Keyloggers are special types of malicious software that record your keystrokes and send this information to third parties. These third parties can then look at what you typed and gather your personal information, such as your bank account information, credit card numbers, passwords and more. Keyloggers can also exist in a hardware form that is planted by people with malicious intentions. Regardless of what type of keylogger your computer has been infected with, there are a few locations where it's common for computers to become infected with malicious software like keyloggers.

Common Locations to Become Infected with Keyloggers

Any type of non-regulated file download system is a perfect place to become infected with a keylogger. Illegal ("warez") websites--public download websites that don't scan their files for viruses and similar types of websites--are popular places for computer hackers to upload files that contain keyloggers. Their intention is to steal people's personal information with the keyloggers and use this information for their own personal gain. You can also get a keylogger on your computer by visiting a malicious website that exploits a security hole in your Internet browser. To avoid getting a keylogger on your computer, don't download files that are "too good to be true" or come from unknown or suspicious places on the Internet. You should also avoid unknown or suspicious websites, as they may exist solely to try and infect your computer with a virus or keylogger.

Hardware Keyloggers

Aside from software keyloggers, there is another type of keylogger that exists in more public situations. This type of keylogger is a hardware keylogger that sits between the keyboard and the computer and records every keystroke that is entered. Someone who installs one of these keyloggers can come back at a later point in time and pick it up and download the information that was logged for their own nefarious purposes. While you most likely won't encounter this type of keylogger in a home setting, they have been known to appear in public settings, such as Internet cafes, libraries and other places that contain publicly accessible computer terminals. To help guard against hardware keyloggers, you should carefully examine the keyboard and connectors on public computers before using them. If you find any extraneous pieces that don't look like they belong, report them to an authority figure where you found them.

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What is a Keylogger?

How to Remove a Keylogger