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Is Somebody Monitoring What You Type?

Practically every PC user knows about viruses and worms, but many are in the dark about keystroke logging programs. These equally insidious programs can place anything you type--your log-in passwords, credit card numbers, bank PINs, and other personal data--in the hands of Internet criminals. Sometimes, though, the snoops who use them aren't criminals, but rather a company, which is recording the keystrokes of its employees. These programs could also be used by families to monitor their kids' activities--or spouses'.

You'll also find hardware keystroke loggers, which also record every key you tap on your PC. Such loggers can similarly be used by employers or family members.

To get rid of a keystroke logger, you must find it first. Hardware loggers are easy to locate. Check the keyboard cable where it connects to your PC. Is there a small cylinder between the end of the cable and the computer? If so, turn off your PC, remove the cylinder, and reconnect the keyboard cable.

If there's a software keystroke logger on your system, chances are you inadvertently downloaded it from a Web site or via an e-mail attachment. Since many antivirus programs can't block loggers, you'll need a special detection program. The good news is that keystroke logger detectors are inexpensive and plentiful on the Net. Here are a few to check out:

SpyBot Search & Destroy detects and removes keystroke loggers and other spyware from your PC. SpyBot Search & Destroy scans your system for these rogue applets and displays them in a list, where you can delete the ones with a red exclamation point beside them. This is a free utility, although the author does ask for a voluntary donation to help with his costs.

For $50, SpyCop also scans your system and displays a list of hits (including keystroke loggers), thereby allowing you to quarantine or rename the offending file. However, you can only disable the offending apps-you can't delete them. You can also instruct SpyCop to ignore a specific spyware applet, which is handy if you've installed one to monitor, say, your child's online activities. SpyCop's free trial version doesn't detect loggers-it just checks whether your PC is compatible with the SpyCop software. So much for its trial version--you can't do much with that.

Trapware's $30 Who's Watching Me also scans for loggers and other spyware, but not for adware-software sitting on your machine that pops up ads or tracks your activities. If the program finds a snoop running on your PC, it displays it in its Snoopers found window. Important: Who's Watching Me can only detect spyware, not delete it. The program does list the snooper's capabilities, however, and provides a link to the spyware creator's Web site. You can try Who's Watching Me free for 90 days.

ParetoLogic's XoftSpy 3.2 is a $40 spyware scanner that works in much the same way as SpyCop. Curious how well it works? The company's Web site has a free download that scans your computer for loggers and other spyware. To delete these applets, however, you'll need to purchase a full copy of XoftSpy. A word of caution: Expect to find that many programs using this arrangement will alert you to all kinds of programs that aren't harmful in an attempt to sell you the full product.

--Jeff Bertolucci

Jeff Bertolucci is a freelance writer based in Southern California. Andrew Brandt is a senior associate editor for PC World.