We all already got used to computer monitoring both at work and at home. We got used to advertising monitoring software products as tools for parental control and workplace surveillance.
These programs are indeed helpful tools -- to a certain extent. Large and middle-sized companies use legitimate monitoring programs for workplace surveillance -- to ensure information security and local network accountability. At home more and more parents install such software as a "life jacket" for their web-surfing kids. You probably use such a program already, or going to.
But are you aware that these so handy and absolutely legal monitoring programs installed on lots of PCs -- and perhaps on yours, too -- have a very dangerous sibling called keylogging spyware?
Keylogging spyware (such programs are usually called simply "keyloggers")has very much in common with legitimate monitoring software. These programs spy -- they log keystrokes and mouse clicks, make screenshots, compile a neat log-file and send it to the person who installed (as a rule, remotely) this program on your -- or somebody else's -- PC.
The very principle is often the same. Actually, the technology applied in monitoring software is a dual-purpose one. It is neither good nor bad -- numerous things can be used for several purposes, not all of them permissible. A knife is a typical example -- while we are cutting bread with a bread knife, somebody stabs his neighbor to death with a dagger or stiletto.
Identity thieves do know how to use both kinds of this software for their nefarious purpose. I am not going to talk about moral issues, but if there is an opportunity, there always will be one to use it.
If these programs are so closely related, how to tell which is which then? Well, there are two specific program functions that are typical only to programs that spy.
First, it is possible to carry out preliminary configuration of the monitoring module (it is usually called client, agent etc.), getting a compiled executable file as a result. This file, when installed, doesn't display any messages or create windows on the screen. It "hides itself" and "shows no signs of life". It is impossible to notice whether the particular PC is being secretly monitored or not. Of course, the user is not aware of being spied -- until the consequences show up.
Second, spy software always has built-in means of remote installation; as a rule, the pre-configured module (agent) is installed into the target PC remotely. Then the files with obtained information are sent via local network or emailed to the person who installed the spy program.
Remove these functions -- and you will get a monitoring program instead of spyware. If it is impossible to pre-configure the monitoring module and install it remotely, it is not spyware. If you should have administrator privilege to install the program, it is monitoring software. (Person with administrator privilege installs major software products, and in case of a home computer, it is usually the person who owns the PC).
Nevertheless, there are some vendors who advertise monitoring products with "remote deployment", i.e. function of remote installation. In fact, nothing distinguishes these programs from malicious keyloggers. Some of them are actually Trojan Horse programs, which can be sent by email disguised as, say, a greeting card.
Many users feel that it is impossible to install a surveillance program without physical access to their PCs. Unfortunately, they are mistaken. And security experts confirm-- remote deployment of surveillance software is sharply on the rise.
Researchers from Websense Security Labs in their "Security Trends Report" call such programs "commercial keyloggers" and caution users against them: " These commercial keyloggers may be marketed as products that allow you to spy on your spouse or watch your children's online activities. They are often used as packaged attacks designed to capture keystrokes to gather online banking passwords, login credentials, Social Security Numbers and other identity-related information".
No wonder that both security experts and vendors now see keyloggers -- no matter whether they are commercial ones or those cybercriminals write themselves -- as a grave threat.
Keyloggers can be also included into freeware and shareware. Trojan programs, viruses and Internet worms often contain keyloggers, too. Security experts warn that information-stealing programs are already relatively common and predict the further rise of unlawful use of such software. That is why it is so important to apply special anti-keylogging protection.
Alexandra Gamanenko currently works at Raytown Corporation, LLC -- an independent software developing company. The company's R&D department created an innovative technology, which disables the very processes of capturing information, such as keylogging, screenshoting, etc. The company's anti-keylogging software doesn't detect spy programs or information-stealing Trojans one by one -- it brings all the "spies" to a standstill.
Learn more -- visit the company's website http://www.anti-keyloggers.com
ohare limo service Grand Rapids ..For a windows user like me, just can watch with... Read More
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is a strategy and processes used... Read More
Stealing company information used to be the specialty of spies... Read More
.Net Framework is a platform or development environment to seamlessly... Read More
Microsoft Retail Management System serves retail single store as well... Read More
Microsoft Business Solutions CRM data conversion deserves FAQ type of... Read More
Microsoft Business Solutions Great Plains might be considered as ERP... Read More
In part III of this ISDN primer, we learned that... Read More
Icons are used everywhere; right from software applications, to internet... Read More
What is Software?Software is a set of instruction written to... Read More
While I was in college, if you would have asked... Read More
TikiWiki is open source software - it is written in... Read More
The research in the field of Natural Language Processing usually... Read More
Are you a whiz at calculating financial information? Not the... Read More
If you're online using a dialup Internet connection, you'll probably... Read More
The destruction of the Soviet Union about 15 years ago,... Read More
According to a survey conducted by InfoTrends/CAP Ventures entitled "Content-Centric... Read More
Anti-virus software is used to find, remove or fix files... Read More
Music downloads are off the charts! We're listening to digital... Read More
We've all seen the ads on TV for Netzero 3G.... Read More
Microsoft Great Plains is now targeting large and midsize businesses... Read More
2005 ? Back to the Future.What does the future hold?... Read More
To all web designers out there, this article is for... Read More
When Windows fails to boot it is normally caused by... Read More
It is a well known fact that Java as a... Read More
executive chauffeured services Barrington Hills ..Finally, you have some time to personalize your desktop with... Read More
Follow the steps below to quickly design, generate, and deploy... Read More
Mapping Software Improves Data VisualizationFrom the outset, it is important... Read More
CD and DVD replication is a process that works by... Read More
The world of small business accounting software can be a... Read More
We would like to give you pluses and minuses of... Read More
If you are in the market for new staffing software,... Read More
In order to implement VLANs in a network environment, you'll... Read More
Some companies that are in need of fleet management may... Read More
With so many Microsoft Windows related viruses, errors, and other... Read More
Microsoft Word is one of the most popular office applications... Read More
Did you ever give a thought to the number of... Read More
Microsoft Great Plains is main Microsoft Business Solutions product, targeted... Read More
Microsoft SQL Server is the leader for inexpensive and middle... Read More
Once upon a time not so long ago, there was... Read More
Many reasons made GBM a unanimous choice for experts, one... Read More
Upgrading. Downtime. Maintenance. Hardware obsolescence. Implementation issues. The litany of... Read More
Writing software manuals is boring, isn't it? We often think:... Read More
What is Snort?Snort is an open source network intrusion detection... Read More
Does Microsoft Have any Real Competition? Copyright (c) 2003 Gregory... Read More
Microsoft Great Plains has substantial mid-market share in the USA... Read More
MS CRM is very close to document workflow automation, including... Read More
Research bears that less than 70 percent of development projects... Read More
Looks like Microsoft Great Plains becomes more and more popular,... Read More
As we could imagine, if you are reading this article... Read More
Software |