designed for Mac OS are also available.

We caution anyone buying keylogger software to make sure it is digitally signed by a major certificate authority, such as Symantec, Comodo, Go Daddy or GlobalSign. Code signing is a cryptographic technology that allows you to confirm the author of the software and make sure that it has not been altered or corrupted.  Monitoring software that has been maliciously altered can be programmed to secretly steal personal data and transmit it to a criminal agent. In fact, consumers should make sure any software they wish to install, from music players to games, is digitally signed, since any application can contain malicious code. Manufacturers of reliable, safe applications digitally sign their products.

Digital signing is also an important requirement for installing monitoring software successfully.  Most antivirus software, like Kaspersky or Fortinet, does not allow installation of keylogging software that is not signed and will detect, terminate and remove unsigned monitoring software running on the system.  Some antivirus programs, however, will block installation of any monitoring software, signed or unsigned. In that case, the program can usually still be installed and run successfully if the user first adds the software to the antivirus program’s “white list.”  The white list specifies all software the antivirus program will treat as exceptions and allow to run on the computer.