A Password Keylogger for Mac records every keystroke pressed on your Mac with the keyboard. But Aobo Password Keylogger for Mac records more. Besides keystrokes and passwords, Aobo Password Keylogger for Mac records websites, chat conversations, desktop screenshots, and IP address as well. It’s pretty easy to guess that this software is designed for parental monitoring.
Keyloggers are malware designed to track your keyboard and mouse inputs. It records every keystroke and clicks to spy on your system. For example, your bank account details, pin etc. can be intercepted by keylogerrs. Given a chance, these malware connect to Internet and transmits sensitive information to its source.
If you’ve been considering Mac as a safer device, it’s probably the time to re-consider your belief in Mac’s impregnable security. It still is the more secure secure option if you pit it against Windows. But it has its fair share of issues too. So, let’s acquaint you with ways to identify and terminate keyloggers on Mac.
How to Detect Keyloggers on Mac
1. Activity Monitor:
Activity Monitor contains a list of real-time events occurring on your Mac. Click the Finder icon in the Dock, select the “Go” menu and choose “Utilities”. Double-click “Activity Monitor”. Click the “Process” column label to sort your activity by processes. If you spot any unusual process, check it using Terminal. You can open Terminal from Utilities and type ‘man’ followed by a space and the process name, e.g. “man sysmond”.
2. Examine the Hardware:
Many keyloggers are hidden within the tools that connect to your keyboard. This primarily occurs in offices where more people have access to your machine. If you doubt a keylogger presence but couldn’t find it with Activity Monitor, check the connection between your keyboard and computer. If you see any unnecessary wiring, fitting or a sub-box, remove it.
See Also: 14 Best Android Security Apps
3. Virtual Keyboards:
If you find it hard to identify and terminate keylogger on Mac, you can use the virtual keyboard. Keyloggers track your keystrokes. Using a virtual keyboard would prevent the detection. Though this step wouldn’t help in recognizing and neutralizing the keylogger, it would help you be safe. Open System Preferences, select “Keyboard” and check the “Show Input Menu in Menu Bar” box. Click the Input icon in the menu bar and select “Show Keyboard Viewer” from the drop-down menu. Use this keyboard until you get your computer checked for keyloggers.
Also Read: How To Take Screenshot on Macbook Pro Touch Bar
4. Professional Security Tools:
A few security software run advanced scans that may detect Keyloggers. One way of doing this involves checking files for changes and blocking suspicious connections. There’re plethora of tools available to help you detect and vanish keyloggers. Simultaneously, you can use TuneUpMyMac to clean your Mac from various unnecessary entries. Its handy and free to download. You can run a complete scan every once in a while, to avoid sheltering the unwanted and trashy items.
Download TuneupMyMac here-
5. Reset (Reinstall macOS):
Mac Keylogger Detector
When a keylogger is too impulsive to be taken out and other options have failed to remove it, you can clear and reinstall your operating system to get rid of software-based keylogger. Be informed that hardware-based and keyloggers in the firmware won’t get away by a reset. Create a backup, restart your Mac while holding the “Option” key and use Disk Utility to format your hard drive. Quit Disk Utility and then select the option “Reinstall macOS X.”
Also Read: 27 Cool Mac Tips & Tricks You Probably Don’t Know
Overall, keyloggers are evasive. There are strong chances that you fail to identify and terminate a keylogger on Mac due to their property of being camouflaged. However, practicing the above steps would significantly help you get the ball in your court. If you face difficulties, you may contact your technical support provider.
Responses
/Mac Tips /What Is A Keylogger on Mac and How to Detect One?
Primarily, keyloggers are used for monitoring activities from a computer or Smartphone. People who usually use this software are parents who want to check on their kids’ computer activities, companies who want to see how their employees deliver their daily tasks, and more.
However, keyloggers are also being used to stalk other computers unethically and illegally. We received concerns from Mac users asking “Do I have a keylogger on Mac?” and wanted to know how to get rid of this software from their systems. Together, let’s find out how to safely remove the keylogger from Mac in this post.
Article GuidePart 1. Do I Have Keylogger on Mac?Part 2. How to Manually Check for Keyloggers on Mac via Activity MonitorPart 3. How to Protect your Mac from Keyloggers?Part 4. Summary
Part 1. Do I Have Keylogger on Mac?
Keyloggers monitor a user’s activity by recording the things that have been typed on the keyboard including your username, password, personal records, bank details, and other highly-sensitive information. They can either be software installed or hardware that connects to a USB port. There are many keylogger software and hardware that can be installed on Mac computers.
