Cyber Security Forum - Beginner's Guide to Keyloggers

Welcome to a Beginner's Guide to Keyloggers! In this guide I will go through all the common topics that you may need to know. When you finish reading this topic you will know everything you will ever need to get started keylogging. I cover every topic related to keyloggers as well as cover terminology and definitions. I'll explain how a keylogger works and how to even get started making your own! So let's get started!

tableofcontents

* What is a keylogger?
* Learning the lingo and definitions.
* Common features keyloggers have.
* How do I use a keylogger?
* What is a "stub"?
* What is the "server"?
* What is crypting?
* What is the difference between a stealer and a keylogger?
* What is .net framework and why do I care?
* What are some good keyloggers?
* What are some upsides to keyloggers?
* What are some downsides to keyloggers?
* I want to make my own keylogger. Where do I start?
* I think I've been infected with a keylogger! What do I do?
* Conclusion

whatisakeylogger

A keylogger is a program that logs a keyboards keystrokes. It can be used for several purposes, both bl4ck h4t and white hat. The most common use is bl4ck h4t. A keylogger functions by grabbing a keystroke, triggered by when the slave presses a key on their keyboard, and saving it to a variable. This process is called "keyboard hooking". It then will take this long variable and send it via a SMTP or FTP server. You can then view these logs and use it for whatever your intention may be. Keyloggers have several different features that I will go into in a later section. The most basic ones only include keyboard hooking and a way to send the logs.

learningtheling

One of the most confusing things about starting something new is not understanding the lingo. If you don't understand the lingo, how will you know what people are talking about? In this section I'll be explaining the common terms people use concerning keyloggers. I'll be going over some other more general things as well.