How to Identify Keyloggers
A keylogger is a malicious program that records keystrokes to try and steal passwords, credit card information and other personal information. Keyloggers can also be used to monitor processes on a computer, for example, if you are checking on a suspicious person. They work secretly in the background and are hidden from the person they're targeting. Keyloggers can be identified and removed using antivirus and spyware programs. Keep your personal information protected by removing these malicious tools.
- Difficulty:
- Moderately Easy
Instructions
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1
Open the Task Manager by pressing "Ctrl," "Alt" and "Delete" together. Click the "Processes" tab.
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2
Scroll through and identify any unusual processes and research them. It is important to be aware of the normal running processes, such as explorer.exe.
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3
Click the Windows "Start" button and click "Run" or "Start Search" (Windows Vista users). Type "msconfig" (without quotes) and press "Enter" to open the System Configurations Utility window.
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4
Click the "Startup" tab to show programs that launch automatically during computer startup. Remove the check from items that seem suspicious and click "OK" to save the changes. This will prevent those programs from launching.
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5
Launch your antivirus program and click the "Update" button to install any new virus and spyware definitions. Perform a full system scan and delete all files found. Many antivirus programs come loaded with keylogger detectors.
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6
Download and install AVG Anti-Virus free (see Resources) if you do not have an antivirus program. AVG is loaded with a spyware detector, keylogger detector and anti-rootkit function to detect keyloggers hidden on the computer system.
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Launch your program after it has installed and click the "Computer Scanner" button on the left panel. Click "Change scan settings" under "Scan whole computer. Place a check on all the scan settings and click "Start Scan." Delete all files found when the scan is complete.
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8
Try running keylogging detector programs to see if you can find anything else. PC Tools Spyware Doctor (see Resources) and HijackThis (see Resources) are two that you can check out.
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