What is a keylogger attack?

Understanding keyloggers: The silent threat to your digital security

Keyloggers, short for keystroke loggers, are malicious programs or hardware devices designed to record every keystroke made on a computer or mobile device. The primary objective of keyloggers is to capture sensitive information, such as usernames, passwords, credit card details, and other confidential data, without the victim's knowledge.

Keyloggers can infiltrate your device through various methods, including malicious attachments or links in phishing emails or when downloading software from untrusted sources. Once installed, keyloggers run in the background, capturing every keystroke and transmitting the data to the attacker.

What are the types of keyloggers?

Keyloggers come in various forms, each with a unique method of capturing keystrokes. Here are the main types:

Software keyloggers: These are harmful applications that get installed on a device. These can be further categorized into:

• Kernel-level keyloggers: These operate within the kernel, the core part of an operating system, granting them high-level access.
• API-based keyloggers: These use APIs to capture keystrokes before they are processed by the target application.
• Form-grabbing keyloggers: These capture information entered into web forms.

Hardware keyloggers: These are physical devices that connect directly to a computer through the keyboard cable or USB port.

How do keyloggers work?

Here’s how keyloggers operate:

• Installation: Once keylogger software is installed, it attaches itself to the operating system's core functions, specifically the function that handles keyboard input. This allows it to monitor the data from the victim's keystrokes.
• Keystroke capture: The keylogger tracks and captures every keystroke entered on the keyboard. This include keystrokes for usernames, passwords, credit card details, emails, and other confidential information.
• Data transmission: The keylogger sends the captured keystrokes periodically, or in real time, to a remote server controlled by the attacker.
• Usage of captured data: Once the attacker receives the keystroke data, they can analyze it to extract sensitive information, compromise accounts, or carry out targeted attacks against the victim.

How to detect keyloggers on your device

While keyloggers are designed to be discreet, there are several methods to identify their presence:

Antivirus and anti-malware software: Keeping your antivirus and anti-malware software up to date can aid in identifying keyloggers.

Unusual system behavior: Unusual processes or high CPU usage can indicate the presence of a keylogger.

Network monitoring tools: These tools can detect suspicious data transmissions that might be sending keystroke data to remote servers.

Physical inspection: Physically inspecting the connection between the keyboard and the computer can reveal any unauthorized devices.

How to prevent keylogging

Here are a few steps you can follow to safeguard yourself from keylogger attacks:

Install security software: Use antivirus and anti-malware programs and ensure they are kept up to date.

Practice safe browsing: Refrain from clicking suspicious links in emails from unknown sources.

Enable firewalls: Enable firewalls to monitor unauthorized connections to external servers and block outbound data transmissions.

Update regularly: Keep your operating system and all software updated to patch vulnerabilities.

Enforce multi-factor authentication (MFA): Enhance security by requiring multiple verification methods, making it harder for attackers to gain access even if they have your credentials.

Use password managers: Use password managers to generate strong and unique passwords for each of your accounts, reducing the risk of credential theft.

How ADSelfService Plus helps protect your organization from cyberattacks

ADSelfService Plus is an identity security solution that provides adaptive MFA with support for a wide range of authenticators. It provides MFA for endpoints, cloud and on-premises applications, VPNs, and OWAs. ADSelfService Plus also provides passwordless authentication options to bypass the need for users to enter passwords directly, minimizing exposure to keylogger interception. In addition to these features, it also provides self-service password management and enterprise SSO.

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