Academy
TermTechnique

Keylogging

Recording everything the user types on the keyboard and sending it to the attacker.

Flow

  1. 1Hook installed
  2. 2Recorded with context
  3. 3Sent
Related families
DarkCrystal RAT (DCRat), Stealerium
MITRE ATT&CK
T1056.001 · Keylogging
Sources
4 sources
01

Overview

A keylogger captures passwords, messages and search text as they are typed. It also yields information that is not saved in the browser or would never be saved. MITRE ATT&CK

Most infostealers run once and do not log keystrokes. This feature is more common in remote access trojans that persist on the device. Zscaler

02

How it works

  1. 1

    Hook installed

    A hook is placed on the operating system’s keyboard events, or the key state is polled constantly. MITRE ATT&CK

  2. 2

    Recorded with context

    Keys are written to a file together with the window they were typed in.

  3. 3

    Sent

    Records are uploaded to the command and control server at intervals. MITRE ATT&CK

03

Real-world examples

Zscaler documented that DCRat, used in the final stage of BlindEagle’s attack on a government institution in Colombia, offered features such as keylogging and disk access. Zscaler

04

How to detect it

  • Unsigned processes that install a keyboard hook or constantly poll the key state. MITRE ATT&CK
05

What to do

  • Use phishing-resistant authentication (FIDO2, passkeys) instead of passwords; captured keystrokes are not enough to replay such a login. MITRE ATT&CK
06

MITRE ATT&CK

07

Related families and terms

08

Sources

  1. 1Keylogging (T1056.001) · MITRE ATT&CK
  2. 2Exfiltration Over C2 Channel (T1041) · MITRE ATT&CK
  3. 3BlindEagle targets Colombian government agency with Caminho and DCRat · Zscaler
  4. 4Multi-factor Authentication (M1032) · MITRE ATT&CK
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