Families and businesspeople use keyloggers legally to monitor network usage without their users' direct knowledge. Keyloggers are used in IT organizations to troubleshoot technical problems with computers and business networks. While the programs themselves are legal, with many designed to allow employers to oversee the use of their computers, keyloggers are most often used for stealing passwords and other confidential information.Ī software-based keylogger is a computer program designed to record any input from the keyboard.

A keystroke recorder or keylogger can be either software or hardware. Data can then be retrieved by the person operating the logging program. Keystroke logging, often referred to as keylogging or keyboard capturing, is the action of recording (logging) the keys struck on a keyboard, typically covertly, so that a person using the keyboard is unaware that their actions are being monitored.