Software like Keyscrambler operate on the principle of scrambling the data transfer between the keyboard to your operating system and then de-scrambling it. But the efficacy of an anti-keylogger software is limited depending upon the technique used by a particular keylogging software. Different leyloggers use different tricks, and you need an anti-keylogging utility, which is specifically developed to counter that.

Yet another trick to protect yourself from Keyloggers and Screenloggers is to use virtual keyboards, which allow you to type and enter your passwords through a virtual keyboard. Neo’s Safekeys is a freeware tool, which allows you to protect yourself from keyloggers effecetively. There are lots of options available to customize its functionality as per your requirements. For instance, it even allows you to enter a keystroke by simply hovering your mouse pointer for a pre-defined time. You can vary this time from 0.5 sec. to 2.5 sec. depending upon your convenience.

Features of Neo’s Safekeys

Drag and Drop passwords: It allows you to tansfer your password by you dragging and dropping the password from Neo’s SafeKeys to the destination program (eg. Internet Explorer).

Protected Password Field: Neo’s SafeKeys 2008 (v2.1 and later) has protected password fields. Some keyloggers are able to ‘read’ password fields (where your password is actually in the text box, but is hidden behind “*” characters).

Different password entry methods: There are many ways you can enter your passwords using Neo’s SafeKeys 2008. Each method has its advantages and disadvantages. For example, using the Hover Mouse Mode to enter passwords should defeat keyloggers and screenloggers. You choose the method (or combination of methods) to suit your own security needs.

Password and Visible Text: If you wish, you can use Neo’s SafeKeys as a portable ‘notepad’. If the Password Mask is disabled, you’ll be able to see whatever you enter – but you could use Neo’s SafeKeys to write a short note using the on-screen keyboard or a scrambled keyboard. This should afford you some protection for the notes you write.

Improved protection against screen loggers: From version 2.3.0, Neo’s SafeKeys has improved it’s protection against some screen loggers. In short, it will be invisible to some screenloggers.

[Download Neo's Safekeys]

[P.S.: Remember - many people make a mistake and spell it as Neo's Safekeep. But actually it is Safekeys.]

Often Keyloggers are installed for illegitimate activities and result in frauds and scam. But there are some legit uses also associated with Keylogger software. For instance, sometimes, a company might want to know, what their employees are upto while surfing the net. Or whether they are not passing the sensitive information to their competitors.

Whatever be the case, it is a pain in the ass for the person, whose keystrokes are being logged. And for them, there are anti keylogger software. Antikeylogger software applications work on various algorithms depending upon the type of keyloggers they are designed to work against.

[Related: How to Check for Keyloggers]

Spyshelter – The Free Anti Keylogger Program

Spyshelter is one such software, which allows you to block the keylogger threats from your computer.

It uses several different detection methods that monitor keyboard hooks, clipboard capture, screen capture and system activities. Each time the program detects a potential threat, it will intercept the action and allow you to block or allow the activity. Since many programs are using capture methods for legitimate purposes (hotkeys, screenshots etc.) you can maintain a black/white list to prevent unnecessary prompts from interfering with your work. Other features include detailed logging, import/export of security rules and more.

The free version houses some of the basic functionality and is free only for the personal use. A Premium edition with additional features is also available.

Features of Spyshelter – Freeware Antikeylogger

KeyLogger protection: SpyShelter Stop-logger ensures that whatever you type into your computer is protected against dangerous people who steal your data! Whatever you enter into your computer will not leak to malicious parties.

Webcam Logger protection: SpyShelter defends you against hackers who would like to seize control of your webcam, even when it is switched off!

System Defense: SpyShelter guards your registry, your physical memory (RAM), and other sensitive computer parts and processes so that malicious code cannot be injected to seize control of your PC.

Internet security: SpyShelter AntiNetworkSpy protactive module prevents dangerous trojans from stealing your private information when making important SSL internet transactions. It also blocks HTTP/HTTPS trojans on user level as well as POP,SMTP,FTP, loggers.

