These days, the devious schemes of thieves are unpredictable; which means that we have to be more careful and aware than ever. There are times when people get their identities stolen and their accounts hacked even without losing their important identification cards or documents which may give away information about them. One way that thieves use to steal from or hack people without literally stealing from them is by installing keystroke loggers. Keyloggers, which are programs that record your keystrokes for a third party, are very rampant nowadays. Their purpose is to acquire your username, passwords and other sensitive information that they find useful to enable them to enter and gain access to your private accounts. To make sure that you are protected from keyloggers, it is important that you know how to identify them. Listed below are some of the ways to detect and remove keyloggers.
Search the current list of Keylogger File Names. Before you execute any transactions on your computer, it is best that you check if there are keyloggers running on your software. To do this, you need to open the task manager of your computer by pressing Ctrl+Alt+Delete on your keyboard. The task manager is where you will be able to see all the programs that are currently running on your computer. Once it is opened, scrutinize each program that is currently running. When you spot a certain program that you are not using, click on it and press the End Task button. Furthermore, search the current list of keylogger file names so that you can go through it while checking the programs running on your computer. Some examples of keyloggers are Acespy or WebPI if you see some programs with file name similar to those under the list, highlight them and click on End Task right away.
Activate your Firewall: Having an up to date and working firewall will work hand in hand with your antivirus software in protecting you from threats such as keyloggers. Since it works as further protection for your system, external keyloggers would be less likely to be installed.
Download Programs: There are certain programs that are solely created to detect and remove keyloggers. Usually, an efficient antivirus software and an updated firewall are enough to protect your system. But if you are looking for an enhanced program which focuses on capturing keyloggers, then you can decide on downloading them.
Be Suspicious of Unknown Emails: Just like most viruses, keyloggers can enter your system through your mail. Not only that, by opening your mail, you are also giving them a hint of your keystrokes. Therefore, if you receive unknown emails especially from unknown senders, it would be best to just delete them.
Install the Best Antivirus Software on your computer. Make sure to choose an antivirus software that best suits your computer. Most antivirus programs are efficient in detecting keyloggers especially if they are up to date. It is important that you update your antivirus regularly so that it can update its database with the newly developed Trojan viruses. If you do not, you are essentially leaving your computer system open to the attacks of viruses and Trojans which have been developed since your last update. In addition, ensure that you enable automatic scanning of your system so that your antivirus product can detect Trojan viruses and remove them.
Aside from an updated computer security, another thing that would effectively protect you from keyloggers is by being a smart user. Watch out for suspicious websites and always be careful with opening unknown emails. If you have other tips to help prevent keyloggers, feel free to share them in the comments below.
