How to Prevent Keyloggers

Be wary of keyloggers capturing your keystrokes.

Keylogging is the practice of monitoring the keys that a user presses on a keyboard in a remote manner. This concept is typically used in a malicious manner, in order to glean sensitive information from unwary users. There are many different methods a possible snoop could use to log what keys you are tapping away. And while keylogging is not the most common of computer security exploits, it is still wise to understand and practice methods that will prevent keylogging.

Instructions

1. Be picky with the software you install on your computer. Install only that which you need, or is from a trusted source. Avoid software that is bundled with other pieces of software and download your programs from well-known sites.

2. Be mindful of the websites you browse. The Internet is by far the largest threat to users, so understanding how to navigate it is key. Try to limit your surfing habits to sites that are reputable and always be wary of sites offering "warez."

3. Make sure that your router is properly set up, with precautions like a firewall and a network password. The steps to set up your router vary depending on brand and model, but the key is to remember the vital aspects of a secure network: a firewall and a strong password (one that features numbers, letters and symbols).

4. Monitor what is running on your computer. Activity monitor on the Mac (Applications/Utilities/Activity Monitor) and Task Manager (via "CTRL"-"ALT"-"DEL") are programs that will list the tasks your computer is running. If anything seems out of place, stop it from running.

5. Obscure sensitive information by typing in a method that will make it difficult to track what you are actually inputting. You can, for example, use this technique with passwords. In the password dialogue box, enter three characters, using both letters and numbers. After this, highlight the entered characters and replace them with new letters, part of which should be of your password. To illustrate, take the password "bear." You would type in "s9Q," highlight the text, and then type "b3a." After this, highlight the "3a" and replace it with three random characters. The "b" in "bear" is now entered, but the keylogger has record "s9Qb3a." Repeat this process for your entire password. Note that you do not have to do this in order of how the word is spelled.

Tips & Warnings

• Some would argue that using a virtual keyboard (which is built into both OSX and Windows) is a good defense against keylogging. The unfortunate fact is that certain keylogging viruses actually track software based input as well as hardware, meaning virtual keyboards are at risk as well. Not only that, but virtual keyboards are very difficult to operate efficiently.

References

• Technospot Network: How to Avoid Keyloggers by Scramble Keystrokes on Public Computers ?
• Windows Secrets: Prevent Keyloggers from Grabbing Your Passwords