Beat the keyloggers with this simple tip on clarkhoward.com

Clark was recently disturbed to learn that your personal info can float out in cyberspace long after you think it has been removed. This is because of caching issues.

Search engines send spiders out across the web to find info that's stored on servers all over the world. Then they present that info to you during a web search.

But the spiders only crawl certain parts of the web every few days or weeks. So info can be stored or "cached" in cyberspace even after it's gone from the original server. In most cases, there will be a lag before it disappears completely.

When it comes to browser security, Clark uses a free tool available at Finjan.com. It prevents him from going to mistyped addresses where danger may lurk, and it goes beyond just looking at URLs to look at the actual code on a page.

Meanwhile, here's one low-tech suggestion to beat keyloggers. A keylogger is a program that gets secretly installed on your computer when you visit bogus websites. It can be used to track every keystroke you make and steal valuable passwords.

This trick involves typing passwords out of order or adding extra characters that you goes back and erases before logging on. Say for example your password is "jane." Instead of typing "j-a-n-e," try typing something like "j-a-x-n-x-e." Then go back and manually erase the extra characters (the x's) using your mouse, not the keyboard, and you just may trick someone who may be remotely monitoring your keystrokes!

What others are saying

finjan vs. WOT
Clark, I use Web of Trust (WOT) in both IE and FF. I tried finjan to see how it compared. WOT flagged all the sites as bad that finjan did and some that finjan didn't. Recommend you check out WOT (http://www.mywot.com/). It has several levels of security including parental controls. I think you will find it a more comprehensive solution for insuring the link is safe.

Wayne,
owlcroft@owlcroft.net
By Wayne @ 06/20/09 05:37:22 PMreport abuse
Key Loggers
Use a Password Safe that enters the pass words for you. The pass words are encrypted in the safe and are regenerated by an encryption algorithm before entry.

Keep you fire wall up to date and the key logger should be detected by its behavior.

Use FireFox with NoScript enabled.

Finally, fingerprint readers have come down in price.

Facial recognition and iris scans are also available.
By Coleman @ 02/05/09 08:25:56 PMreport abuse
Keyloggers
The "trick" involving the x's is a terrible suggestion. Keyloggers these days capture keystrokes AND mouse clicks. Even if they did not store mouse clicks, the recipient of the logs would see the initial password (jaxnxe) and then the two backspaces. At this point, it is just a simple password crack of any permutation of the initial six characters with a length of four characters. Slightly more work involved, but easily doable.
By Andy @ 01/31/09 05:53:24 PMreport abuse
Keyloggers
Sounds like a great tip and thanks. The grammar in the last paragraph needs work.

"that you goes back and erases before logging on"
By David @ 08/17/08 06:18:45 PMreport abuse
keyloggers
I noticed on Wikipedia that there are keyloggers that also do rapid reads (like 100 per second) of the entire page. I've been wondering if there is a "low-tech" way to suppress the display of the stuff on the screen as it's being keyed (or copy-and-pasted) in. Ideas anyone?
By jj @ 07/24/08 01:28:47 PMreport abuse
Keyloggers
Clark I go one step further. I use a free password archiveing program called "Password Safe" that one can get over at CNET that stores all your loggins and passwords. I then use cut and paste to cut and paste the loggins and passwords to website. The only thing the logger will see, is CTRL+C and CTRL+V
By Mark @ 07/22/08 07:19:43 AMreport abuse
People are missing a "key" point - Keyloggers don't log mouse presses
I think some posters may be missing the point of the keylogger work-around that's being described. I could be wrong on this, but I think keyloggers do not log mouse presses. After you intentionally mistype or partially your password, you use your mouse to click on the part of the password that you need to modify to make it correct. You use your mouse, not the arrow keys, to traverse the password.
By Malissa @ 07/19/08 12:48:54 PMreport abuse
Here is a better idea -- use a modern operating system that isn't vulnerable to script kiddies and spyware. That pretty much excludes anything from Microsoft, so cheap-os like Clark will continue to suffer the consequences.

If you have broadband, spend $50 and buy a router with a NAT firewall. This will stop 99.999% of all problems (but do change the default password when you get it).
By anonymous @ 07/19/08 12:39:11 PMreport abuse
Internet Rip Off's
I was ripped off by a DVD internet Co. It is called DVD Donkey. I ordered dvds of Perry Mason and Dick Van Dyke. The Perry Mason I receiced. Very poor quality, but the Dick Van Dyke I never received and it's been more than a year. Their phone # is boggest and their e-mail they don't ans anymore. Can Clark comment on these scams and give advise as to how to get money back or file a complaint or suit?
By Marcia @ 07/18/08 07:51:51 PMreport abuse
keyloggers...
LOL! What?? That's a total waste of time, and what you are doing is playing with fire! Any keylogger worth it's salt captures ALL keypresses, including , etc. Just like a keystroke macro in a word processor. If you suspect you have one, why in the world would you ever mess around trying to "fool" it? Get rid of it!
By joe hackie @ 07/18/08 07:03:03 PMreport abuse
Keyloggers, "personal data"
That trick to defeat keyloggers won't work -- they log the erasures too. But keyloggers are not common. Use good antivirus software and you won't have them.

