Privacy Watch: Don't Let Anyone Secretly Track Your Keystrokes

Of all the ways snoops can track you these days, perhaps the most invasive method is keystroke logging. With an inconspicuous piece of hardware or software, a nosy boss, jealous spouse, or ingenious hacker can see every character you enter into your PC.

The worst part is that while the law requires your employer to inform you when it's tracking your typing, no laws protect users of a home PC. Fortunately, secret keystroke logging remains relatively rare. But if you suspect someone is keeping tabs on your keyboard, here are some tips for uncovering the truth.

>>TIP First, look for suspect hardware. Hardware keystroke loggers are typically small cylinders that plug in to the end of your keyboard's cable and connect to your PC. If you find one, simply remove it.

Finding keystroke logging software--such as WinWhatWhere's Investigator or Spectorsoft's Spector--is harder. The apps use cryptic names, and most can send logs of your keystrokes secretly over the Internet to a snoop.

>>TIP To prevent keystroke logging software from reporting on you via the Net, install a personal firewall, such as ZoneAlarm. If you already use a firewall, check the list of programs permitted to send information over the Net. If you see a program you don't recognize, change settings so the program must ask for permission before sending a message. That will help you figure out whether the traffic is legit. If you open a program and immediately get a request to access the Internet, the request probably came from that program. If the request came from out of the blue, investigate further.

Keystroke loggers may save a record on your hard drive as you type or click. >>TIP Eliminate a logger from your hard drive by installing countersurveillance software such as SpyCop (free trial version, full version $50) or SpyDetect ($25). Both programs scan your hard drive for files created by keystroke loggers, and both can delete the applications and their data files. (SpyCop's demo version performs only a partial scan and can't delete files.) Delete any loggers you find running; then restart your PC and run the scanner again.

Of course, upon discovering that you've deleted the keystroke logging program, the person who installed it on your PC in the first place may attempt to reinstall it. You could arrange to install your own keystroke logger, to spy on the spy. But really, is any relationship worth that degree of suspicion?