Q: I read somewhere that there is a folder or something or other in my PC that keeps track of all my keystrokes. Is this just an urban myth or is there some truth to this?

Also, when I go into the Windows folder, I see a ton of text documents that date back to around the time I first got my PC. I’m tempted to delete them, but I’m afraid to muck with them, because I don’t want to mess up my computer.

Am I just paranoid or what? ~ Jason Beltran, Garden Grove

Gadgetress: Paranoid is my first response. If Microsoft built something so sneaky into its Windows operating system, the security world would be up in arms. Or at least I hope they would.

You are probably thinking about keylogging software, which can be installed surreptitiously on a computer without the user knowing.

Such software tracks your every keystroke — from innocent e-mail messages to bank passwords. However, in some instances, keyloggers may be installed for legitimate reasons, though I still consider them sneaky.

Corporations that need to protect their intellectual property could install it on employee machines. Or parents monitoring their children’s online activities. Suspicious spouses, school systems or even the PC user himself. And it’s not always software, but hardware like this new keyboard that store 2 million keystrokes.

To avoid unwanted keyloggers, take the usual security precautions: Never open e-mail from someone you don’t know, don’t open an attachment unless you are expecting it and avoid saying ‘yes’ to any pop-up window or online ad that offers free stuff — unless you have checked it out independently.

But since I cover the computer security industry only periodically, I asked computer security expert Marc Maiffret, the Chief Hacking Officer at eEye Digital in Aliso Viejo to chime in.

Marc spends his days looking for glitches in corporate networks and software that may let a hacker inside. For the Register, he demonstrated on video earlier this year how easy it can be to hack into Windows Vista — and his company works with Microsoft to patch a lot of the software giant’s Windows flaws.

His response:

There definitely is no built-in feature that records your keystrokes. They must be confused, as you said, with something they read about a keylogger being installed. If they are worried about keyloggers they can use Blink and other security utilities to scan their PC quickly for keyloggers.

eEye isn’t paying me to say this but a little more on Blink: This is a consumer version of eEye’s security software sold to corporate clients. I mentioned its debut in April when the company said it would offer it FREE for a year.

For the astute PC user who can interpret processes, Blink will keep watch over what goes in and out of your computer, what changes have been made and prevent unauthorized use. It also offers anti-virus, anti-spyware and anti-phishing features.

As for your second question, I wouldn’t worry too much about text files. Most are log files that documented an activity you did in the past. You probably don’t need them but they take up very little space. I just checked my own Windows folder and pulled up 152 log files. They took up 10.4 megabytes, or about the same space as 10 digital photos.

Hey readers, any suggestions? Leave them as a comment below.

• SecurityFocus article: Introduction to spyware keyloggers
• From Microsoft: How To Login From an Internet Cafe Without Worrying About Keyloggers
• Two guys and a privacy/information security blog: Clipperz.com/blog
• Free anti-keylogging software listed at bottom of this Wikipedia page (try at your own risk).

Scams from the past:

• Bogus Microsoft security alert hides keylogger Trojan
• American Chronicle: Fake e-mail from the BBB stating someone complained about you is a scam!

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