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Topic: PC keystroke logging help

Jason Black
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1723
From: Myrtle Beach, SC, USA
Registered: Nov 2000

posted 02-28-2010 07:07 PM

I need some guidance in a software based program that does keystroke logging and possibly screenshot captures. Have a situation that has arisen and need close and covert monitoring of both laptop and desktop.

Does anyone here have any firsthand experience with any actual programs that I could look at or consider?

This is one of the programs I found online.... http://www.actualspy.com/index.html

Actual Spy - is a keylogger which allows you to find out what other users do on your computer in your absence. It is designed for the hidden computer monitoring and the monitoring of the computer activity. Keylogger Actual Spy is capable of catching all keystrokes, capturing the screen, logging the programs being run and closed, monitoring the clipboard contents.

Download Buy now

Keylogger Actual Spy software features:

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Logs all keystrokes, is case sensitive (keystroke logger).
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Makes screenshots within the specified time interval.
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Saves the applications’ running and closing.
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Watches clipboard contents.
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Records all print activity.
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Records disk changes.
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Records internet connections.
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Records all websites visited.
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Records startup/shutdown.
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All the information is stored in the encrypted log file.
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Convenient interface of the log and screenshot view.
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Generates the report in the text and html format.
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Sends the report to the specified email, via FTP or local area network.
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Works in the standard and hidden mode.
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In the hidden mode it is invisible in all operating systems (in Windows NT/2000/XP/Vista processes as well).
* Provides the opportunity to protect keylogger with the password, so that nobody except you could view the logs.
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Actual Spy Software is not detected by antivirus software.
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Fast installation, convenient and understandable interface, various set of features, flexible configuration system.

Unique Keylogger Actual Spy software features:

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The keylogger Actual Spy Software is absolutely invisible in the all operating systems (in Windows NT/2000/XP/Vista processes as well) and is not detected by antivirus software.
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Case sensitive when detecting the keystrokes.
* When viewing the keystrokes can show only the characters without showing the pressed system keys which is more convenient. For example, if the following keys are pressed:

"[Shift]It[Space]is[Space]keylogger."
You can see the text
"It is keylogger."
having checked the "Show only characters" option.
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Log search with or without the case sensitive option.
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For your convenience, the limits of the text log size and screenshot size are specified separately, as the screenshots size normally occupies more disk space than a text file.
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Specifying the limits of the clipboard contents. If large amounts of information are copied to the clipboard, only the specified part will be saved.
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Sending the reports to email, via FTP or local area network with flexible configuration system.

The Keylogger Actual Spy software is necessary for:

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For system administrators. Keylogger Actual Spy will help you to find out, what exactly took place in the system.

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For CEOs. You can perform the full control of the computers of your company or enterprise. You will always know about all actions performed by the employees or other people on the computers of your company.

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For parents. You will be able to find out what programs your children run and what they search in the net, and to check them.

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For any user. Using keylogger Actual Spy, you will be able to establish the full control over your computer. You will also find out, what was going on on your computer during your absence: what was run and when, what text was typed, etc. Using the program constantly, you will able to restore the previously typed text in case you have lost it. The Actual Spy software will also help you to restore the forgotten password or the lost email.

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For computer classes and Internet Cafes. Keylogger will let you find out, what the users have been doing on the computers.

What is key logger?
A Key logger (KeyLogger or Keystroke Logger) is a program that runs invisibly in the background, recording all the keystrokes, usually saving the results to a log file.

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Barry Floyd
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1079
From: Lebanon, Tennessee, USA
Registered: Mar 2000

posted 02-28-2010 11:49 PM

There are many software programs that do what you want. The only one I am familiar with is Spectorsoft . The previous Civil Engineering firm I used to work for had it installed on everyone's PC in the office. It was bullet proof and could not be worked around.

