The angry thread

[Pengi]

One of my business twitter accounts got hacked  - luckily I caught it in time - and my password contained a number of non-alphanumeric characters 

[Caz]

Sounds like a key logger jobby.   

[Newportnobby]

Sounds like a key logger jobby.   

Being a computer numpty (amongst other things) is there any way I can counteract that or guard against it please?

[lil chris]

I do not we can help you with being a numpty Mick,he..he.. but do not use the same password for lots of sites especially if they contain important information. I usually have save passwords and History turned off on my browser and if you are worried about such things use a good anti virus scanner and keep it updated. The only trouble with virus scanners is they slow your computer down, but that is the price you pay for security.

[MikeDunn]

As Chris says, if you're a numpty if you want to avoid key loggers, you need to have a decent A/V product (I use Avast @ home, works lappie uses McAfee I think - not a fan of that, but I avoid Norton like the plague these days !); a decent anti-malware (I have SpyBot & Defender); don't allow password caching; use unique passwords to sites; use strong passwords that can't be cracked using a dictionary attack, at least 8 characters mixing upper-case, lower-case, numbers and special characters (the latter where possible - some systems refuse them  ); only install things you absolutely trust; avoid dodgy websites.  What should be the usual things ...

Make sure you run scans relatively regularly; weekly is good.  No need to be present either; fire off before you head out for the day, or overnight when you're in bed.

[Sprintex]

fire off . . . overnight when you're in bed.

That's a mental image I can do without 


Paul

[MikeDunn]

That's a mental image I can do without 

... says the man who gave us nightmares (see what I did there  ) with the image on the left ... !!!

[Sprintex]

Touche


Paul

[railsquid]

Help?

[steve836]

Whats a key logger?

[Sprintex]

It's a piece of malware that records key strokes you make on the keyboard and can report back to the perpetrator, thereby supplying them with your passwords


Paul

[steve836]

It's a piece of malware that records key strokes you make on the keyboard and can report back to the perpetrator, thereby supplying them with your passwords


Paul

Thanks Paul, but if it does that what difference does making your password so complicated make?

[Sprintex]

It doesn't make any difference if you have a key-logger program present. The idea behind making your passwords complicated is to make them difficult for a hacker to guess.


Paul

[Malc]

Key loggers aren't that common. You have to visit a dodgy site and let it install some software. Most decent virus checkers will examine any files downloaded and quarantine them if they are dodgy. You should avoid opening attachments on unsolicited mail for the same reason.

[Tom U]

I have been told that using an on-screen keyboard will prevent keyloggers from recording your input.  Don't know if that is true, but I always use the on-screen keyboard when inputting important data such as bank login etc.