general question about keyloggers

[tanama]

A friend asked me this question, which I couldn't answer, after I recommended a variety of malware removal strategies to alleviate her fears that someone might have put a keylogger program on her PC.

Programs like Spybot claim to detect and remove keyloggers.

Keylogging software claimes to be undetectable by programs like Spybot.

Who is telling the truth, or is the truth somewhere in the middle?

What really is the best strategy for checking to see if anyone has installed a keylogging (or screen capture, or session capture, or whatever) program on a shared PC?

[tashi]

Hello.

There are many keylogging programs, those stealth installed, and commercial programs installed by someone with access to the computer; often a parent. Not all keyloggers are detected by any one anti spyware program.

What really is the best strategy for checking to see if anyone has installed a keylogging (or screen capture, or session capture, or whatever) program on a shared PC?

If concerned one's machine has a keylogger, despite no detection by a security program, you could produce logs for an attempt at analysis.

See "BEFORE you POST" Steps to take Before Requesting Assistance

You would start your own thread in the Malware Removal Forum

Cheers.

[tanama]

The specific issue is of someone installing a keylogger on someone else's PC. Unfortunately there's no way to permanently keep this person off the PC (short of divorce, which is an option being considered!).

Is there any strategy at all that someone could take to either prevent someone else from installing keylogging software, or to check to see if there's a chance that a keylogging program has been installed?

Is there any program or combination of programs that would be most likely to detect keyloggers?

The friend I'm trying to help really doesn't want to have to post "help, is there a keylogger on here?!?" logs every few days, but really does need some way of detecting whether a keylogger program is installed.

Thanks for any other advice you can give.

[shelf life]

program or combination of programs that would be most likely to detect keyloggers

you could try using a app like spybot, avg antispyware or superantispyware. I would bet a commercial keylogger would be detected by all of them. in any case there are other ways to detect them. your in luck, i despise monitoring software and would be happy to help.

shelf life

[tanama]

She ran spybot, ad-aware, and one other.

I just found out that it's not as much that they didn't find it, as that they all kind of froze up in the middle, so I'm suspecting that it might have blocked the malware detection programs altogether.

I also found out that she thinks it was a program called 007 or something like that, though who knows what program he might use next.

[shelf life]

you can try running spybot and the other app while in safe mode.
to reach safe mode you would tap the f8 key during a computer restart. chose the first option on the list: safe mode.

[cutdeep46]

I am having intrusions, is there a program that will identify & destroy this type of activity? is spydoctor good? is the program comparable ? thanks

[tashi]

Hello.

is spydoctor good? is the program comparable ? thanks

Spydoctor is on the Rogue/Suspect Anti-Spyware Products & Web Sites list.

If you have an infected machine please follow the procedure in this link: "BEFORE you POST"(READ this Procedure before Requesting Assistance) and start your own thread in the Malware Removal Forum

A helper will analyse the logs and advise you when available.

Regards.