If your faced with the thought that someone has placed a keylogger on your computer and hacking you there is one way to get around it. You can change your passwords to sites but, if they are getting it non stop, then what good does it do? There are basically two ways you can change your password that the keylogger will not be able to get.
The first way is don't ever type your password just have a certain text somewhere that you can simply copy and paste the password in. Since your not typing it then it should not be able to read it.
The second way takes a little bit of work and some thought. Keylogger will record any letter, character or number typed, however, I have yet to see a keylogger that records the arrow buttons. It records how items are typed. So lets say your password is "geekdrop" or so the keylogger thinks so. What the keylogger doesn't see is that you have used the arrow keys while typing in your password.
OK I will use <-- and --> as the arrow keys.
SO this is what the keylogger sees you type:
geekdrop
it sees that because that was the order it typed it in but it failed to see the arrow keys so really you typed:
gee<--k-->dr<--o-->p
so lets think about this and break it down. You typed in gee then backed your mouse to between the two e's and added the k they hit the arrow button forward past the seconed e to type a dr then the arrow back to put a 0 in between the dr, then forward the mouse past the r to add a p. So really it may have read geekdrop because it was in that order but really it was
gekedorp
Ok your going HUH what is she talking about. Think about it and re-read this a few times and it will hit you. If not ask away
NOTE: If you read below it has been pointed out that some keyloggers do read arrow buttons so this may or may not help you if your having a issue.
Well in light of all the stuff you are dealing with I put this thread on a priority to do (one of many on my to due list). I know pain in the butt till you get your issue figured out.
Critter, you still haven't found out what happened from the last time? omg... I'm so sorry... that really is a pain..
I have tried a few keyloggers... I had one that actually did show arrow buttons... If I recall correctly it was called KGB Keylogger... I seen where someone would use arrow keys or backspace.. delete... It recorded any and all keystrokes...
However I do think your idea of copy/paste would prevent a keylogger from catching it as long as its done with the mouse and not "Ctrl-C and Ctrl-V".
In the cast of Ctrl-C and Ctrl-V... I could see what window is opened and where the password is being copied from and copied to... As this one keylogger I had would show windows opened.. randomly take screenshots of the computer screen at given intervals..
Free KGB Keylogger does show everything ! I had screenshots everytimethe mouse was clicked ! I'm now having problems getting it to uninstall ! I think my roomate tried to use my laptop and seen the keylogger and tried to disable it but now, I'm having issues with it ! The Free KGB Keylogger is hard to find in Vista !
Its not in the add/remove area? Did you also try the Device manager?
For someone to put a keylogger on your computer, would you they have to trick you into opening an exe file? Or are we basically talking about a friend or someone sneaking and putting it on your pc when you're not there?
Well they could send you a file and get you to open it but it would have to be a exe file (not that they can't rename it so that it looks different) or yes they would have to have access to your pc to install it either physical access or remote access. If your ever sent a exe file you should always scan it with your AV prior to opening it. Note not all AV will catch them. I use NOD32 and it did catch a keylogger once. I don't open any exe unless I know exactly what they are and who they came from.
I should also note that putting a keylogger on someone elses computer is VERY illegal. You can only put them on computers that YOU own. So sending or installing a keylogger on another ones pc can land you some jail time - not worth it!
Philly
Do a little dance...