Keyboard Collector It is often times necessary to monitor each keystroke a user types on your computer. This can be accomplished in several ways. The first is to insert a small hardware device behind the back of the computer between the keyboard connector and computer keyboard port. Because of it’s size and resemblance to an ordinary keyboard plug and location of installation a keylogger is mostly undetectable. One can later physically remove the device to access the information it has gathered. Let’s say you have a child that uses the Internet. It would be easy to periodically check that they are using it appropriately

Children need to know that the Internet is a very public place and once you write it, there is a record. Keystrokes are saved as text. Another example would be an employer that needs to know what’s going on when they aren’t present. Worst case scenario is an attacker that sneaks one in and out and now has access to your bank accounts, credit card numbers, etc.. The second kind of keylogger, software keyloggers, are programs that are downloaded. Often times a software keylogger is unknowingly downloaded and installed as a Trojan or by a virus. As shown below a software keylogger silently records all keystrokes, including passwords and sensitive information like a hardware keylogger.

This information can be secretly transmitted to a remote location, it is not necessary to physical access a user’s computer. Keyloggers also hide themselves so that a user cannot easily detect them, Windows task manager won't show a keylogger running. From a practical sense, having a keylogger in place, troubleshooting a failure on a computer might be easier if you have detailed information on what the user did immediately prior to the situation.