Detect Hardware Keystroke Trackers

• 1). Examine the point where your computer's keyboard connector cable attaches to the computer tower. Hardware keystroke trackers consist of a tiny cylindrical device on the cable that connects the keyboard to the computer. Look for an elongated cylinder.
  
  
• 2). Unplug the keyboard connector cable and try to remove the keyboard male terminal by either unscrewing it or unplugging it.
  
  
• 3). Compare your keyboard connector cable's appearance to the image of the keyboard connector cable found in your computer's user manual. Any differences in shape or size could indicate that someone has affixed or glued a hardware-based keystroke tracker to your keyboard connector.
  
  

Detect Software Keystroke Trackers in Computer Performance

• 1). Open a word-processing program by double-clicking the program's icon on your desktop.
  
  
• 2). Launch the Windows Task Manager by pressing the "Ctrl," "Alt" and "Delete" keys simultaneously. Click on the "Performance" tab to display the CPU usage graph.
  
  
• 3). Type text (even nonsense) into your word-processing software as quickly as possible. Pay attention for any lags in the appearance of the text, which could indicate the activity of a keystroke logging program.
  
  
• 4). Reduce the window size of the word processing software by dragging diagonally from one of the corners of its open window until you can view the word processing program and the CPU usage graph of Windows Task Manager at the same time.
  
  
• 5). Type text rapidly as in Step 3. Notice any increased CPU usage that could indicate a keystroke tracking program.
  
  

Detect Software Keystroke Trackers in Task Manager

• 1). Launch the Windows Task Manager by pressing the "Ctrl," "Alt" and "Delete" keys simultaneously. Click the "Processes" tab.
  
  
• 2). Click the "Show all programs" button to display the full list of actively running programs. Click "OK" if prompted.
  
  
• 3). Compare the executable of each actively running program listed with the list of known keystroke logging program executables listed on the "Keyloggers" page of the website 2 Spyware.