• How to track keystrokes on your keyboard. How to track keyboard input in Elite Keylogger

    Please note that the current guide is only relevant for those using an older version Keyboard Tracer. We recommend that you read instead.

    Keyboard Tracer is an easy to use and practical tool for tracking all keystrokes on your computer keyboard. Keyboard Tracer writes everything pressed to a log file: symbols, function keys(F1, Escape, etc.), lock keys ( Caps Lock,Num Lock, Scroll Lock), key combinations (with Alt, Ctrl, shift), the name of the application where the keys are pressed, as well as the date and time of each key press.

    The program provides useful look Keyboard Activity: It displays the date and time of each key press, typing speed, and the names of the applications in which the keys were pressed. It is possible to export activities to text file. The program has an intuitive interface and uses very little system memory.

    Main window

    System Requirements: Windows 7 / Vista / XP

    The bottom part of the main window contains a number of buttons:

    • record- registration of all keystrokes begins. Recording starts automatically when you start the program. Keystroke information is recorded in a log file specified in the “Settings” section of the window.
    • Stop- stops recording.
    • View magazine- launches the application for viewing keyboard activity.
      New version Allows you to view the click log file using a web browser. .
    • settings- opens the program settings window. (The button is active only when registration is stopped)
    • Help- open the help file.
    • Exit- stops recording and closes the application.

    In the center of the window, you can see when the recording started, the duration of the recording, the total number of keys pressed and the entered application signature.

    settings window

    The Settings window contains the file path for recording all keyboard activities, options for automatic start program at Windows startup, and display an icon in the system tray, a keyboard shortcut to open the main window and other options.


    The Tracer keyboard consists of two executable files:

    • Keyboard Logger(file "Logger.exe") is used to record all keystrokes ( record all keyboard activities, necessary files are: Logger.exe and Keyboard.dll)
    • Keyboard Tracer(file "Tracer.exe") are used to view recorded activity. The new version does not require a logger.exe file for this.

    The Tracer keyboard consists of the following files:

    • Keyboard.chm- a help file that describes how the program works
    • Keyboard.dll - system file where keypresses are tracked
    • Logger.exe- a file program that records clicks
    • Readme.txt- a text file containing a description of the program
    • Tracer.exe- utility for viewing keyboard activity
    How does Keyboard Logger work?

    At the start of Windows, Keyboard Logger The (“Logger.exe” file) becomes hidden (the main window is not visible) and begins recording all keyboard actions in a log file. There are three ways to restore the main window (i.e. make it visible):

      • Right click Keyboard Icon Tracer in the system tray and select " Show Keyboard Logger

      • Use a keyboard shortcut (the keyboard shortcut can be set in the “Settings” section of the window). The default shortcut is Ctrl + Shift + K.

    • Restart the application (using File Explorer or from the Start menu). The application always works as one instance - upon restart, the main window is simply restored and becomes visible.
    How can I view activity?

    To view the keyboard activity, you need to run Keyboard Tracer(section " Tracer.exe" file). There are three ways to do this:

    • Right-click the Logger Keyboard icon in the system tray and select " Launching Keyboard Tracer" (The "Show icon in system tray" option in "Settings" must be enabled for this).
    • In the main "Keyboard Tracer" window, select " Launching Keyboard Tracer button ".
    • Manually run Tracer.exe application (using File Explorer or from the Start menu).

    When you launch the application, you will see all the actions on your computer keyboard. You can specify a specific date and use the application filter. When you click on the "Play" button, you can view your typing speed.

    Probably, most of us in certain situations can be overcome by curiosity about who is doing what on the computer during our absence. Or maybe you need to check how strong passwords used by users, despite the fact that they themselves will never tell them... In general, there can be many situations, but there are not so many tools for this. In today's review we will talk about the so-called “keylogger” program Elite Keylogger. This utility allows you to track not only all the keys pressed, but also can take screenshots of the screen, remembers all the addresses of visited sites, the contents of the clipboard, sent letters, entered passwords and documents sent for printing. The advantage of Elite Keylogger is its complete secrecy, since the program works in low-level driver mode and starts before the screen Windows greetings. In addition, it cannot be found in the list of processes and deleted without knowing the password.

    When installing Elite Keylogger, we will be offered several modes to choose from. To get acquainted with the program, it is best to select the mode Visible Mode. Once the installation of the program is complete, you must reboot the system. From this moment Elite Keylogger starts tracking everyone keystrokes and saving this information in logs.

    Launch through the menu View logs and come up with a password that will be used in the future to view logs. After launching Elite Keylogger, select the log date and click on the button . Displaying keyboard logs may take some time while the program decodes the data.

    A list of intercepted keystrokes is displayed in the main part of the window. The system user, application, window title, date and time of the event, and the keys that were pressed are indicated.