Clipboard Logger protection: SpyShelter shields sensitive data that can be found on your Windows clipboard as a result of copying, cutting, and pasting. This software ensures that this information will not be maliciously monitored by other people.

Screen Logger protection: When you take screen-captures, SpyShelter spots suspicious activity that might reveal sensitive data you enter into your computer such as bank account and credit card information.

Anti Sound logger: SpyShelter unique security module that protects your system against VOIP sound trojan loggers. Can be useful when you use instant messengers for voice calls. This module also protects you against voice logger from your webcam or built-in microphone.

[Download SPyShelter]

On Screen Keyboards may sometimes be not able to defeat or block information getting recorded by the software keyloggers, but it they can definitely defeat the hardware keyloggers.

On-Screen Keyboard Portable makes it easy to access Windows’ built-in On-Screen Keyboard on any system you come across. It remembers your settings for sound, hover to select or click to select, always on top, keyboard layout and more as you move from PC to PC. And the icon sits right in your PortableApps.com Menu for easy access.

Defeating hardware keloggers is a add on advantage for this handy tool. The main objective of this freeware software is to provide assistance in case you are not able to use your computer’s main keyboard for some reasons.

[Download Portable On-Screen Keyboard for USB]

BFK, the acronym for Best Free Keylogger allows you to record the keyboard strokes of the computer. It just sits silently and gets invoked as soon as you press pre-defined keyword combination. The default is CTRL+SHIFT+b, but you can change it as per you rwish.

BFK also allows you to take screenshots of the screen at some pre-defined interval. It also record all the websites visited and keeps a track of them in a log. You can modify the settings to email you the reports about the activities performed on the target computer.

Here is a nice video on BFK, displaying its features and uses.

But, in my testing, BFK was not able to defeat Kaspersky Internet Security 2010, which is available on my laptop. It easily caught the activities and disallowed it to function properly.

[Download Best Free Keylogger, BFK]

Keyloggers are just like other programs and applications. The main difference being that they try to hide their presence from normal tools. You have to dig a bit deeper into the Windows processes to find them and recognize them. If you are using earlier version of Windows like Windows XP or earlier, then there are some freeware tools, which can easily check keyloggers in your computer.

For later versions of Windows, we will suggest you to take a look at tools like Microsoft Process Explorer to find the hidden processes associated with the installed keyloggers on your computer. We have already carried a post on How to Find Keyloggers in Computer with Microsoft Process Explorer.

Remember, checking of keylogging activities on your computer is not an easy job. You will have to dig deeper in the Windows Processes. But it will be worth the efforts.

Your PC Security is hugely important, isn’t it?

Keyloggers may be specially useful for…

• System Administrators : If you are involved in computer security, you must know that on a network the greatest threat comes from the inside. You can thus use robust Keylogger to be sure that there is no confidential information leak, or to detect illegal activities on your computers.
• Employers : Keyloggers can be very helpful in your hiring process. Just install it on the computer of your new recruit during his training period and see if he spends more time chatting online than working on what you pay him for. With a hidden Keylogger you’ll make the right decisions, thus you’ll save time and money.
• Home Users : You can keep an eye on your children activities. Know what is done on your computer while you are away. Recover lost text and passwords.

Revealer Key Logger -  A Useful Free Edition Home Keylogger

Revealer Free Edition is a simple keylogger application that will automatically keep log of all keystrokes and organize them into daily logs that can be viewed from the interface and exported to a text file. The interface can be password protected and the program configured to start automatically when Windows starts. It runs semi-hidden without a tray icon and visible interface.

Following are the features of this useful and free home edition keylogger.

1. Logs every keystrokes
2. Password protection
3. Invisible window
4. Invisible in Add/Remove programs
5. Invisible in the Taskbar

There is a Pro version also available for this otherwise free home keylogger. This paid edition has some more features like…

• Invisible in the process list (Ctrl + Alt + Del)
• Invisible at Windows startup
• Invisible on the drive
• Delivery via email
• Delivery via FTP
• Delivery via local network

[Download Revealer]

It is not that Key Loggers are always used by fraudsters and scammers, who are targeting their victims for stealing their usernames and passwords. For instance, concerned parents may resort to installing key loggers on the computers of their teenage children so as to have a look at what they are upto when they are on Internet. Or, an employer may want to keep track of what the new recruits in the company are doing with the company computers when in office.

