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When I
first saw this little electronic marvel, I immediately
thought it would be something
James Bond
might use. Picture this. Bond's assignment is to find
out which web sites the bad guy is logging on to, what
passwords are being used along with whatever else that
might be typed on the computer's keyboard. Bond sneaks
into the computer room but it's dark and there's no
power. Besides, turning on the computer would make way
too much noise and there's no time to install some kind
of spyware anyway. So instead, from his pocket he takes
out a tiny cylindrical plug. He unplugs the keyboard
from the computer, plugs it into one end of the little
device and then plugs it back into the computer. It only
takes a few seconds and the job is complete. From now
on, anything being typed on the keyboard will be
instantly captured into the device's memory. Later on
Bond can return, remove the device and access all the
captured keystrokes it has recorded by installing it on
his own computer later on. Or he can come back and type
a simple password to display its contents on the screen.
Yes, the
device really does exist and it's called the KEYKatcher.
I'm pretty sure its maker, Allen Concepts didn't intend
for it to be used by sophisticated international spies
but if you are one and you're reading this column, there
you go. If you're not, suggested uses for the KEYKatcher
by the company are parents who wish to monitor what
their children are doing on their computers, employers
to monitor employee activities, and suspicious spouses
who may want to keep tabs their significant other.
The
KEYKatcher is different than software Spyware products
that require you to power up the computer and go through
an installation process. As an external hardware device,
the KEYKatcher is totally transparent to the operating
system and requires none of the system resources
typically required by software spyware applications.
According to its manufacturer, there really isn't any
way to detect its presence via the use of anti-spyware
software. In fact, the only way to detect it is to
physically inspect the computer and look for the device.
And since it looks much like any other power connector,
it can easily be overlooked. However, if you've
installed it in a non- surreptitious manner, heat-shrink
tubing is provided to create a tamper-evident seal which
cannot be removed without your knowledge.
The
KEYKatcher uses a microcontroller and non-volatile
memory to capture all the keystrokes. The latter means
no power is required to maintain the memory contents of
the KEYKatcher. Removing it from the computer does not
result in the loss of its contents.
To see
the contents, just open any word processor or WordPad
document and type in your password. As soon as your
password has been correctly entered a menu will be
displayed on your screen. The menu gives you several
options, including View Memory, NETPatrol Search, Erase
Memory, Disable recording, and other selections. As soon
as the View Memory option has been selected, every word
that has been typed will be displayed on the notepad.
All typing is displayed including chat rooms, e-mail,
web addresses, and instant messaging. After the full
contents of the memory are displayed, you can save the
file to your hard drive as a word processing document.
The
NETPatrol option flags words that have to do with online
activities such as www, .com or http making them easier
to spot. Other options let you search for keywords and
change the KEYKatcher's password.
The
KEYKatcher comes in memory capacities of 64k
($32.99)
, 256k
($79)
and the KEYKatcher Magnum with a whopping 4 megabyte
capacity
($99)
. All require a PS/2 connection. Older PC's which use
the 5-pin DIN connector require an adapter set. Although
the KEYKatcher will not work on USB keyboards directly,
the company does make a PS2 to USB adapter set
($19.95)
that allows it to function.
www.keycatcher.com
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