Is this Possible?
Emphatically yes! And this process is known as KEYSTROKE LOGGING.
Keystroke logging, often referred to as keylogging or keyboard capturing, is the action of recording the keys struck on a keyboard, typically covertly, so that a person using the keyboard is unaware that their actions are being monitored. Data can then be retrieved by the person operating the logging program.
There are two main types of software keyloggers: user mode keyloggers and kernel mode keyloggers.
A user mode keylogger uses a Windows API to intercept keyboard and mouse movements.
A kernel mode keylogger is a more powerful and complex software keylogging method. It works with higher privileges and can be harder to locate in a system. Kernel mode keyloggers use filter drivers that can intercept keystrokes. They can also modify the internal Windows system through the kernel.
How Can I Detect And Remove Keylogging?
Due to the variety of keyloggers that use different techniques, no single detection or removal method is considered the most effective. Since keyloggers can manipulate an operating system kernel, examining a computer's Task Manager isn't necessarily enough to detect a keylogger.
This is why, you need
Security software, such as an anti-keylogger software program. It is designed specifically to scan for software-based keyloggers by comparing the files on a computer against a keylogger signature base or a checklist of common keylogger attributes. Using an anti-keylogger can be more effective than an antivirus or antispyware program. The latter may accidentally identify a keylogger as a legitimate program instead of spyware.
Depending on the technique an antispyware application uses, it may be able to locate and disable keylogger software with lower privileges than it has. Using a network monitor will ensure the user is notified each time an application tries to make a network connection, giving a security team the opportunity to stop any possible keylogger activity.
How Can I Protect My System From Keyloggers?
1️⃣ While visual inspection can identify hardware keyloggers, it is impractical and time-consuming to implement on a large scale. Instead, individuals can use a firewall to help protect against a keylogger. Since keyloggers transmit data back and forth from the victim to the attacker, the firewall could discover and prevent that data transfer.
2️⃣ Password managers that automatically fill in username and password fields may also help protect against keyloggers. Monitoring software and antivirus software can also keep track of a system's health and prevent keyloggers.
3️⃣ System cages that prevent access to or tampering with USB and PS/2 ports can be added to the user's desktop setup. Extra precautions include using a security token as part of two-factor authentication (2FA) to ensure an attacker cannot use a stolen password alone to log in to a user's account, or using an onscreen keyboard and voice-to-text software to circumvent using a physical keyboard.
In Addition,
Application allowlisting can also be used to allow only documented, authorized programs to run on a system. It is also always a good idea to keep any system up to date.
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