Keylogging refers to the application of recording all the keystrokes made by a computer user.
A "keylogger' is a piece of software or hardware that does the aforementioned recording.
Most keyloggers are software, meaning they are programs that are installed on a computer, but some keyloggers can be hardware, meaning they are something physical that is connected to your computer, such as a device that connects between the keyboard's cord and the computer itself.
When most people think of keyloggers, they think of viruses, or malicious activity like someone stealing credit card numbers, or spyware.
And while it is true that many times this is unfortunately what keyloggers are used for, there are also some useful applications for them as well.
Recovering Documents Lost to Program Crashes or Power Outages Have you ever been writing a long email and hit "send" and then your browser hangs and takes you to a blank page and your email doesn't send, and then when you hit "back" your email composition window is blank? Have you ever been writing a long document and not saving as often as you should, and had the program crash, or suddenly had the power go out and you lost all your work? In these cases, if you had been running a keylogger, you would be able to instantly get your email or document back from the application's menu.
Monitoring Your Children's Online Activity The internet can be a dangerous place, especially for children and teenagers (and even adults) who can still sometimes be naive about certain things.
By using a keylogger, it is possible to monitor who your child or teen chats with online, and see what websites they visit, and even see what they see on the screen.
It's possible someone may proposition your child online and they are afraid to tell you, but if you can see exactly what they are experiencing online, you would already be aware of it.
It's important to mention, however, that you tell your child you are concerned for them and you're not trying to violate their privacy.
Seeing if a Spouse is Cheating Many people suspect their spouses of having an affair online, or visiting adult websites, or even flirting with coworkers.
By using a keylogger, it may be possible to see exactly what they are doing and with whom they are speaking.
Imagine if you suspected your spouse of cheating and then found out they weren't doing anything suspicious online.
Imagine how relieved you would feel! Now imagine you find out they are having an affair with a coworker! You now have evidence to bring to a divorce lawyer! Even though keyloggers tend to have a bad reputation as being the tools of hackers and scammers, they also have some practical applications as well.
A "keylogger' is a piece of software or hardware that does the aforementioned recording.
Most keyloggers are software, meaning they are programs that are installed on a computer, but some keyloggers can be hardware, meaning they are something physical that is connected to your computer, such as a device that connects between the keyboard's cord and the computer itself.
When most people think of keyloggers, they think of viruses, or malicious activity like someone stealing credit card numbers, or spyware.
And while it is true that many times this is unfortunately what keyloggers are used for, there are also some useful applications for them as well.
Recovering Documents Lost to Program Crashes or Power Outages Have you ever been writing a long email and hit "send" and then your browser hangs and takes you to a blank page and your email doesn't send, and then when you hit "back" your email composition window is blank? Have you ever been writing a long document and not saving as often as you should, and had the program crash, or suddenly had the power go out and you lost all your work? In these cases, if you had been running a keylogger, you would be able to instantly get your email or document back from the application's menu.
Monitoring Your Children's Online Activity The internet can be a dangerous place, especially for children and teenagers (and even adults) who can still sometimes be naive about certain things.
By using a keylogger, it is possible to monitor who your child or teen chats with online, and see what websites they visit, and even see what they see on the screen.
It's possible someone may proposition your child online and they are afraid to tell you, but if you can see exactly what they are experiencing online, you would already be aware of it.
It's important to mention, however, that you tell your child you are concerned for them and you're not trying to violate their privacy.
Seeing if a Spouse is Cheating Many people suspect their spouses of having an affair online, or visiting adult websites, or even flirting with coworkers.
By using a keylogger, it may be possible to see exactly what they are doing and with whom they are speaking.
Imagine if you suspected your spouse of cheating and then found out they weren't doing anything suspicious online.
Imagine how relieved you would feel! Now imagine you find out they are having an affair with a coworker! You now have evidence to bring to a divorce lawyer! Even though keyloggers tend to have a bad reputation as being the tools of hackers and scammers, they also have some practical applications as well.
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