    Elite Keylogger will show not only the user's keystrokes, but also screenshots taken every three minutes. To do this, select the item in the menu Screenshots. The list displays thumbnails of screenshots and the date and time they were taken. Double clicking on a thumbnail opens the image in full screen mode.

    Chapter Internet Activity shows a list of addresses of visited sites with time and date.

    Elite Keylogger keeps several more types of logs:
    - open applications (Applications history), where the launch date and time, user name or system, and full path to the exe file are indicated. The date and time are also indicated here. shutdown windows;
    - remembers all copied data in the buffer ( Clipboard). Elite Keylogger provides data on the size of the data in the clipboard, the application from which the data was placed in the clipboard and the copied data itself;
    - email addresses to which letters were sent ( Email history);
    - passwords entered into the appropriate fields of the forms ( Passwords), in the unregistered version, by the way, some of the password characters in the log are replaced with asterisks *;
    - list of documents sent for printing ( Printed documents), where you can find out the date and time of printing, number of pages and application.

    In the settings, you can select a user who will be able to view keyboard logs, specify a password and/or keyword, set the interval for saving screenshots and their quality. Elite Keylogger also provides the ability to track user activities according to a schedule. Automatic cleaning Logs are logged when their size exceeds 300 MB; this parameter is also configurable. Let’s also mention the function of sending logs to the specified e-mail.

    Specifications:
    Interface language: English
    OS: Windows 2000, XP, Vista, 7
    File size: 550 KB
    License: demo version 7 days, registration $69

    Perhaps every PC user has at least once thought about the safety of confidential data on their own hard drive. Any person stores personal information on their computer secret information, but may not realize it himself. For example, purchases can be made through a PC in online stores using electronic money or plastic card. Such a computer automatically becomes interesting for scammers.

    The problem of protecting confidential data has been around for years and universal solution does not exist for her. Currently, there is a fairly wide selection of programs to ensure computer security, for example, various antiviruses, firewalls or access rights restrictions. But you should not completely rely on these methods of protection, because apart from virus attacks there is a threat that comes from humans. How can you find out what happens to your work computer when the user is on a lunch break or just walked away for a few minutes?

    For an experienced user A few minutes is enough to find out a huge amount of information about the owner of the computer. The easiest way is to access the history of negotiations via various instant messengers and correspondence by email. In addition, in a few minutes you can retrieve a list of all used system passwords, as well as view a list of all resources visited by the owner. Is it worth talking about unprotected files and folders?

    IN this review we will talk about specialized software products, designed to spy on a computer and its user. Such utilities are often used on work computers, for monitoring employees, as well as at home for organizing parental controls or monitoring the actions of the other half.

    Various firewalls and antivirus programs are suspicious of applications of this type and may consider them to be signs of malware. The developers of such utilities indicate this on their websites. However, after configuring the firewall appropriately, it will stop responding to the spyware.

    This application will give users the opportunity to receive information about what actions are being performed on the computer. The utility can work with multiple operating accounts Windows systems and when drawing up a report, indicates the user’s name and the actions performed by him. In the settings, you can select those accounts, when activated, the application will automatically launch.

    The program generates reports that contain information about all actions performed by the user, including: keys pressed, names of windows in which typing is performed, Internet sites visited, names of programs and files launched, as well as the time of their use. Among other things, the utility saves all messages from popular IM clients and takes screenshots at intervals specified in the settings.

    The received information can be viewed both in the program window and in the form of a report in HTML format. It is also possible to search among the displayed data and automatic removal outdated information.

    The Maxapt QuickEye application is primarily aimed at use among corporate users. The program is most effective for viewing and analyzing reports. Thus, managers have the opportunity to quickly find out which employees worked and which did not. The application displays a list of all programs launched by the user, takes into account the time spent working with all utilities and how actively they were worked with. For example, the program window can be open throughout the working day, but the user worked with it for no more than an hour; the program will display all this in the report.

    The program groups all running applications into categories, which makes it possible to go to the Internet messengers category and quickly find out which employees spent little time on their work. In addition, the application supports grouping network computers into several categories, which further facilitates the process of working with it.

    It is worth noting that the utility can limit access to selected applications, as well as compile a whole list of prohibited programs for each employee individually.

    Given software tool previously known as KGB Keylogger. However, the change of name did not change the functionality of the utility and, as before, the main advantage of this “spy” is the ability to remotely monitor computer activity. During installation of this application, the user receives detailed information on how to properly configure the operation of the antivirus installed on the system for correct operation both utilities.

    The Mipko Employee Monitor application organizes work with multiple users very well, which is a significant advantage for system administrators. Monitoring for different computers can be configured in various ways. For example, for one user you can set only monitoring of application launches, for another - copy all typed text, etc.

    The application is able to work in alert mode, that is, if the user performs certain actions or types certain words on the computer, the program marks him with an alarm icon and sends a warning network administrator.

