The Keylogger Threat Is Real

Spyware and adware programs, currently rampaging all over the web, are perhaps the biggest single threat to the ordinary computer user’s security. Far more common than the oft-talked about and feared computer virus, almost anyone and everyone who surfs the net has been infected at some point with spyware and adware programs.

Why is that a problem? After all, they usually run in the background, and can at least on the surface seem to be fairly non-intrusive.

Well, that’s the point, really. They run in the background because in almost all cases the creator of the program doesn’t want you to know that it is there. And why is that?

Well, these programs are not called spyware and adware for nothing. Spyware spies on you (duh!) and adware is designed to plant unwanted advertising on your machine.

Between them, the net effect of these programs can be absolutely devastating. Your computer slows down to an impossibly slow rate – but that’s very probably the least of your problems. Your internet browser gets “hijacked” (taking you to all sorts of sites that you did not want to visit) and there’s dozens of those stunningly annoying pop-ups, well, popping up!

Again, inconvenient and annoying, but not the end of the world.

Far more dangerous is the fact that spyware programs are basically created to steal information from your computer. For example, information such as your secret passwords can be copied, and used to access your most sensitive or confidential data.

When it comes to detecting spyware, and the ridding your machine of it, you will generally need a specialized software program to do the job, of which there are both free and paid for versions available.

The general consensus of opinion seems to be that the best anti-spyware “strategy” is to use both free software (such as the excellent Spybot S&D) and a paid program such as NoAdware or SpyWare Doctor. And, unlike anti-virus software, it is usually no problem to be running both free and paid for anti-spyware on the same machine.

Interestingly most paid programs claim that, amongst the other “malware” they will remove is perhaps the most dangerous type of all, the key-logger. This, as the name suggests, will take note of every key you press n your machine, and send this information to someone else. Imagine the financial havoc this could cause if this was your credit card details, for example, or a security password for your company network.

According to recent tests on many of the commercial anti-spyware program available, there is both good and bad news on the key-logger front. The bad news is that many of the anti-spyware programs do not seem to be that effective at detecting and removing commercial key loggers.

The good news is that, in most cases, in order for someone to put a key logger on your machine, they need actual physical access to it.

But, note, I said most – that does not equal all, so you cannot be 100% confident of being entirely safe from key-loggers. And there is absolutely no doubt that, as the spyware designers become more sophisticated and capable, key-loggers are going to become a very serious problem for all computer users.

Let’s just hope that, as far as key-loggers are concerned, the designers of the anti-spyware programs are as on the ball as the malware creators themselves.

Stephen (Steve) Cowan is an entrepreneur, businessman and trainer who lives in Malaysia, having spent the last 20 years living and working throughout Asia. You can read more of Steve's spyware and adware site at http://webbiz99.com/spyware_&_adware.

 

Keylogger Software - Parents Benefit

When online, children are completely out of the parental control and parents can’t actually find out what their children do when online.

Banning children from computers or allowing using it only when parents are supervising the process is not a good solution. Besides producing a negative impact on relations with you child, this also makes it harder for your offspring to compete with other children, as the Internet these days gives certain social and academic advantages. However, the Internet should be filtered, there's absolutely no doubt. So what is the solution?

More and more parents realize they shouldn't impose any direct control over their child’s online activity thus trying to find out what their children are doing online. This task finds an easy solution in special keylogger software. Such software monitors computer activity and saves the report in special files so that the parents can later check it out and make conclusions. Keyloggers usually show what applications were used on the controlled computer, what sites a child visited and what he actually wrote to his online pals. There are enhanced search and sorting options, so any suspicious activity can be easily traced.

There are quite a lot of keyloggers currently available on the market. Quality depends and so does the price. Keyloggers are usually very simple to install, setup and use and require no special skills from the user. Most of them cost around $30, though there are more sophisticated species that may cost a little bit more. Keylogger software usually operates in the invisible mode and children don't know their parents have an eye on them.

However, this last feature often comes as an obstacle for the parents. They think that keylogging their children' online activity equals to spying and that such harsh supervision in not required for their beloved ones. Well, even if your child is very smart and kind, he or she is still a child so there is still a threat that they can make a wrong choice. And the consequences may be horrible. There are online predators that try to gather information about children in various chat rooms to take hostile actions against them in the real life. Even though children who realize they should keep their private information really private, can reveal some bits of information to a predator, who will then stick the facts together and find out what he needs.

