The word “anti keylogger” today seems to be a universal meaning of keeping you safe against Keyloggers and not necessarily mean that it can detect and block keyloggers. Detecting, blocking and neutralizing keyloggers is one method normally used by traditional antivirus/antimalware but there a couple of ways that can also protect you against keyloggers such as using KeyScrambler to encrypt keystrokes so that keyloggers only captures random letters. Another method is to detect the keylogger “activities” such as taking screenshots, webcam logging, keyboard logging by using application such as Zemana AntiLogger. Each has their own unique way in keeping you safe against keyloggers and cannot be compared.
Ever since I started testing a few security applications against keyloggers, Lunarwolf has been bugging me to test Neo’s SafeKeys v3. Moreover there are also some of you would prefer a portable software that could keep you safe against keyloggers. The official Neo’s SafeKeys v3 website claims that “Neo’s SafeKeys v3 provides 100% keylogger protection” and let us see if that is true…
When you run Neo’s SafeKeys v3, it presents you with an on-screen keyboard. Basically you use your mouse to click on the characters to make up your password, then click twice on the asterisks (*) which will highlight all of it and drag-drop it onto the password box at the web browser or application.
Logically not using your keyboard to type at all should prevent keyloggers from capturing what you have typed but that is not true if you look at the results below. 12 keyloggers has been tested against Neo’s SafeKeys v3 with Injection mode enabled and 3 keyloggers managed to capture the password after dragging and dropping it to the recipient password box.
All In One Keylogger – PASS
Ardamax Keylogger – PASS
Refog Keylogger – PASS
Revealer Keylogger Pro – PASS
Ecodsoft Keylogger – PASS
WebWATCHER – PASS
BlackShades RAT – PASS
CyberGate RAT – PASS
DarkComet RAT – PASS
Advanced Keylogger – FAIL
Award Keylogger – FAIL
Elite Keylogger – FAIL
Neo’s SafeKeys v3 is able to beat a lot of keyloggers but definitely not 100% especially when it comes to low-level kernel keyloggers. Nevertheless, it is free, has a portable version and comes with a few useful techniques in combating against keyloggers to attempt to protect your password. The latest version 3 comes with the “injection mode” which is enabled by default so you can drag and drop on programs such as KeePass, Roboform and etc.
I understand that a lot of time and efforts are put into coding a software but claiming that it can provide 100% protection is just wrong unless it is proven. I personally feel sorry for those innocent and amateur computer users that put their 100% trust on a software when it cannot protect them 100%, risking their password being captured by keyloggers.
[ Visit Neo’s SafeKeys Website ]
UPDATE 14/June/2011: After reading the open letter that Neo has posted on his forum, I have decided to test the drag-drop method on Advanced Keylogger, Award Keylogger, Elite Keylogger, and Invisible KeyLogger Stealth. All 4 keyloggers failed to capture the password which I have dragged and dropped using the “Drag and Drop Mode”. The “drag and drop mode” is the safest method which you should use on all web forms, even on cybercafe. As for the “injection mode”, you should only use it on programs that does not work with drag and drop mode. If you don’t have LastPass to automate login for you on public computers, Neo’s SafeKeys with “drag and drop mode” is considered to be the next best option.