Key Loggers

[kamesh]

I have installed a key logger on my computer, in order to know about all the proceedings that happen on my computer. Can someone please let me know about the disadvantages of installing the key logger, if any...

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[Stealth]

The main disadvantage is that you can't know where it's sending the data - so for all you know your credit card number might go someplace it shouldn't.

[Bryce W]

The main disadvantage is that you can't know where it's sending the data
Another possibility is someone else finding the log file and seeing what YOU have been doing.

Also I find with these things you may accidently find out something that you didnt want to know like a family member looking up freaky porn or something.

[Bryce W]

Actually, I have a article coming soon about the Ethics of Keyloggers, keep an eye out for it.

[Kiwwa]

Keylogging yourself never works because you'll never have the time to sift through the logs and extrapolate any useful data, it might be useful if you want to find your brother's/partner/parent's password but aside from that it's probably fairly useless as a 'security' measure.

The kinds of monitoring you'd want to do would probably include when people login and off, which can be monitored by Windows XP itself and also Internet surfing patterns, which you could probably find a program to do much better than just sifting through the history of IE, Firefox, Opera, Netscape etc...

I don't have any other suggestions, i'm just saying that you'll find it next to useless for monitoring purposes ( unless your parents/brother/kids are on for only short bursts of time, but in that case physically being present is much more effective a deterant; don't honeypot people, either educate or deter them :cool: )

[Zelldane]

Keylogging your own computer is a very unsafe security mesure depending on what your trying to find out about people on your computer it would be smart to just find another method

[gunslinger]

Used a keylogger on the kids computer, it worked out very well. cought my 14 year old step son downloading porn and my 13 year old girl having cyber sex with some 25 year old. glad i found out before it went any farther. So for me a keylogger was a real life saver.

[gunslinger]

As a side note i will say if you have kids that use the computer its almost irresponsible not to have a keylogger.