Advanced Keylogger Softwares 2012

Keylogger software used to be exactly what the name implied; software to monitor keystrokes. Back in the days of MS-DOS this was enough but now, in the days of Youtube, Facebook & Skype, keylogger software has had to evolve to keep up. There are a number of reasons you'd need to monitor your computer while your away, a cheating spouse or lazy employees to name a couple, and in 2012, keylogger software (now more commonly referred to as 'computer monitoring software') can monitor almost every aspect of computer activity.

 Of course, the basis of all computer monitoring software will be the keystroke logging function. Usually implemented with something called a 'key hook', most keyloggers will monitor all keystrokes pressed, along with the name of the application they were typed in, and the date and time that the strokes were typed.

The next most common feature, along with the keystroke logging will be application logging. Most modern computer monitoring software will monitor all applications used, along with the length of use and the date and time of use. Screenshots can also be taken whenever a new application is launched, or when a new window becomes active, so you can see exactly what's going on on the screen. Most software also allows you adjust the settings to take a screenshot every X seconds.

The above three functions usually make up the basis of the average keylogger, but as we mentioned, in this modern age we need to be able to monitor a lot more. These days, most people use their computers solely for online reasons. Whether it's Facebook, shopping, chatting or emailing, computer monitoring software in 2012 can monitor it. Web monitoring will monitor the name of the website visited, the address of the website visited and the date and time of the visit. Most software will take a snapshot of the visited website as well.

File and printer monitoring are especially important if you're looking to monitor the computer activity in a work environment. File monitoring will usually monitor new, saved, opened, copied and deleted files, along with the time and date of the action. Similarly, printer monitoring will usually keep a log of all documents printed and the name of the printer they were sent to, and yes, you guessed it; the date and time the document was printed!

One last feature that is common in most modern keyloggers is the clipboard monitoring. Anything that's copy and pasted will be monitored here, with the name of the application it was copied from and pasted to.

Of course, features vary between developers but these are the main components of computer monitoring software in 2012. You'll find some extra features with some software, microphone recording and webcam recording are sometimes seen, but with the features mentioned you can get a good idea of everything that's happened while you've been away.