I have very strong and/or somewhat mixed feelings about using software to spy on your own employees. At my previous job, they came in late one night and installed the software on everyone's computer. One of the installers failed to erase his history trace from Internet Explorer, and that's how I found it on my pc. When me and my co-workers started poking around on our computers, we found out that we all had it. Yeah, I know it's their computer, you're always on their time when you're at work, and if you're not doing anything wrong you have nothing to fear. What it did was totally destroy employee moral... and we weren't a bunch of teenagers or college age folks, we were all in our 30's, 40's & 50's. It literally pitted the employees against the bosses. We ended up making a joke out of in within the office amongst us "regular folks". We would send each other email messages back and forth, and include little notes to the boss at the end of the message.

In our case, the company was a civil engineering firm - run by civil engineers. Civil engineers like to design stuff, not deal with employee issues. As civil engineers they were fantastic at what they did.... but they totally sucked at people skills and managing employees. Instead of having the balls to speak with us either individually or as a group to deal with any computer related issues, they put spy software on our computers and tried to "catch us" doing something illicit.

I truly had the utmost respect for both of the owners of the company for 15 years until they pulled that shit. I left there several months later and opened my own theatre. Never looked back. [fu]

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Todd McCracken
Master Film Handler

Posts: 263
From: Northridge, CA, USA
Registered: Mar 2008

posted 03-01-2010 10:43 AM

I would have to go with Barry's assessment of this. If you have to resort to such tactics the repercussions could be worse than the initial problem.

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Dennis Benjamin
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1445
From: Denton, MD
Registered: Feb 2002

posted 03-01-2010 01:15 PM

Wow, heard this one before.

Spector from Spectorsoft is the software that a company that I used to work for put on all their computers. Turns out, because I turned someone in for theft - they decided to monitor me too. I wasn't doing anything, I don't now, and I didn't then. I accidently discovered the software when I dropped something on the keyboard in the manager's office and apparently the right combination of keys were hit. Needless to say - I was upset with them and I confronted them. They told me that I passed their test and then offered me a promotion. <----This is a true story and the company is no longer in business.

<RANT ON>

ANYTIME - you chose to monitor your fellow employees or subordinates (or spouse) - you are opening a can of worms. Think about it - if you have to do this, what is the trust level? There is none. Big corporations do it so they can micromanage their locations. Do you really want to know what these individuals are doing and when you see what it is they are up to - did you really need to see it? Many times - I would have rather not watched the video or Internet Browsing in real time - it's very scary. Cameras in public areas are helpful, especially when it comes to criminal activity. But this invasion of privacy crap is really getting out of hand.

If the person is using company property to go to illicit websites, restrict their web browsing capabilties. You'd better be careful on the laptop thing. Have you seen that fallout from the school who turned on the webcams on the school loaned laptops? Imagine if you were reviewing the Spector video from a company laptop and saw someone video chatting with someone - could you imagine the things you might see?

If you install a keystroke logger and happen to capture their bank log in and password - that would constitute a crime. Which is why most keystroke loggers show up in Windows as a virus program.

</RANT OFF>

Anyways...

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David Stambaugh
Film God

Posts: 4021
From: Eugene, Oregon
Registered: Jan 2002

posted 03-01-2010 06:35 PM

I once quit a good IT job after just one day because the day I started, the owner of the company was having email monitoring software installed so he could read everyone's email without their knowledge. At my exit interview I made it clear that I would not work for a company that distrusted its employees to that extent and that I found the practice "appalling". [Smile]

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Scott Norwood
Film God

Posts: 8146
From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas)
Registered: Jun 99

posted 03-01-2010 07:53 PM

I have been asked about this sort of thing in the past and have also refused.

It's a pretty nasty invasion of privacy, and, as mentioned above, is likely to cause more harm than good.

Having said that, I would cooperate with such a request in an extreme situation (e.g. there was strong evidence to suggest that a crime had been committed), but only in conjunction with law-enforcement agencies, who presumably have their own software or hardware for such activities.

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Mark J. Marshall
Film God

Posts: 3188
From: New Castle, DE, USA
Registered: Aug 2002

posted 03-01-2010 10:32 PM

Wouldn't <RANT ON> and </RANT OFF> mean the same thing?

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Michael Voiland
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 219
From: Naperville, IL US
Registered: Aug 2009

posted 03-02-2010 12:57 AM

David I can see the logic behind that. I have installed pc spying software before on computers at a small office network that i managed at the owners request. It was uneventful.

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