This hidden programme could be capturing everything you type

You might not realise it, but your computer could be infected with a form of malware which collects everything you type into your keyboard. Throughout the day it could harvest passwords for your banking, social media accounts and other personal information –which could lead to identity fraud, blackmail and more.

What is a key logger?

The programme in question is called a keystroke logger – or a key logger for short. While these programmes can sometimes be used for honest purposes, they are often also used by cyber criminals as a way of mining important personal information from individuals or businesses. This information could then be used to hijack your accounts, steal customer or client information, exploit your bank account or blackmail your business.

How does a key logger infect your computer?

There are lots of ways that a key logger could end up on your system. You, or one of your employees, could open an infected attachment in an email; or download a computer programme that masquerades as a legitimate piece of software. There are even some scenarios where PC’s can be infected just by visiting the wrong website. An example of this came recently when a key logger programme called Olympic Vision was used to attack businesses in 18 countries in order to steal log-in credentials, email clients, FTP programs and instant messaging logs.

How to protect yourself and your business from key loggers

As there are various ways that a cyber criminal can install a key logger on your computer there is no singular solution to be had. Instead, your business must take a 360 degree approach towards online security with malware prevention at the forefront of your day to day activities. This means not only being on the lookout for rogue email attachments and websites, but also making sure that your employees are trained to do be vigilant too. Anti-virus software should also play a key role in your strategy as well as regular patch updates to make sure there are no vulnerabilities that could be exploited by hackers.

Here at ECL we have extensive experience in protecting businesses against the latest malware, computer hacks, viruses, spam, phishing scams and other threats and can advise you on the best methods of protecting your business. We can also help businesses to update their systems to run the latest and most secure version of Windows available. For more information please, please call us on 01268 575300 or email us on info@ecl.co.uk.