How to Hack Passwords Using a Hardware Keylogger
Do you know that using a keylogger is the simplest way to hack
passwords?. In this post I will be giving you a detailed information on
hardware keyloggers and their working. I will also teach how to make use
of a hardware keylogger to hack passwords on your computer. If you are new to
the concept of keyloggers or haven’t heard about this topic in the past, then
here is a brief description about keyloggers.
A keylogger or sometimes called
as a keystroke logger is a stealth computer program or a stealth device (in
case of a hardware keylogger) that when installed, captures every keystroke
typed on the computer’s keyboard. The keylogger is designed to operate in a
total stealth mode so that it’s presence is hidden from the users of the
computer.
A keylogger can be installed by the owner of the computer to capture
passwords and other sensitive information that the user types on the keyboard.
Keyloggers come in two forms: Software and Hardware.
A software
keylogger is a software program that needs to be installed on the computer while
the hardware keylogger is a hardware device
that needs to be plugged in between the computer and it’s keyboard. For more
information on software keyloggers and their usage, you may refer my previous
post: How to use Keyloggers?
How Hardware Keyloggers Work?
Unlike the software keylogger, a hardware keylogger do not depend on any
of the software program for it’s operation as they function at the hardware
level itself. A hardware keylogger acts as an interface between the computer
and the computer’s keyboard. The device has a built-in memory in which all the
recorded keystrokes are stored.
They are designed to work with PS/2 keyboards, and more recently with
USB keyboards. A hardware keylogger appears simply as a USB thumb drive or any
other computer peripheral so that it does not arouse suspicion in the minds of
the users. Therefore by looking at it’s appearance it is not possible to
identify it as a keylogger. Here are some of the images of hardware keyloggers:
How to Install the Hardware Keylogger?
The hardware keylogger must be installed between the keyboard plug and
the USB or PS/2 port socket. That is, you have to just plug in the keylogger to
your keyboard’s plug (PS/2 or USB) and then plug it to the PC socket. The
following image illustrates how the hardware keylogger is installed.
Once you install the hardware keylogger as shown above, it starts
recording each and every keystroke of the keyboard including passwords and
other confidential information. The keystrokes can be retrieved later by
downloading the logs onto the hard drive.
Hardware keyloggers are also known to come in the form of a spy keyboard
where the keylogger unit is built into the keyboard itself. This will eliminate
the need to install a separate device between the keyboard and the computer.
Hardware vs. Software Keylogger:
The following are some of the pros and cons of hardware keylogger:
Pros:
·
Hardware keyloggers are easy to install and uninstall.
·
Since it operates at the hardware level itself, it is fully compatible
with all the operating systems like Windows and Unix.
·
Unlike a software keylogger, it cannot be detected by anti-spywares and
anti-keyloggers.
Cons:
·
Hardware keyloggers are only limited to capturing keystrokes while a
high-end software keylogger can capture screenshots, browser activities, IM
conversations and many more.
·
Physical access to the target computer is a must in order to install the
hardware keylogger, whereas some software keyloggers come with a remote
install/uninstall feature.
·
In case of a software keylogger, it is possible to access the logs
remotely as they are emailed on a regular basis while this is not possible in case
of a hardware keylogger.
Thus, both hardware and software keyloggers have advantages and
disadvantages of their own. So, it is up to the user to make a choice based on
the requirement.
U can get
one from
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