On-screen keyboards
[edit] Program-to-program (non-web) keyboards
It is sometimes said that a third-party (or first party) on-screen keyboard program is a good way to combat keyloggers, as it only requires clicks of the mouse. However, this is not always true.
Most on screen keyboards (such as the onscreen keyboard that comes with Microsoft Windows XP) send keyboard event messages to the external target program to type text. Every software keylogger can log these typed characters sent from one program to another. Additionally, some programs also record or take snapshots of what is displayed on the screen (periodically, and/or upon each mouse click).
However, there are some on-screen keyboard programs that do offer some protection, using other techniques described in this article (such as dragging and dropping the password from the on-screen keyboard to the target program).
[edit] Web-based keyboards
Web-based on-screen keyboards (written in Javascript, etc.) may provide some degree of protection. At least some commercial keylogging programs do not record typing on a web-based virtual keyboard. (Screenshot recorders are a concern whenever entire passwords are displayed; fast recorders are generally required to capture a sequence of virtual key presses.)
Notably, the game MapleStory uses, in addition to a standard alphanumeric password, a 4-digit PIN code secured by both on-screen keyboard entry and a randomly changing button pattern; there is no real way to get the latter information without logging the screen and mouse movements; another MMORPG called RuneScape makes a similar system available for players to protect their in-game bank accounts.
Many banks uses the web-based screen keyboard to prevent key logging. HSBC is one of them.
[edit] Anti-keylogging software
Keylogger detection software is also available. Some of this type of software use "signatures" from a list of all known keyloggers. The PC's legitimate users can then periodically run a scan from this list, and the software looks for the items from the list on the hard-drive. One drawback of this approach is that it only protects from keyloggers on the signature-based list, with the PC remaining vulnerable to other keyloggers.
Other detection software doesn't use a signature list, but instead analyzes the working methods of many modules in the PC, allowing it to block the work of many different types of keylogger. One drawback of this approach is that it can also block legitimate, non-keylogging software. Some heuristics-based anti-keyloggers have the option to unblock known good software, but this can cause difficulties for inexperienced users.
[edit] Speech recognition
Similar to on-screen keyboards, speech-to-text conversion software can also be used against keyloggers, since there are no typing or mouse movements involved. The weakest point of using voice-recognition software may be how the software sends the recognized text to target software after the recognition took place.
[edit] Handwriting recognition and mouse gestures
Also, many PDAs and lately Tablet PCs can already convert pen (also called stylus) movements on their touchscreens to computer understandable text successfully. Mouse gestures utilize this principle by using mouse movements instead of a stylus. Mouse gesture programs convert these strokes to user-definable actions, among others typing text. Similarly, graphics tablets and light pens can be used to input these gestures, however, these are getting used less commonly everyday.
The same potential weakness of speech recognition applies to this technique as well.
[edit] Macro expanders/recorders
With the help of many Freeware/Shareware programs, a seemingly meaningless text can be expanded to a meaningful text and most of the time context-sensitively, e.g. "we" can be expanded "en.Wikipedia.org" when a browser window has the focus. The biggest weakness of this technique is that these programs send their keystrokes directly to the target program. However, this can be overcome by using the 'alternating' technique described below, i.e. sending mouse clicks to non-responsive areas of the target program, sending meaningless keys, sending another mouse click to target area (e.g. password field) and switching back and forth.
[edit] Window transparency
Using many readily available utilities, the target window could be made temporarily transparent, in order to hinder screen-capturing by advanced keyloggers.[citation needed] Although not a fool-proof technique against keyloggers on its own, this could be used in combination with other techniques.
[edit] Non-technological methods
Some keyloggers can be fooled by alternating between typing the login credentials and typing characters somewhere else in the focus window.[8] Similarly, a user can move their cursor using the mouse during typing, causing the logged keystrokes to be in the wrong order e.g. by typing a password beginning with the last letter and then using the mouse to mo
