KeyGhost

Keystroke logging is a little known technique that records every key typed on a computer keyboard. It's usually performed by software and there are a few reasons why you'd want to do it.

The best one is for backups: few people are diligent enough to maintain a daily backup regime but if everything you type is automatically recorded, you have a permanent record of your work that you can call on in emergencies.

Software, however, has a tendency to crash at the least opportune moment and can also interfere with other programs. If you're monitoring a PC's use, software can also be detected and disabled. A far better solution is to handle it with hardware and that's where KeyGhost steps in.

KeyGhost is a short length of grey cable, with what looks like an interference reducing lump moulded in the middle of it. One end plugs into a PC's PS/2 keyboard socket, the keyboard plugs into the other.

From then on, everything typed on the keyboard when the PC is switched on is stored in the flash memory hidden in the lump. The keystrokes are stored when the PC is switched off and KeyGhost can be reconnected to another PC for retrieval purposes.

Getting the information out of KeyGhost is simple too: open any text editor application, type the password and the recorded keystrokes are replayed in the order they were typed.

Unfortunately, this isn't quite as useful as it sounds. Few people type with 100 per cent accuracy and KeyGhost records absolutely everything, including corrections made with the Delete key, which makes deciphering the logs a little tricky.

Extraneous keystrokes are easily removed in a word processor, though. The standard KeyGhost model can hold up to 97,000 keystrokes but higher-capacity models are also available.

Contact: www.keyghost.com

Also consider: Microsift Backup
This is supplied with Windows and performs a broadly similar task, but there's nothing really comparable to KeyGhost.