Here belong keyloggers made mostly
for such tasks as espionage. These tailor-made, or should we say, custom-made,
keyloggers are extremely unlikely to be ever detected. Hackers often compile source code of
several keyloggers (it's easy to find them in the Web--for
those who know where to look for) -- and get a brand-new one
with an unknown signature even faster. If a keylogger can be
installed remotely without the victim's knowledge, it gives
the hacker great possibility to steal any information he
pleases. Lots of this
fauna can contain a keylogger -- like MyDoom (sure you
remember this virus.
Some types of spyware, namely software capable of stealing passwords, SSNs and other valuable information (keyloggers and keylogger-containing malware), certainly facilitate these crimes. Since the Internet has become a part of daily life and business, rapid growth of such kinds of cybercrime as identity theft and phishing endanger the whole society. The complete report for Q1 2005 is available at http. This report for the first quarter of 2005 entirely confirmed the concept that had become as clear as day in 2004 -- from being not much more than a nuisance for PC users, spyware turned into one of the major threats to information security. This year's State of Spyware Report data come from Webroot's SpyAudit results and from online research made by Phileas, Webroot's automated spyware research system.
A keylogger is software that logs keystrokes (ditto. As for viruses, worms and Trojan horse programs, this fauna (not paying a slightest attention to the laws of biology) has already made up such hybrids with one another that no genetic engineer could probably dream about. Dividing software into malicious and benign is like dividing all, say, plants just into eatable and uneatable. Well, if cookies and BHOs are kinds of spyware-- then a unicycle and roller skates are vehicles. Other terms are also pretty indistinct, though sometimes amusing.
Since signature analysis can't ensure protection against constantly appearing brand-new keyloggers, blocking the very process of keylogging would be better. But in case of information-stealing programs, like keyloggers or keylogging-containing Trojans, a single overlooked program may mean lost valuable data. It is a modernized two-stage scam which includes contaminating the victim's machine with a keylogger-containing Trojan horse program that is spreading like a wildfire now. Keyloggers and system monitors were mentioned as dangerous, but relatively rare. Information-stealing Trojan in descriptions most often means keylogger-containing Trojan.
Keylogging Programs (keyloggers, key loggers, keystroke loggers, key
recorders, key trappers, key capture programs, etc. Keyloggers can be included into freeware, shareware, and even into
commercial programs. Trojan programs, viruses and Internet worms
pretty often contain keyloggers, too. A little more sophisticated
programs of this kind also capture text from windows and make
screenshots (record everything displayed on the screen) - so the
information is captured even if the user doesn't type anything, just
opens the views the file. Software products of this type were initially designed solely for
recording keystroke information including the system keys, to the
special log file to be analyzed by the person who installed this
program.
|
|
Microsoft Great Plains Upgrade - Version 8.0 Overview for IT Director/Controller
Anti-Spyware Protection - Holes in the Shining Armor