Keylogger software often comes as the only solution for the parents with children who have the opportunity to access the Internet on a regular basis. Parents should know what happens with their children and try to prevent the possible danger. And the Internet, regrettably, carries a lot of danger with it, so keylogging software may really help to notice the problem long before it actually comes to life.

Kevin Dark is marketing various products online. Parents should benefit from the fabulous Keylogger.

www.actualspy.com

Hey Boss, is a Keylogger - Uh Spyware?

A close friend of mine walked into his minority SMB office, cup of coffee in hand and was blown away by this question no owner wants to hear coming from his sales manager - 'Hey boss, is a keylogger, spyware? Of course the cup of coffee hit the floor as my friends blood pressure hit the roof. Like most SMBs or solo entrepreneurs they have no IT guy, so he/she wasn't there to get fired on the spot. No, I got the brunt of the frustration - being his IT guy on the side and now we get to the global definition of spyware.

Spyware loosely defined is unwanted, obstrusive (read system intensive - memory hogging) and always potentially dangerous software unintentionally installed on a pc. Most anti-spyware software makers lump adware (that stuff which gets installed because it's free or cheap), BHOs (browser helper objects - stuff that suddenly appears on your browser), distributed attack tools, keystroke loggers, pcp software, tracking cookies, and unauthorized remote admin tools in the same global spyware box.

That list should scare even a pro at surfing on the Internet, but some of us have to be online 365/24/7. This is the audience that should be paying attention, everyone else don't stop reading.

Still reading? Good, because spyware is getting worse - those insanely smart people who keep finding ways to hack intoyour company's operating system are getting beter at what they do...

The list I just gave you earlier is getting longer and longer and longer. As the spyware fighters get better, the hackers try harder and harder. Making new software to attack different parts of any system made on earth. Just when we thought that XP was locked down, they restarted their attack on Win2k. And they haven't exactly given up on the other versions of Windows that older computers are using still today. Now no computer is safe any more as people got lulled into thinking that older computers were forgotten.

Quick fix for 'some' spyware problems - stop everyone using a computer from installing anything not approved by IT guys that know about the ever growing list of spyware. Remove all admin rights to install software today, some of these programs can even get the installer to load their spyware and then open up holes in your firewall or otherwise disable the protection setup on your computers. Stop others from installing bogus software today and you will thank yourself tommorow.

If you can't do that without your employees spiking your coffee with diet sugar until you 'fix' their computer back, then the only other option is anti-spyware software.

Minority SMBs and entrepreneurs that don't have an IT department or somebody's son/ daughter is your IT department then they will have some form of anti-spyware to keep computers free of spyware and running at the speed/reliability it was intended. Spyware can eventually or sometimes immediately bring any computer to the point where you cannot even logon to your account or computer. Your web browser will look like a neon sign for toolbars and other 'browser helpers' that only help to send hackers info you don't want them to have in the first place.

As spyware gets more deadly and sophisticated it soon will begin to infect other programs used in your OS and bloat your registry to the point of freezing the screens of XP.

Your anti-spyware options are far too numerous to list here and we should stick to the ones where it is run and monitored by one person and that person alone. It prevents anyone from uninstalling the anti-spyware accidently or disabling the software on purpose. I have known friends complain that their software keeps notifying them when it eliminates spyware and malware (close cousins), so they disabled it. Not an especially good idea these days.

Reporting and alerts are a must, that way you can pinpoint the culprits and then have a talk with Bill about the reason his computer is always so slow - the spyware he keeps downloading. Alerts are critical so that if someone else uses Bill's computer and loads spyware/malware, you find out immediately.

Scheduling and real-time scanning are the leather seats/steering wheel on this piece of software, to prevent new infestations from re-clogging your computer network again and again. Anti-spyware that is bundled or integrated will be the favored choice for an entrepreneur or SMB, you won't have several licenses to deal with and the software will update the whole rather than parts. The way spyware/ malware is gaining in strength an updated anti-virus/anti-spyware/anti-spam module is better than wondering whether each piece is updated.

Spyware is not something that can be ignored, as it becomes more sophisticated and dangerous it may cost your business more than it can afford.

Daviyd Peterson: 10-year consultant, instructor, trainer of digital divide solutions for both home and business. Helps African American and minority Small Business Enterprises bridge the digital divide by becoming wireless Small Office Digital Offices (SODO).

Homebased business for success-driven entrepreneurs http://www.myhomebusinesspays.com/daviyd