Unless you are the target of some serious attention by criminals or the security services, keylogging should not be a problem. But the tools are available and the results could compromise your security.

If somebody can record the keys you are pressing, they can discover almost everything that you are doing on the computer. Capturing the PIN or other security code puts criminals one step nearer to accessing your bank account. But this is small scale.

Serious keylogging seeks to record every key that is pressed. To achieve this, some software has to be installed invisibly inside the computer. This makes it just another bit of spyware.

The keylog is then accessed and downloaded when the computer is online. However, since this is wholly illegal, there is not a great deal published about it. The only way to combat it is to have your chosen virus checker look out for such illicit activity.

There is a grey area. Employers, schools and parents can all claim a right to see what their computer is being used for. Firms such as  SpyArsenal provide software which logs how the computer has been used. Just how legal or ethical the use of these products are is a matter of debate.

What can you do?

The best answer is to lead a quiet life. That way, nobody is going to take the trouble to invade your computer to install a keylogger. However, if you want to check,  press the Control-Alt-Delete keys simultaneously on any PC and you can view a list of all the processes that are running. If you see a process near the top of the list running every time you press a key, you might want to investigate. The other precaution is to install some spyware which will patrol your computer to check if it is reporting to somebody else.

Serious keylogging

The FBI was forced to disclose  that their 'Carnivore' and 'Magic Lantern' systems had been covertly logging the keyboard activity on criminal's computers. 

Keylogging is covered by the Computer Misuse Act in the UK, much Euro legislation and numerous computer and  security acts in the US.

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