They would have been the dream of the Stasi: keyloggers. Programs that are actually Trojans, but are legal. They spy on an unsuspecting PC user. A keylogger documents everything the user does: it logs passwords, websites visited, and e-mails. It determines when which programs were started. It regularly saves screenshots to capture every last detail and sends that information to your email.
A keylogger is a feared spy tool and rightly so. Unless you use it yourself and use it to monitor your PC: Monitoring your own PC is possible with the help of various tools and can bring certain advantages. You can find out what they are and what they can do in this article.
Trust is good, control is better. The motto also applies when it comes to monitoring your own computer when you are away. In order to still be able to keep control and to check whether and what someone is doing on their own PC, monitoring tools like Wolfeye Keylogger ( www.wolfeye.us ) are a suitable variant. The activities of a third party can then be tracked on their own PC in recorded logs. In times of the pandemic, a lot of parents used such software to have a bit of control over the computer usage of their children.
The way the tool works is simple: every single keystroke is logged. Also, from time to time, but at regular intervals, screenshots are taken from the screen. Not only can it be checked what was searched for, but also where and how the screen looked. All the data is sent to the person that is monitoring the computer on a regular basis. That way it is possible to remotely monitor the computer.
Here’s how it works: Copy the WolfeyeKeylogger to an inconspicuous folder that you previously placed in the antivirus exceptions. Then start the application and select the desired settings such as screenshots or email delivery. Then start the recording by pressing the start button and close the window so that it disappears.
This video shows how to download and installWolfeye Keylogger adjusting your antivirus program:
From now on, nothing will indicate that the tool is running in the background, recording every keystroke or taking screenshots. Input is even intercepted from the virtual Windows keyboard. The user will not find any information in the task manager either.
This video shows how to setup Wolfeye Keylogger:
Stop monitoring: If you no longer want to use the software, start the application and end the recording by pressing the stop button. Then press the “Uninstall button” to completely remove the application from the PC. The rest happens automatically, there is only a short message about the successful deinstallation, which then disappears immediately.
Is a Keylogger Legal?
Yes, but it depends on how is being used. Compare it to a knife: it is legal to own it and use it to prepare your meal. But it is illegal to hurt somebody with it.
If you are using it to monitor your child’s activity for the purpose of maintaining their safety online then it is legal. When it comes to employee monitoring as long as you are using it in a location where the laws permit this type of monitoring then it can be legal but it could also be illegal.
And a Keylogger can definitely be illegal if you are using it for criminal purposes such as stealing personal data and financial information. It is also illegal if you are installing malware on the person’s PC without their knowledge.
So before using a keylogger software please first refer to your local laws to make sure your particular monitoring activities are legal in your country.
