keylogger

American  

[kee-law-ger, ‑-log-er] / ˈkiˌlɔ gər, ‑ˌlɒg ər /

noun

1. a software program or hardware device that records all keystrokes on a computer keyboard, used either overtly as a surveillance tool or covertly as spyware.

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Etymology

Origin of keylogger

First recorded in 1990–95; key ¹ ( def. ) + logger ¹ ( def. )

Example Sentences

She reached into her pocket and pulled out the keylogger that she’d found in her desk the first day.

From Literature

If a computer is attacked by malicious software, or malware, a “keylogger” may be installed for surveillance of keystrokes, including credit card data.

From Seattle Times

It’s the only way to guarantee that there’s not a keylogger—which lets the person who installed it monitor every single thing you enter on your keyboard, including passwords, emails, etc.—or some other kind of spyware that they’ve put on there.

From Slate

He described the monitoring as similar to a keylogger that records everyone’s keystrokes.

From Washington Times

It also contains a keylogger: if used to connect a keyboard to a host computer, the cable can record every keystroke that passes through it and save up to 650,000 key entries in its onboard storage for retrieval later.

From The Verge