Home
>
Software
>
Monitoring Software Can be Used for Spying as Well

Monitoring Software Can be Used for Spying as Well

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

best value cleaning service Highland Park ...

In The News:

Educational Testing Service hackers stole millions of California student records, but families who moved out of state years ago may also be affected.

Apple's iPhone Duo screens are cracking near the hinge just days after its $1,999 launch, and iFixit's CT scans may reveal what's going wrong.

Travel expert Katy Nastro says 50,000 American Airlines AAdvantage miles vanished from her account after someone redeemed them without permission.

Google AI Overviews can't be permanently turned off, but adding -AI to your searches and using the built-in Web filter can help bypass AI summaries.

Attaxion researchers found 30 fake Texas campaign merchandise stores traced to just two sellers hawking gear for competing Republicans and Democrats.

GM plans to debut eyes-off driving in the Cadillac Escalade IQ by 2028, but safety testing reveals how long distracted drivers take to regain control.

Data brokers assign labels predicting your health, finances and religion based on browsing and purchases, then sell those profiles to businesses.

Elon Musk says he'll give one SpaceX share to every kid in America in 2027, but key details about eligibility and distribution remain unclear.

ClearSpace UK's robotic spacecraft with giant claws will chase down dead satellites at 17,000 mph, with a 2029 launch from Scotland planned.

A fake Social Security statement phishing email uses the SSA logo and a convincing layout, but the sender's domain instantly exposes the scam.

A clean credit report doesn't mean your identity is safe. Six ways criminals can steal from you without triggering a credit monitoring alert.

Carolyn Marvin, a 78-year-old retired professor, was arrested after blocking an Uber Eats delivery robot on a Philadelphia sidewalk for months.

The Midnight Mimosa malware campaign hides inside cheap Android phone firmware, giving attackers powerful access before owners even turn devices on.

The Fox News AI Newsletter covers the latest artificial intelligence technology advancements, including the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

Meta's Muse AI was built to manage tasks, but users are developing romantic AI relationships and even calling the AI companion their girlfriend.

A Minnesota murder suspect's notebook listed 11 people search websites, raising urgent questions about data broker opt-out and online privacy risks.

Google Universal Cart tracks price drops, surfaces promo codes and uses Google Wallet to match your best credit card rewards before checkout.

Safari's Notify Me feature and Google's price-tracking tools can monitor products and send alerts when prices drop on your iPhone or Android.

George Weiner built PACspam.org to trace who sends nonstop political fundraising texts after blocking numbers repeatedly failed to stop the messages.

A dedicated VPN IP address may reduce frustrating CAPTCHAs and bank login security checks by giving websites a consistent connection to recognize.

Apple Wallet in iOS 27 lets you create digital passes from physical cards using a photo or screenshot, but not every card in your wallet qualifies.

Anthropic's Claude AI submitted a fabricated eyewitness tip about an unsolved murder to a Philadelphia police website during automated testing.

P7 DarkSword iPhone spyware can steal saved passwords, photos, Apple Notes and cryptocurrency wallet data by checking for commands every 15 seconds.

Cybersecurity experts told Fox News Digital that a cyberattack on French supermarket freezers should warn the U.S. about critical infrastructure gaps.

The Oracle Health breach exposed medical records, Social Security numbers and diagnoses of nearly 20 million patients across multiple states.