Regarding web crawlers, they ONLY CACHE WHAT IS PUBLICLY VIEWABLE ON THE WEB. They do not get, or retain, anything private. However, once you put something on the Web for everyone in the world to see, there are sites that will preserve it *permanently*. Don't put anything on your web page that you wouldn't want to appear in a newspaper.
By Michael Covington @ 07/18/08 06:02:56 PMreport abuse

finjan vs. WOT

Clark, I use Web of Trust (WOT) in both IE and FF. I tried finjan to see how it compared. WOT flagged all the sites as bad that finjan did and some that finjan didn't. Recommend you check out WOT (http://www.mywot.com/). It has several levels of security including parental controls. I think you will find it a more comprehensive solution for insuring the link is safe.

Wayne,
owlcroft@owlcroft.net

By Wayne @ 06/20/09 05:37:22 PMreport abuse

Key Loggers

Use a Password Safe that enters the pass words for you. The pass words are encrypted in the safe and are regenerated by an encryption algorithm before entry.

Keep you fire wall up to date and the key logger should be detected by its behavior.

Use FireFox with NoScript enabled.

Finally, fingerprint readers have come down in price.

Facial recognition and iris scans are also available.

By Coleman @ 02/05/09 08:25:56 PMreport abuse

Keyloggers

The "trick" involving the x's is a terrible suggestion. Keyloggers these days capture keystrokes AND mouse clicks. Even if they did not store mouse clicks, the recipient of the logs would see the initial password (jaxnxe) and then the two backspaces. At this point, it is just a simple password crack of any permutation of the initial six characters with a length of four characters. Slightly more work involved, but easily doable.

By Andy @ 01/31/09 05:53:24 PMreport abuse

Sounds like a great tip and thanks. The grammar in the last paragraph needs work.

"that you goes back and erases before logging on"

By David @ 08/17/08 06:18:45 PMreport abuse

keyloggers

I noticed on Wikipedia that there are keyloggers that also do rapid reads (like 100 per second) of the entire page. I've been wondering if there is a "low-tech" way to suppress the display of the stuff on the screen as it's being keyed (or copy-and-pasted) in. Ideas anyone?

By jj @ 07/24/08 01:28:47 PMreport abuse

Clark I go one step further. I use a free password archiveing program called "Password Safe" that one can get over at CNET that stores all your loggins and passwords. I then use cut and paste to cut and paste the loggins and passwords to website. The only thing the logger will see, is CTRL+C and CTRL+V

By Mark @ 07/22/08 07:19:43 AMreport abuse

People are missing a "key" point - Keyloggers don't log mouse presses

I think some posters may be missing the point of the keylogger work-around that's being described. I could be wrong on this, but I think keyloggers do not log mouse presses. After you intentionally mistype or partially your password, you use your mouse to click on the part of the password that you need to modify to make it correct. You use your mouse, not the arrow keys, to traverse the password.

By Malissa @ 07/19/08 12:48:54 PMreport abuse

Here is a better idea -- use a modern operating system that isn't vulnerable to script kiddies and spyware. That pretty much excludes anything from Microsoft, so cheap-os like Clark will continue to suffer the consequences.

If you have broadband, spend $50 and buy a router with a NAT firewall. This will stop 99.999% of all problems (but do change the default password when you get it).

By anonymous @ 07/19/08 12:39:11 PMreport abuse

Internet Rip Off's

I was ripped off by a DVD internet Co. It is called DVD Donkey. I ordered dvds of Perry Mason and Dick Van Dyke. The Perry Mason I receiced. Very poor quality, but the Dick Van Dyke I never received and it's been more than a year. Their phone # is boggest and their e-mail they don't ans anymore. Can Clark comment on these scams and give advise as to how to get money back or file a complaint or suit?

By Marcia @ 07/18/08 07:51:51 PMreport abuse

keyloggers...

LOL! What?? That's a total waste of time, and what you are doing is playing with fire! Any keylogger worth it's salt captures ALL keypresses, including , etc. Just like a keystroke macro in a word processor. If you suspect you have one, why in the world would you ever mess around trying to "fool" it? Get rid of it!

By joe hackie @ 07/18/08 07:03:03 PMreport abuse

Keyloggers, "personal data"

That trick to defeat keyloggers won't work -- they log the erasures too. But keyloggers are not common. Use good antivirus software and you won't have them.

Regarding web crawlers, they ONLY CACHE WHAT IS PUBLICLY VIEWABLE ON THE WEB. They do not get, or retain, anything private. However, once you put something on the Web for everyone in the world to see, there are sites that will preserve it *permanently*. Don't put anything on your web page that you wouldn't want to appear in a newspaper.

By Michael Covington @ 07/18/08 06:02:56 PMreport abuse

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Jul 18, 2008 -- Beat the keyloggers with this simple tip

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