You cannot easily detect a keylogger on a Mac computer unless you have some technical background to search through your system or use an alternative program. Keyloggers are installed via Malware infection or via user-installed.
Part 2. How to Manually Check for Keyloggers on Mac via Activity Monitor
Another option you can do to verify if there are keyloggers installed on your Mac is to search for it manually. The process may be tedious but then again, it’s better to be safe than suffer the consequences later on.
If you are confident that there are no hardware keyloggers installed on your Mac, then your next step is to check the Activity Monitor. Your Activity Monitor shows real-time activities and occurrences on your Mac. Follow these steps:
- Open the Utilities folder and choose Activity Monitor
- Find or locate any suspicious-looking processes that might be keyloggers
- Note down the name and then launch the Terminal
- Inside the Terminal window, type in man (name of the processes you listed) – where (name of the processes) is the process you wrote down. Remember to type the name removing the brackets
- The Terminal will begin to detect and find the description of the keylogger that was installed.
At this point, you can run a deep scan using your anti-virus software so it will remove unwanted software and notify you of various suspicious-looking processes.
Part 3. How to Protect your Mac from Keyloggers?
‘Do I have a keylogger on Mac?’ is a common concern from most users that can be addressed easily. You can protect your device from these suspicious apps by following good practices.
Here are a few tips you can do:
- Never open suspicious-looking emails and messages. Apart from phishing, some of these emails and messages contain malware and viruses. Only open emails from trusted senders or better yet, check the URL address.
- You can also install ad-blockers on your browser to trap those unwanted pop-ups whenever you are browsing the web
- Always use strong passwords and save them in secure areas or use a safe password manager
- Use anti-virus software to maintain and clean your Mac on a regular basis. Otherwise, you can always rely on iMyMac Mac Cleaner to thoroughly clean, uninstall, and optimize your system.
What is iMyMac Mac Cleaner?
iMyMac Mac Cleaner is an all-in-one software solution that analyzes, optimizes, and cleans your Mac computers in just a few steps. All you need is to simply get this program running and let it do the work. It can easily scan your computer to find all the keyloggers that might have been installed on your Mac. Once found it can easily let you uninstall in just a few clicks.
It also does the following features:
- Delete Junk files
- Finds Duplicate files
- Clears Photo Cache
- Similar Photo Finder
- Uninstaller
- Removes Large & Old Files
- And many more…
Apart from keyloggers, this powerful cleaner can also find unwanted programs that have been hiding inside your system, plus other significant features you can use to get more from your device. You can also take advantage of the powerful scanning feature which shows you all the files and apps on your Mac.
Scroll screenshot mac. With all these tips mentioned above, you are assured that your system is free from any tracking software that can put your personal details at risk. Make sure to regularly check your system and avoid installing suspicious apps and visiting unknown websites.
Part 4. Summary
There you have it; we have finally covered and answered the question about ‘Do I have a keylogger on Mac?’ Keyloggers have both positive and negative impacts. Positively, if being used legally and ethically like monitoring a minor’s computer activities or employers trying to track down their employees’ tasks.
However, if you are not aware of that a keylogger may have been installed on your personal Mac computer, and then it is considered illegal and unethical. You can be a victim of identity theft by taking your personal details like bank account information, usernames, passwords, and more.
It is best to have reliable anti-virus software installed on your system to block and remove such programs. If you are not sure where to find keyloggers, you can install iMyMac Mac Cleaner and it will scan your device for all the programs and software installed on your system. After that, you can uninstall the keyloggers from your Mac. This program will also help you optimize your system by checking its overall status, and a lot more features. To better learn more about iMyMac Mac Cleaner, you can download and try it for free.
Smart cleaning tool for Mac that helps you locate and delete all kinds of junk files to free up storage space.Best Mac uninstaller that can uninstall apps on Mac completely with the leftover files to speed up Mac.Your trusted privacy protection expert that can clear all browers' tracking cookies, searching histories and other data.Free Download
I hope this has helped you get rid of this unwanted program and assisted you in getting more protection for your Mac.
ExcellentThanks for your rating.
Memory sticks for mac. USB Flash Drive for iPhone, Photo Stick 128 GB iPhone Memory Stick SCICNCE 3in1 Thumb Drive Compatible to iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Android and Computer (Pink) 4.1 out of 5 stars 1,513 $19.99 $ 19.
Rating: 4.8 / 5 (based on 109 ratings)
People Also Read:
Mac Cleaner
Easily clean up Mac in minutes
Free DownloadFree Keyloggers For Mac
Mac Cleaner Helps You Speed Up Mac