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    Malware & infrastructureCybersecurity glossary

    Keylogger

    Software or hardware that records every keystroke to capture passwords and conversations. A classic piece of digital espionage.

    Full definition

    A keylogger is a program or device that records every key the victim presses, capturing passwords, messages, card numbers and anything typed. The software version arrives inside malware; the hardware version is a physical adapter between keyboard and computer.

    Modern keyloggers rarely act alone: they are one module inside infostealers and remote access trojans, alongside screen capture and clipboard theft. What they capture feeds account takeover and internal fraud.

    They are countered with endpoint protection, with multi-factor authentication that devalues the captured password, and with password managers that autofill without typing. In shared physical spaces, checking the machine's ports remains a valid habit.

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