Software or hardware that secretly records every keystroke made on a computer or mobile device, capturing passwords, credit card numbers, messages, and other sensitive information as it is typed.
Software or hardware that secretly records every keystroke made on a computer or mobile device, capturing passwords, credit card numbers, messages, and other sensitive information as it is typed.
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Keyloggers are surveillance tools that record everything you type. While they have legitimate uses in parental monitoring and corporate security, they are most commonly associated with cybercrime — silently capturing passwords, credit card numbers, and private messages.
Software keyloggers are the most common type, often installed as part of trojan malware. They run invisibly in the background, logging keystrokes and periodically sending the captured data to the attacker. Some advanced variants can also capture screenshots and clipboard contents.
Hardware keyloggers are physical devices placed between a keyboard and computer. They're nearly impossible to detect with software and can store months of keystrokes. They're used in targeted attacks on specific computers.
In 2017, HP laptops were discovered to have a keylogger accidentally left in an audio driver by the manufacturer. While not malicious in intent, it demonstrated how keylogger code can exist on systems without users' knowledge, recording every keystroke to a file on the hard drive.