A Keylogger is defined as software that monitors and logs every keystroke on your computer. A Keylogger virus is basically a malicious, stealthy software that can pose a serious threat to the security of your personal data; it can intercept personal information (such as usernames, passwords, credit card details etc.) entered via the keyboard and submit to remote hackers. Some keylogger Trojans also capture screenshots of websites you visit to counter their strategically enforced security measures.

Once these third-party cyber criminals get hold of your confidential information, they can easily transfer money from your account or access your online gaming account(s) which can result in rather significant financial losses. Some key-loggers are highly-proficient at hiding themselves from being detected and are therefore classified as full-fledged Trojans. To avoid any leakages and potential misuse of your confidential information, the removal of this virus is absolutely necessary.

Removing The Keylogger Virus

With the evolution of cyber crime, Keyloggers have become extremely sophisticated, making it very difficult to detect them manually. They can often evade detection by a single antivirus software; therefore experts propose using a combination of trusted anti-malware programs to detect and remove these keyloggers.

Unless you are aware of a particular keylogger’s name, manual removal can be quite difficult. A few general guidelines to manually removing the Keylogger virus are given below:

Step 1: Check Task Manager to Find Any Abnormal Processes

1. Click on the Start Menu, and then click Start Task Manager
2. In the Task manager window, click on the Processes tab
3. Look for any abnormal processes; you can confirm your suspicions about a particular process being a keylogger by searching it online using Google.
4. If your suspicions prove correct, select the keylogger and click End Process.( Make sure you note down the name of the process for future reference).

Step 2: Delete the Keylogger Files

1. Click on Start menu, in the search box type the name of the keylogger file you found in Step 1.
2. If that specific file shows up in the search results, right-click on the file and click Delete
3. Repeat the aforementioned process for any files with the same name; they may belong to a keylogger as well.

Step 3: Delete Keylogger’s Registry Entries

1. Click on the Start Menu, in the search box type regedit and press enter
2. The windows registry editor will open up;  Click Viewthen Find
3. Enter the name of the keylogger(s) one by one and delete any entries associated with them

Caution:  Make sure to thoroughly and carefully inspect each entry before deletion as the registry contains critical entries which, if deleted, can cause your system to crash.

Step 4: Run A Scan Using Anti-Malware Software

Some keyloggers are extremely intelligent and find ways to embed themselves deeply into your system, which makes manual removal in certain instances very difficult and sometimes even impossible. This necessitates the use of advanced anti-virus to successfully detect and remove any malware that may have been installed on your computer without your knowledge.