Topic: How to make sure your machine isn't software key logged ? - page 2. (Read 3074 times)

+1

The only real way is to have a seriously hardened machine (firewalls, AV software, ports blocked at the hardware level, etc.) and use that machine ONLY for BTC transactions and nothing more. Take it offline when not using it to complete a transaction (i.e. remove the physical connection and do not rely in 'soft' ways, such as disabling a NIC through software).

Whether that machine is from a live CD or whatever is another question, and largely unimportant as far as I can tell. The point is that the machine must be hardened and dedicated and offline except when needed.

Sounds good if it is a simple keylogger, but sophisticated monitoring software also logs the clipboard.

The clicking-away-from-the-box-and-then-click-back method would be detected by a software key logger definitely. It doesn't know where you are clicking, but detects the clicks.
Therefore it will be trivial for a human to realize that something is off when he sees something like:

[Active Windows: Chrome - MtGox]
Your@account[TAB]pass[LEFT CLICK]*&3q[LEFT CLICK]word

There is a whole lot of stupid going on in this thread... If you're scared that you have a keylogger disconnect from the internet, boot into a live session of ubuntu, run the obvious virus scans, then reinstall windows. If your smart though you will never have to worry about that.

Back up your files reinstall OS from a boot-up CD. Thats the only real way of making sure.

After having written the last post with the copy/paste trick, I've been thinking about this.
What about a keylogger that would log the full content of a textbox everytime it changes ? Has anyone ever seen this in action ? Sounds like a good strategy for a keylogger, isn't it ?

there's a simple trick no keylogger I know of can fight against.
1. Open some text editor
2. Type "abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ0123456789,.;-_"... (I typed alphabetically as an example, but a simpler and better strategy is to hit every key on the keyboard in sequence)
3. Copy/paste each character in your password one by one.

This is very solid against keyloggers.
It's a pain with long passphrases, though.
It's very bad against the "people in your back looking over your shoulder" attack too

Thanks to all who replied

DON'T RUN WINDOWS AND BITCOIN YOU WILL EVENTUALLY LOSE YOUR WALLET!!!

Get an external USB 3.0 hard drive for like $50 bucks.   Or buy a 32 GB FAST flash card for about the same if you have an sdxc slot ( http://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-Extreme-Class-Memory-SDSDX-032G-AFFP/dp/B007M54E1M/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1366473824&sr=8-3&keywords=fast+sdxc )

Download your favorite flavor of linux right from the distro's sight.  Format and install on your external hd/flash card.  Boot from the external drive and run the os's updater, then install bitcoin.

launch firefox.
1)  Go to Tools-->Addons--->plugins and disable java
 2) now hit the addons tab and install addon called NoScript.  
3)restart FF.  

4)  before browsing to sites like mtgox, or blockinfo, enter private browsing mode,
5) Got to the bar at the bottom of browser window and click the "S" icon.   Make NoScript "Forbid Scripts Globally"
you may need to go back to the S icon and allow certain scripts to make the these sites work correctly.  Do so on a one by one basis, and only scripts that come from those sites or have domains you recognize.

6) don't be logged into anything else or have open tabs to other pages when using mt.gox etc.  Not even bitcointalk.org

7)  log out of mtgox or other online wallets. then exit private browser mode.  you can now set noscript back to allowing scripts globally for regular browsing

Don't install additional software on your linux drive.  If you must, make sure you get it from the package manager, and that it is a well followed project that is open source and would be highly unlikely to insert attack code.  Don't install adobe flash.

**EDIT***
Oh yeah, on linux machines the Firefox plugin to disable java is called iced-tea.  you know they rename everything with linux...  Java --->Iced Tea.  Those C++ Jokers!

It's not in a other text box, this is the trick


http://arvindn.livejournal.com/123183.html


It's not 100% safe, but a good advice !

Wouldn't a decent keylogger also be recording mouse clicks and if you activated another text box and typed in random garbage it would be easy for the hacker to distinguish?

Just no way if the hacker use personnal / modified  source code.

Use Linux or offline PC in any important BTC transaction.
Use 2FA in any hot wallet or sensitive emails

A little trick on unsafe computer : when you start filling your password, you move and clik on the page, type 5 random caracter and come back to finish

Result :
password 12345
What is keylogged : 124$erRZ45

Anti-Keylogger is trial-freeware and pay for.

Take a read here.
Stay Safe

dont download .exes from random emails?

Hi

I have 100% access to my machine or at least the repair / service guys do the service supervised

So a hardware key logger would be almost impossible

However a software key logger could be possible

How do I ensure that my machine does not have a software key logger ? I.e. that a software key logger isn't already on my machine ?

I use windows


TIA

Regards

Cc