Whatever be the case. It doesn’t sound good to be spied. If you have a slightest of doubt that you are being watched, then the first thing which comes to your mind is how to find key loggers in your computer.

Finding Key loggers in Windows XP computers

We have found three useful anti-keylogger tools, which can find if any key logger is installed in your computer.

PSMAntiKeyLogger: This software works in Windows 9X/NT/2K/XP only and there is no plan for any changes. PSMAntiKeyLogger is a real-time protecting software which protects you against Keyloggers.Features of this anti key loggers include…

• No scanning is needed
• Easy to install and use
• Friendly user interface
• Full source included

SnoopFree: SnoopFree Privacy Shield is not another scanner product. It’s a powerful shield that guards your keyboard, screen and open windows from all spy software.

I Hate Keyloggers: I Hate Keyloggers will prevent your typing from being recorded by malicious software such as key loggers, spyware, remote administration tools. The software will disable hook-based keyloggers so the keyloggers will not be able to capture your keystrokes. This way you can type sensitive information (passwords, email, credit card number, etc) with confidence. The log file of the key logger will be empty (your keystrokes are not recorded).

KL-Detector: Use KL-Detector to find out whether your activity is being recorded without your knowledge. It is designed to be able to detect all keyloggers. And it’s free.

Use them, if you are using an XP machine. In other cases, you may like to read our previous post on finding keyloggers with Process Explorer.

Whatever be the case, the target person will always like to find, if there are hidden keyloggers installed in his computer recording his activities. But how to do that? How to find keyloggers in computers.

Microsoft Process Explorer – Useful Tool for Finding Keyloggers in Computers

Keyloggers are like any other software applications, which launch Windows Processes to let them function. If you can find the processes associated with the keyloggers, you can easily find out, whether any keylogger is installed on your computer or not.

The problem is not of finding the processes. But the problem is hoe to decipher the culprit windows process. There are tools, which can find all the running processes but you your self are expected to find the recognize the process associated with the keylogger application.

Microsoft Process Explorer is a useful utility, which makes your task a bit easier. It is an advanced version of the Windows Task Manager, with which you might already have worked. It may not look to be very attractive in its user interface, but it is very powerful security tool, and the best part is part is that it is a freeware application. You do not have to pay a dime to get it.

How to Use Microsoft Process Explorer to Find Keyloggers in Computers

The Process Explorer display consists of two sub-windows. The top window always shows a list of the currently active processes, including the names of their owning accounts, whereas the information displayed in the bottom window depends on the mode that Process Explorer is in: if it is in handle mode you’ll see the handles that the process selected in the top window has opened; if Process Explorer is in DLL mode you’ll see the DLLs and memory-mapped files that the process has loaded. Process Explorer also has a powerful search capability that will quickly show you which processes have particular handles opened or DLLs loaded.

If you choose the appropriate columns in the View menu, you’ll be able to see any working executables’ path, its publisher’s name, and important program descriptions; together, this should give you sufficient information about the authenticity of any running applications to determine its legitimacy. Some of Process Explorer’s most useful info is hidden by default. To see it, right-click a column name and then choose Select Columns. Both ‘Process Name’ and ‘Description’ should be checked already, but make sure to check Company Name and Command Line as well.

Once you identify the processes associated with the keyloggers in your computer, then you can Google them to know more about them. There are lots of resources on the net to dig deeper. Let me list some of them.

• http://www.answersthatwork.com/
• http://support.microsoft.com/dllhelp/
• http://www.ca.com/us/global-technology-security.aspx
• http://www.processlibrary.com/

Here is a nice YouTube video on the use of Process Explorer for the finding keyloggers, spyware and malware in your computer.

[Download Process Explorer]