Is someone monitoring your keyboard presses?

Keylogger malware doesn't harm your system. Instead, it hides, collects information, and tracks your activities. Keyloggers can steal account names, passwords, and banking information without ever alerting you—which is why you should regularly check your computer for this nasty type of malware.

 

5. Find strange software installed on the device

If you suspect a keylogger is installed on your computer, you should first check the Windows Task Manager or macOS Activity Monitor and look for any strange programs running in the background.

If you see an unfamiliar app, search for it on Google to see what kind of app it is. Some of the most common keyloggers include Spyera, HoverWatch, TiSPY, iKeyMonitor, and XNSPY. You're unlikely to see the name "Spyera" or "XNSPY" in Task Manager or Activity Monitor. These apps often hide behind generic or fake system process names to avoid detection. But if you see any process that looks strange, especially one that's using a lot of memory or CPU, you should investigate.

 

If you see any of these applications running on your PC, it means that a keylogger is installed on it and is tracking your every keystroke. You can disable it by right-clicking on the offending application and selecting End task .

4. Delete apps you don't install on your PC

 

The above steps will only stop the keylogger from running, but it will still be installed on your system. So to completely remove the keylogger, on Windows, go to Settings > Apps > Installed apps and search for the program you just disabled. Once you find it, click the three-dot icon next to the app and select Uninstall .

You should also do the same if you're using macOS - there are multiple ways to uninstall apps on macOS . By following one of these steps, you can remove any keyloggers you suspect are installed on your computer.

3. Use antivirus software to scan for malware

 

Unfortunately, uninstalling the suspicious program does not mean that your computer will not be reinfected or even that you have completely removed the keylogger malware. That is why you should install an antivirus  or security suite to protect your PC from them, including keyloggers.

Microsoft Defender is fine for most people, but if you want to double-check Defender and find another option, there are free online virus scanning and removal sites that are worth using. You might also consider downloading and installing Malwarebytes, another handy and powerful malware scanner.

2. Look for strange hardware

Although most people think of malware as software installed on a computer, some keylogger software intercepts the signal between your keyboard and your PC. This can be through an adapter that sits between the keyboard and the CPU, or it can be through a fake USB cable.

So to protect yourself, you should periodically check your computer ports to see if any strange adapters are plugged in. You should also be wary of counterfeit cables, as some USB cables may contain malicious hardware.

1. Reset PC

If after all these steps you still feel like your computer is being targeted, your last resort option is to reset your PC . If you do this, select the Remove everything option to make sure nothing is left behind. This can be inconvenient, as everything is deleted from your computer, but at least you're guaranteed to have a clean computer. If you use the cloud or external storage, you should also check your saved files to make sure there's no malware lurking in your archives. You can also consider a clean install of Windows, in which you wipe your drive and start over.