How to Remove Keylogger From HP Laptop
If you are using an HP laptop , chances are that someone else will see everything you type. The company recently confirmed that a keylogger was installed onhundreds of its laptops after a security vulnerability was discovered by independent researcher Michael Ming .
What is a Keylogger?
If you are not familiar with keyloggers, the name speaks for itself. It describes the type of software or hardware add-on that keeps track of everything you do on the keyboard. This could include your bank account password, social security number, and other personal information.
The keylogger, which HP says comes from a third-party Synaptics touchpad, is disabled by default. However, it can be turned on by anyone with physical or remote access to the computer. This could include malware from a questionable website (such as illegal streaming sites). To be honest, this type of malware isn’t particularly popular on the internet, but given the potential dangers, it isn’t worth the risk.
How to remove a keylogger
HP has created a support page where you can find out if your laptop is in danger and download a security patch. The list includes over 400 different models, so you should first find out which laptop you have and then use your browser’s search function to find it.
From there, you can download the related Softpaq link, which should fix the problem. There are a few laptop models for which there are no fixes yet, but the vast majority of them are already covered.
How to protect yourself from keyloggers
Even after you’ve taken care of this issue, it’s a good idea to watch out for any keyloggers that might target you in the future. MakeUseOf has some smart tips to keep you safe just in case.
You can use a password manager (you should probably already be using it), so you don’t need to enter passwords for each site – in this case, the keylogger will have nothing to record. You can also use a firewall to block the keylogger from transferring data from your computer to another location. At the very least, make sure you change your passwords on a regular basis so that if you get hacked, stolen passwords won’t necessarily work.