If someone has installed a keystroke logger on a PC, is there any way for the owner to find out? Is there a program that can hunt down and find keystroke loggers? Can someone just look in the installed applications directory? And would getting Vista be a solution for that? Can't you require a password to install any new programs? No, I'm not up to no good, trying to help a friend...
You can find it with the task manager of any process manager, if you know the name of the .exe Else, I think ad-aware or spybot can detect most of this type of programs, unless you already installed those 2 and tell them not to detect your keylogger
Also, watch out for those hardware keyloggers which are attached between the keyboard connector and the computer. Shiggsy
Can the logger record what others type to her, for example in an IM? My friend is married to a cop who has been having her followed and has been reading her emails. She keeps changing her password but he keeps getting in, telling her, "I have ways to figure out passwords." I figured he must be using a logger. But I don't want some psycho cop after me...heh. Do the loggers only record what she types? So my messages to her aren't recorded? Meaning is there any way he can get my name or screen name if she doesn't type it herself?
Some loggers can take screenshots, others can list what programs have been opened, he could read the message logs, or maybe hes got a remote access tool (trojan) installed.
format and partition it. Then put it under lockdown yourself. Why dont then just report whoever it is for harassment and I think you could hit him with ID theft as well since hes basically stealing personal info. You have enough to put him away for a LONG time.
Well, it's husband vs. wife and he's a cop. She's a friend of mine so I'm trying to help her figure out what's going on but that's about all I can do. And does anyone know about the Vista option that I mentioned above?
Overall, Windows is insecure. If this guy knows how to get a RAT or a logger installed, he could probably bypass UAC. There's always Linux... (Yes, I'm a Windows user. Can't afford a Mac yet, Linux doesn't support my sound card's SPDIF out and I use PS\SSF a lot.)
She may just be using crap password such as birthdays, pet names or things she can easily remember that are obvious. The fact he constantly gets in points to some means of logging however. She needs Ad-aware, Spybot and a good trojan hunter, but if they are still married and he is acting like this then she really needs to just leave the psychotic fruit job! If they have separated then perhaps she should speak to a solicitor about his actions as clearly they are not the sort of actions a sane person takes. He is in a fairly sensative job where he may be expected to attend domestic abuse reports. I'm sure his employers would be delighted to discover that he himself is displaying exactly the same attitudes. She should actually trap him into a recordable admission. I always think you should fight fire with fire. If he is gaining access to her PC and admitting it, then she should use that weakness to her advantage. It would not be admissable as evidence in some countries, so check before hand.
Tell her to use linux live CD to check emails and stuff ( of course she'll have to change the password using the live CD aswell) that should take care of the software key logger issue. For hardware key logger you'll have to find a special hardware toll/build it your self (simply a program that check sync slowdown through the keyboard conection). P.S No matter if he is her husband and if he is a cop or not this action is illigeal
OK, I'm going to recommend ad-aware. She's a computer novice so things like Linux are out of the question. My first reaction was that she was using passwords that a husband would know, ie kids names, bithdays, etc. But she's changed it several times since then and he still keeps getting in, then he commented that he knows ways of getting passwords. That pretty much sealed the deal in my eyes...heh.
Yes, and once you get into it I bet you ll love it. Besides, with your personal experience on family matters you d be much closer to clients than most solicitors
Not sure if a Fingerprint reader would help keep your friends details secure? http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/mouseandkeyboard/productdetails.aspx?pid=093 As I say, I have no idea how secure they actually are and it's obviuoulsy not the most descrete option available as it sticks out like a sore thumb. That said perhaps she could unplug it once she's done on the machine??
If you (or her) can get Hijackthis running on the machine it will pick up a lot of nasties. Save a log file and post it here for us to look at. That will at least tell us if she has a key logger running. As soon as get her to change her password to a really strong one, I'm talking alpha numeric 25 characters. This will either buy some time if he is cracking weak passwords or slow him up if he is brute forcing/lopthcracking them.
Or she could pick up a Mac Mini (new, $500) and use her existing monitor, USB keyboard and mouse right out of the box. Or find a used Mac for cheaper. A bit of a learning curve to get used to the differences in the interface, but easier to cope with than Linux for an inexperienced computer user. Barring that, here are some suggestions: strong passwords; wipe-and-reinstall Windows; ditch Outlook Express and IE; use encryption (PGP or GPG, with off-computer storage of your keys like on a USB memory stick); if she's on a wireless Internet connection, make sure it's secure (WPA or better); SpyBot: Search And Destroy; Avast Antivirus; Ad Aware; Good luck! Windows is horribly insecure.
Another thing....they have one computer in the house that they both share, so it's not like she can just wipe Windows or start changing around hardware. He'll be able to see what she's done and probably get around it since it's right there in front of him.