    The program makes it possible to apply special tracking filters, that is, the administrator can create a list of applications whose activity should be monitored, without paying attention to other utilities.

    Of course, all this functionality would not be complete without taking screenshots. A screenshot can be taken both for the entire workspace of the computer and for the active window. Screenshots can be taken not only after a designated period of time, but also when opening a new application.

    The program is capable of intercepting messages in all known instant messengers, including: Yahoo!, QIP, ICQ, AIM, Skype, Miranda and others.

    Using this utility, the user can receive various information about using a computer. The program monitors the contents of the clipboard, notes data on the activity of all applications, creates screenshots of the screen at specified intervals, takes into account the time the computer is turned on and off, tracks data on keystrokes, and monitors files sent for printing.

    The program starts using a custom keyboard shortcut and does not appear in any list running applications, nor in the tray, but pretends to be the corresponding folder in the Start menu. Therefore, when using this spy, you should delete this folder.

    This application has only one, but quite significant, drawback - the program perceives keystrokes only in the English layout, it is worth remembering this when choosing spyware.

    The demo version of the utility only works for 40 minutes from the moment of activation, but in some cases this is enough to protect the PC, for example, during a break at work.

    One of the main parameters of a spy program is secrecy. After all, if a bright, flashing icon with the name of the application “hangs” in the task manager, the user will understand that he is being watched and will be able to bypass the protection. The developers of the NeoSpy program have done everything to ensure that their application is completely invisible on the computer. When installing the program, you can immediately select hidden or administrator installation. At hidden installation, the program folders will not be visible either on the hard drive, on the desktop, or in the Start menu. To start you will need to use command line.

    This application, in addition to its invisibility, is also endowed with good functionality. The program can intercept messages from popular instant messengers, easily records the names of all launched applications, and also marks the start and close times. NeoSpy automatically takes screenshots at specified intervals, as well as during the launch of all utilities.

    With the help of this spy, you can receive detailed information about activity on the Internet - the addresses of all sites visited, the time spent online and the amount of traffic spent.

    We can say that the program makes it possible to monitor every user action on the computer. NeoSpy saves all text typed on the keyboard, saves data from the clipboard, and tracks the creation and deletion of new files.

    The Elite Keylogger program is completely undetectable by most antiviruses and does not in any way affect the performance of the system as a whole. The application is claimed to be a tool for long-term monitoring of activity over any period of time. Statistics are automatically classified by day, providing quick and convenient access to administrator information. The utility allows you to create lists of users who need to be monitored.

    The program can control the work of most popular applications for communication via the Internet, records correspondence by e-mail, saves data on the activity of all applications and documents sent for printing. Elite Keylogger can save all received information in a separate folder on network drive, upload it to FTP server or send by email.

    It is worth paying special attention to removing this utility. If the user wants to remove Elite Keylogger, he will not be able to do this even with the help of special utilities, which control startup operating system Windows. The only way to remove this application– go to the program and select the appropriate action in the settings.

    This program designed to monitor human activity in local network. Besides network monitoring, the utility also records other user actions on the computer. The application intercepts data from most well-known instant messengers, saves a list of all sites visited on the Internet and all text typed on the computer.

    In addition, the program is capable of automatic mode create screenshots at specified intervals, keep records of all documents sent for printing, perform hidden copies of edited files and documents copied to removable media.

    The program stores all received information in a database on the administrator’s PC, and can also send notifications to the specified computer under certain conditions.

    And finally.

    There is currently a wide selection on the market spyware and anyone who wants to install such software on a computer will be able to select the right application, satisfying all user requirements. Of course, such utilities are most in demand in organizations where there are serious requirements for the actions of employees at work.

    More recently, spyware could only record keystrokes on the keyboard, but now they are able to monitor all user actions on the computer. Thus, software of this type is developing very quickly, and no one knows what functions will be introduced by developers in new versions of utilities.

    In addition to tracking employees and lovers, spyware will help organize comprehensive protection of confidential data on your computer.

    How can you find out what your child or employee is doing on the computer? What sites does he visit, with whom does he communicate, what and to whom does he write?

    For this purpose, there are spy programs - a special type of software that, unnoticed by the user, collects information about all his actions. Computer spy software will solve this problem.

    Spyware for a computer should not be confused with a Trojan: the first is absolutely legitimate and is installed with the knowledge of the administrator, the second gets onto the PC illegally and carries out hidden malicious activities.

    However, hackers can also use legitimate tracking programs.

    Spyware applications are most often installed by business executives and system administrators to control employees, parents to spy on children, jealous spouses, etc. In this case, the “victim” may know that she is being monitored, but more often than not, she does not know.

    Review and comparison of five popular spyware programs

    NeoSpy

    NeoSpy is a universal spy program for the keyboard, screen and user actions. NeoSpy works invisibly and can hide its presence even during installation.

