Are there telltale signs that your device is hosting a keylogger? The answer is, it depends. Like most malware, you can use a good antivirus/anti-malware scanner like Malwarebytes to find and remove keyloggers.
Keyloggers of poorer quality (such as the malware variety) might reveal themselves in a number of ways. The software might subtly degrade smartphone screenshots to a noticeable degree. On all devices, there could be a slowdown in web browsing performance. Or there’s a distinct lag in your mouse movement or keystrokes, or what you are actually typing doesn’t show up onscreen. You might even get an error message when loading graphics or web pages. All in all, something just seems “off.”
The well-designed commercial grade of keylogger usually works flawlessly, so it does not affect system performance at all. If the keylogger is sending reports to a remote operator, it disguises itself as normal files or traffic. Some of the programs will even display a notice on the screen that the system is being monitored—such as in a corporate computing environment. Others can reinstall themselves if users somehow succeed in finding them and attempt to remove them.
Of course, the best way to protect yourself and your equipment from falling victim to keyloggers is to scan your system regularly with a quality cybersecurity program. For instance, Malwarebytes is fully equipped to sniff out keyloggers. It uses heuristic analysis, signature recognition, and identification of typical keylogger behavior associated with keystroke and screenshot capturing to first find the malware, and then remove it. You can try Malwarebytes free if you're concerned you may have a malware infection, keylogger or otherwise.
Keyloggers of poorer quality (such as the malware variety) might reveal themselves in a number of ways. The software might subtly degrade smartphone screenshots to a noticeable degree. On all devices, there could be a slowdown in web browsing performance. Or there’s a distinct lag in your mouse movement or keystrokes, or what you are actually typing doesn’t show up onscreen. You might even get an error message when loading graphics or web pages. All in all, something just seems “off.”
The well-designed commercial grade of keylogger usually works flawlessly, so it does not affect system performance at all. If the keylogger is sending reports to a remote operator, it disguises itself as normal files or traffic. Some of the programs will even display a notice on the screen that the system is being monitored—such as in a corporate computing environment. Others can reinstall themselves if users somehow succeed in finding them and attempt to remove them.
Of course, the best way to protect yourself and your equipment from falling victim to keyloggers is to scan your system regularly with a quality cybersecurity program. For instance, Malwarebytes is fully equipped to sniff out keyloggers. It uses heuristic analysis, signature recognition, and identification of typical keylogger behavior associated with keystroke and screenshot capturing to first find the malware, and then remove it. You can try Malwarebytes free if you're concerned you may have a malware infection, keylogger or otherwise.