Guest Author - Rick Carruth

Got a computer? Got kids? Got employees who abuse their computing privileges? Either can be a big problem for parents, a CEO, or a systems administrator.

When we think of 'keyloggers', we think of someone in a dark, back room, secretly trying to monitor the keystrokes of strangers. In some instances, that's very true. But in the case of ACTUAL KEYLOGGER, the keylogger is a computer owner who wants to monitor their own systems.

Although it's certainly not true in many cases, giving some employees internet access has been the equivalent of giving them a TV and a personal web device to keep them entertained throughout the day. Or, the equivalent of giving your children a card, granting them access to every movie on tape or dvd - including the most extreme of adult films.

There are many legitimate reasons for wanting to keep track of the activities carried out on your system. Once installed, Actual Keylogger will catch all keystrokes, capture screen shots, and determine which programs have been opened and/or closed.

I'm not going to delve into the specifics of 'how' a keylogger program works. If you're like most users you aren't concerned with the technical aspect, only the features and what it can do for you. But to summarize, a keylogger program will record all keystrokes and secretly save them to a file that only you have the ability to access. Likewise, screenshots will be captured and saved.

Clipboard contents will be recorded, disk changes recorded, startup/shutdown information recorded ( in the event you have different users at different times of the day..), and all web sites visited will be recorded.

Parents will find it invaluable to know the exact content of a childs chatroom conversations, or the url's of the web sites they're visiting.

All information is stored in an encrypted log file, in both text and html format. Once the information has been captured, the program will be sent to a specified email address, assuring that only the program administrator (you) will have access to these files. As an added protection, you can password protect the logs for extra security.

Actual Keylogger works in two modes: standard and hidden mode. When operating in the hidden mode, Actual Spy is invisible to all antivirus software in all operating systems.

I realize that not everyone is comfortable keeping 'track' of the computing habits of others. I also understand that you have the right to protect your children from predators and adult content, and your business systems from abuse. Do not take my introduction of Actual Spy as an endorsement, as I feel you must use your own good judgement to determine when keeping track of anothers computing habits is justified. Use this valuable tool wisely and I'm confident you will be happy with your results.

Actual Keylogger is freeware. An advanced version, Actual Spy, is also available for a fee.

Click for Actual Keylogger