    The user who installs the program has the opportunity to choose one of two installation modes - administrator and hidden. In the first mode, the program is installed openly - it creates a shortcut on the desktop and a folder in the directory Program Files, in the second - hidden.

    Application processes are not displayed in the manager Windows tasks and third-party task managers.

    The functionality of NeoSpy is quite wide and the program can be used both as home monitoring and in offices to monitor employees.

    The spy program is distributed in three versions under a shareware license. The price is 820-1990 rubles, but it can work for free (even in hidden mode) with restrictions when viewing reports.

    What NeoSpy can do:

    • monitor the keyboard;
    • monitor website visits;
    • show the user’s screen in real time via the Internet from another computer or tablet;
    • take screenshots and save images from your webcam;
    • monitor system events (turning on, shutting down, computer downtime, connecting removable media);
    • intercept the contents of the clipboard;
    • Monitor the use of Internet instant messengers, record Skype calls;
    • intercept data sent for printing and copied to external media;
    • keep statistics of computer work;
    • send laptop coordinates (calculated over Wi-Fi).

    Thanks to the Russian-language interface, a wide range of functions, correct keyboard interception and a completely hidden operating mode in the system, NeoSpy receives the maximum rating when choosing programs for user control.

    Real Spy Monitor

    The next spy is Real Spy Monitor. This English-language program not only has tracking functions, but can also block certain actions on the computer. Therefore, it is often used as a parental control tool.

    For each account In the Real Spy Monitor settings, you can create your own ban policy, for example, on visiting certain sites.

    Unfortunately, due to the lack of an English-language interface, it is more difficult to understand the operation of Real Spy Monitor, despite the graphical thumbnails for the buttons.

    The program is also paid. The license costs from $39.95.

    Real Spy Monitor features:

    • interception of keystrokes, clipboard contents, system events, websites, instant messengers, mail;
    • work in semi-hidden mode (without an active window, but with the process displayed in the task manager);
    • working with multiple accounts;
    • selective autostart for different accounts.

    In general, many users like Real Spy Monitor; the disadvantages include high cost, lack of Russian-language interface and displaying the process in the task manager.

    Actual Spy

    The developers position Actual Spy as a keylogger (keylogger), although the program can do more than just record keystrokes.

    It monitors the contents of the clipboard, takes screenshots, monitors site visits, and other things that are included in the main set of spies we examined.

    When installed, Actual Spy creates a shortcut in the Start menu so it can be noticed by the user. The launch also occurs openly - to hide the program window you need to press certain keys.

    Actual Spy's capabilities are not much different from those of its competitors. Among the shortcomings, users noted that it correctly records keystrokes only in the English layout.

    SpyGo

    SpyGo - spy kit for home use. Can also be used in offices to monitor employees.

    To start monitoring, just click the “Start” button in SpyGo.

    SpyGo is distributed under a shareware license and costs 990-2990 rubles depending on the set of functions.

    IN trial versions The duration of monitoring is limited to 20 minutes per day, and sending reports to email and via FTP.

    Main features of SpyGo:

    • keystroke monitoring;
    • recording all actions on the computer (launching programs, operations with files, etc.);
    • control of visits to web resources (history, search queries, frequently visited sites, duration of stay on the site);
    • recording what is happening on the screen;
    • saving the contents of the clipboard;
    • listening to the environment (if there is a microphone);
    • monitoring of system events (times of turning on and off the computer, downtime, connecting flash drives, disks, etc.).

    Important! The disadvantages of SpyGo, according to users, include the fact that it does not support everything Windows versions, when sending reports, it often throws errors and is quite easily unmasked.

    Snitch

    Snitch - the name of this program translates as “snitch”, and is very unfriendly towards the user. Snitch spies on computer activities. It works hidden, does not require complex settings and has little effect on system performance.

    The program is released in a single version.

    Features and Features of Snitch:

    • monitoring of the keyboard, clipboard, system events, web surfing and communication in instant messengers;
    • compilation of summary reports and graphs of monitored events;
    • undemanding network configuration;
    • protection against unauthorized termination of the program process;
    • surveillance is carried out even in the absence of access to the network.

    Among the shortcomings, you can notice conflicts with antiviruses

    How to detect a spy on your computer?

    Finding spyware on a computer that doesn’t show itself outwardly is difficult, but not impossible.

    So, despite their legitimacy, the applications we reviewed can be recognized by special antiviruses,“tailored” for searching for spyware (Trojans with spying functions), so we recommend adding installed program to the exclusion list of such antiviruses.

    And if you do not need to remove the spy, but only need to disguise your actions from it, you can use anti-spying tools that, despite actively spying on you, will prevent the interception of keyboard events and screenshots.

    Then your correspondence and passwords will not fall into the wrong hands.

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