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Keylogger

Keyloggers are a form of spyware that capture and record keystrokes, and can be deployed as either software installed on a target system or as a physical hardware device inserted between a keyboard and a computer. Both forms can store captured data locally or transmit it to a remote location.

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About this video

A keylogger is a form of spyware that records keystrokes entered on a target keyboard, giving an attacker visibility into passwords, messages, search queries, and other sensitive input. Keyloggers come in two primary forms: software-based and hardware-based. Software keyloggers are installed directly on the target machine and run silently in the background, while hardware keyloggers are physical devices inserted inline between the keyboard and the computer, requiring no software installation and leaving a minimal footprint on the operating system. Once keystroke data is captured, it must be stored or exfiltrated. Hardware devices typically store data locally on the device itself, while software keyloggers may write to a file on the host system's drive. In either case, local storage means an attacker must regain physical access to retrieve the collected data. Alternatively, both hardware and software keyloggers can be configured to transmit captured data over a network to a remote system, eliminating the need for physical retrieval but introducing the risk of detection through anomalous outbound traffic. Understanding these deployment methods and data-handling behaviors is fundamental to recognizing keylogger threats and implementing effective defenses.

What you'll learn

Distinguish between hardware-based and software-based keyloggers, including their data storage and exfiltration methods

What's covered

Key Loggers

What Is a Key Logger
- Logs Keystrokes
- Type of Spyware
Key Logger Types
- Software-Based
- Hardware-Based
Data Storage Methods
- Stored Locally
  - On Physical Device
  - On Hard Drive File
- Sent Across Network
Advantages and Disadvantages
- Local Requires Physical Access
- Network Traffic Detectable

Key terms

Keylogger: A type of spyware that records keystrokes on a device and transmits them to an attacker, capturing sensitive information such as passwords, credit card numbers, and private messages without the user's knowledge.
Spyware: Malware that secretly monitors and collects user activity and sends it to a third party without consent.
Data Exfiltration: The unauthorized transfer of data from a system to an external destination.
Hardware Keylogger: A physical device inserted between a keyboard and a computer that records keystrokes locally on the device itself, requiring physical retrieval to collect captured data.
Software Keylogger: A program installed on a target system that records keystrokes and stores or transmits the captured data either locally or across a network.

Topics

Keylogger Spyware Malware Data Exfiltration Hardware Implants Endpoint Security Cybersecurity

Transcript

One way we can get a lot of valuable information is by using some sort of keylogger. A keylogger just essentially logs the keys, or the keystrokes, or whatever somebody's typing into a keyboard. This is a type of spyware, where we're spying on someone.

So a keylogger could be software that's installed on the computer and then recording what those keystrokes are. Or it could be hardware. We could actually plug something in between this keyboard and the machine, and it could be collecting the data.

Also, it could be storing it somewhere locally. Maybe if it's physically plugged into here, it could be stored locally on that physical device, or maybe it's stored in a file on the hard drive on this machine right here. The other thing it could be is it could be sending it away to somewhere else, so it could send it to another location.

Now, there are advantages and disadvantages to each of these. If it's local, how are you going to collect it? You need some sort of physical access to the device. But if it's sending it across the network, then somebody could spot that, because it's traffic that's flowing across the network.

So this is what a keylogger is, and some of the features of a keylogger.

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