Detailed comparison of keyloggers. For experienced users.

Categories' Definitions

OS Support – this group reflects the number and quality of the operation systems supported by keyloggers.

• Windows 8 - support of Windows 8 operation system
• Windows 7 – support of Windows 7 operation system
• Windows Vista – support of Windows Vista operation system
• Windows XP – support of Windows XP operation system
• Windows 2000 – support of Windows 2000 operation system
• Windows Server 2003 – support of Windows Server 2003 operation system

Security – this group shows how hidden the product is and what self-protection mechanisms it has.

• Invisible program folder – keylogger receives mark in this section if a folder it was installed to cannot be found by means available to average user
• Password protection – ability of a keylogger to be password-protected
• Accessed by keyword – ability of a keylogger to be accessed by typing a pre-specified keyword
• Accessed by hotkey combination – ability of a keylogger to be accessed by pressing a pre-specified hotkey combination
• Configurable self-removal – ability of a keylogger to be self-removed on a pre-specified date or under any other pre-specified conditions
• Configurable warning message – ability of a keylogger to show a configurable warning message on system's startup
• Silent installation - ability of a keylogger to be installed silently, not showing a user of a cimputer it is being installed at, any windows. Please note that keyloggers with this feature may be illegal in some countries. Please consult your local lawyer before installing any of them.
• Hidden in Task Manager - a keylogger receives mark in this section if its process can't be found in Task Manager or if the process is masked the way an average user won't be able to find out if it belongs to a keylogger
• Hidden startup entry - a keylogger receives mark in this section if it can't be found in a list of programs launching on system's startup
• Secured emails - a keylogger receives mark in this section if it can use public SMTP servers protected with SSL/TLS protocols for sending log-files
• Pre-configured Installation - points in this field mean that a person who installs a keylogger can pre-configure its installation file the way it installs a keylogger with already set parameters of monitoring, reports' sending, etc.

Monitoring - this group analyzes what offline monitoring functions a keylogger has.

• System logon (password) – ability of a keylogger to intercept the logon password
• Keychars pressed – ability of a keylogger to intercept the pressed keychars
• System keys pressed – ability of a keylogger to intercept pressed system keys
• Created files – ability of a keylogger to record the fact of files' creation
• Deleted files – ability of a keylogger to record the fact of files' deletion
• Copied files – ability of a keylogger to record the fact of files' copying
• Renamed files – ability of a keylogger to record the fact of files' renaming
• Opened files – ability of a keylogger to record the fact of files' opening
• Clipboard – ability of a keylogger to intercept clipboard content
• Started applications – ability of a keylogger to record started applications
• System logon – ability of a keylogger to record time when a user logs on
• System logoff – ability of a keylogger to record time when a user logs off
• Printer queue – ability of a keylogger to record the fact of documents' printing
• Mouse clicks – ability of a keylogger to intercept the mouse-clicks made, including the information about the buttons pressed and places clicked on
• Sounds – ability of a keylogger to intercept the sounds played or recorded
• System inactivity time – ability of a keylogger to record the period of user's inactivity time
• Screenshots – ability of a keylogger to make screenshots
• Adjustable screenshot frequency – mark in this section means that a user can configure an interval of screenshots- making
• Adjustable screenshot quality – mark in this section means that a user can set the quality of screenshots to be made by a keylogger
• Desktop or window shot option – mark in this section means that a user can choose whether he wants the screens of the entire desktop or of an active window only to be made
• On-mouse-click screenshots – ability of a keylogger to make a screenshot every time any of the mouse buttons is pressed

Online Monitoring - this group shows what online activities can be monitored by tested keyloggers.

• URLs opened in Internet Explorer – ability of a keylogger to log websites opened in Internet Explorer browser
• URLs opened in Firefox – ability of a keylogger to log websites opened in Firefox browser
• URLs opened in Safari – ability of a keylogger to log websites opened in Safari browser
• URLs opened in Opera – ability of a keylogger to log websites opened in Opera browser
• URLs opened in Chrome – ability of a keylogger to log websites opened in Chrome browser
• Client-based emails logging – ability of a keylogger to record both outgoing and incoming emails sent or received using emailing software(e.g. Outlook Express, Mozilla Thunderbird, etc.)
• Screenshots of visited web-sites – ability of a keylogger to make a screenshot every time a new website is opened
• YahooIM (2-side) – ability of a keylogger to intercept both sides of chat conversations made in Yahoo Instant Messenger
• AIM chats (2-side) – ability of a keylogger to intercept both sides of chat conversations made in America Online Instant Messenger
• ICQ chats (2-side) – ability of a keylogger to intercept both sides of chat conversations made in ICQ Instant Messenger
• Skype chats (2-side) – ability of a keylogger to intercept both sides of chat conversations made in Skype chat text conversation

Reports - this group analyzes everything related to reports and information gathered by keyloggers.

• Monitoring certain users option – mark in this section means that a user can set which of PC users to monitor
• Events duration – ability of a keylogger to record the duration of some of the events (e.g. duration of the time spent on a website, etc.)
• Specified programs monitoring – mark in this section means that a user can specify which of the programs to monitor
• Search by keywords – mark in this section means that a user can perform a search by keywords in log-files
• Several days report building – mark in this section means that a keylogger allows its user to set a period of days he wants to see the intercepted information for
• Logs sent via email – ability of a keylogger to send log-files to a specified email address
• Logs sent via FTP – ability of a keylogger to upload log-files to FTP-server
• Logs sent via LAN – ability of a keylogger to save log-files to a shared resource in LAN environment
• Logs copied to a portable device – ability of a keylogger to instantly copy log-files to a portable device (flash drive)
• Maximum log-files' size – ability of a keylogger to start recording the information intercepted to another log-file after the current one reaches a pre-specified size
• Automated clearance of log-files – ability of a keylogger to configure the conditions under which the log-file is cleared (e.g. time period, file size, number of keystrokes intercepted, etc.)

Other - other features that cannot be part of any of the other groups already listed.

• Reaction to a specific keyword – ability of the software to somehow react when a user being monitored types a keyword from a pre-specified list (e.g. to send an email, show a warning message, turn PC off, etc.)
• Monitoring scheduler – mark in this section means that a keylogger can be configured to work on schedule (i.e. log the user's actions only on holidays, or on from 12.00 a.m. to 3.00 a.m. onle, etc.)
• Programs' blocking – ability of a keylogger to block pre-specified programs from launching
• Websites' blocking – ability of a keylogger to block pre-specified websites from opening
• 5+ languages – mark in this section means that keylogger's interface is available in 5 or more languages
• 2-5 languages – mark in this section means that keylogger's interface is available in at least 2, but not more than in 4 languages