1. Keyloggers
Evan Racine-Johnson

2. Are Nasty! Idea is extremely rudimentary
Is a fairly obvious form of attack
However, they can make any standard encryption scheme or algorithm irrelevant if the deployment/attack is successfully carried out
“Good Passwords” need not apply

3. A Tale of Two Types and Three Platforms

4. Hardware A “memory bug” that fits in between the keyboard PS/2 port
Memory is dumped periodically to an undisclosed location
Can be actual keyboards! (only at select corporations)
See

5. Hardware type Pros/Cons
Antivirus techniques cannot catch these
Work on all computing platforms
Cons
Can be spotted by a paranoid user and
Countermeasures abound:
Use a USB keyboard
Use a Laptop
Keep the back of your computer visible

6. Software Type Pros/Cons
Are hard to detect
Can be deployed remotely (if attacker is competent) via a software-vulnerability attack
(could be an exploit a la “buffer overflow” or “format string”), virus, or trojan.
Are fairly easy to write
Ex. Clever use of getch(), putch(), save() wrapped in a virus template

7. Software Type Cons Cons A good Antivirus scheme could sniff these out.
Far fewer cons with the software, so these are much more common than hardware-type keyloggers.

8. Windows vs. Linux vs. MacOS
Windows is the most vulnerable (surprise surprise)
Linux is a very distant second most vulnerable (not very)
MacOS (Panther, Tiger, et al.) are the least vulnerable (close to Linux in terms of risk—not very)

9. Why Windows? Usual problems Executable privileges Numbers
handed out “like cookies” to most users
Numbers
Most people use Windows
so literally dozens of keyloggers, hobbyist and commercial, have been developed for windows

10. Examples of Windows Keyloggers
Badtrans
A keylogger worm that exploited vulnerabilities in Outlook Express and Internet Explorer (no surprise there)
Collected keystrokes and sent them to various address!
Magic Lantern/Carnivore
FBI’s own software to wiretap/log s passing through ISPs (only with a warrant on a suspected felon)

11. Why not Linux so much? Usual reasons
Much more secure computing platform due to lack of executable permissions
Thus keyloggers, like viruses, Trojans, and worms, are not easily deployed on a Linux box.
Check out THC-vlogger 2.1 for a decent Linux keylogger (
Numbers
Not so many people use Linux

12. Why not Mac hardly at all?
Linux-based
Times are changing
Viruses, Worms, and Trojans are becoming increasingly irrelevant for Mac computers (were a problem for Mac in the past, but not really now anymore)
Same thing with keyloggers
Numbers:
Not so many people use Mac

13. Conclusion Check the back of your computers
Get a piece of anti-keylogging software (detector) and deploy it
Format hard drive
if you are doing sensitive activities and are not sure whether you are being key-tapped or not!
This is the safest way to go.
Use a better OS!

14. Sources Bibliography https://badtrans.monkeybrains.net