OS X Keylogging Software

A “keylogger” (or “keystroke recorder”) is an application that monitors your keystrokes, usually recording every key press to a file for later perusal. Some versions will go the extra mile and email the log file to a given address.

I use logKext as a keylogger on my own machines. It’s very handy to have a record of what I’ve typed, and since it makes the log file encrypted, I’m not too worried about someone else getting access to it. The few passwords that I actually have to type (thanks to Keychain) show up in it, but without the password to defeat the Blowfish encryption, the file is not viewable to prying eyes.

It’s great to be able to record all my keystrokes in case of a web application crash (the main reason I use it) or other times when I would have lost what I was writing.

Other keyloggers I’ve found include BackTrack(US$15), ,

Programs like KeystrokeRecorder (US$29), Spector (US$99), eWatch (US$18) and MonitorerX Pro (US$29.95) offer more advanced features such as the ability to capture screenshots as well as keystrokes, and to email the results to a specified address.

To use it, start up the installer and then open the terminal. (/Applications/Terminal).

Run the command


sudo logkextclient

enter your administrative password and then enter the default password marked in the readme. By default Blowfish encryption is used. There is an uninstaller for LogKext put in the root directory of your HD, ( / ) and can be uninstalled even if you’ve forgotten the password for logkext.

changing the password is similar to declaring and defining values in programming using the “set” prefix.

example: changing logKext password


set Password=NewPassword

you can see all variables you can change by typing list.

open will open the log in a text editor, i prefer simply cat’ing the log using “print”.

Universal Yahoo! Messenger Now Available

 

The new Yahoo! Messenger has arrived and is a Universal Binary, ready to run on both Intel and Power PC machines.

 

Built around a redesigned buddy list with a sliding webcam pane, it sports a number of interface enhancements, including (for the first time) support for custom user avatars.

Yahoo! Messenger is a free download. Get it here.

Master Your Messaging

A number of instant messaging programs are available for OS X; AOL Instant Messenger (or AIM, the protocol used for Apple’s iChat), ICQ, Yahoo Messenger, and MSN Messenger are among the most well-known ones.

Each of these programs can be run as a separate application, at once, on your Mac with no issues to speak of, but wouldn’t it be nice to be able to have them all within one app? Or, if you have more than one account with one of the services, would it not be handy to be able to have them both signed in at once?

A few applications have come to the forefront in this category, namely defaultware‘s Proteus and the Open Source programs Fire and Adium X.
After using each for some time, I have come to the conclusion that Adium is the best choice for new and power users alike who want to take control of their chatting, as well as being the most stable application with the most well thought-out user interface.

Adium lets you use one program for all your messaging needs. It will let you have all your contacts on one unified list, using labels, rollovers and icons to provide feedback and information.

Setting up new accounts is a breeze, and Adium’s preferences let you choose on a per-account basis whether or not to autoconnect when the program is opened.

If you have your Mac on a network of any kind, wired or wireless, where there is another Mac running Adium or iChat, you will see that user appear within a new area on your contact list. The Rendezvous (OpenTalk) protocol Adium uses is the same one you’ll find in iChat.

Proteus and Fire both do a good job for the most part, but neither comes close to the stability and number of options and features found in Adium. The fact that it did not crash once, while both the others have been known to be somewhat unstable, combined with a well thought-out contact list structure make Adium X the best choice overall for multi-protocol messengers.

Zoom Zoom

The concept of ‘screen zoom’ on the Mac has made huge strides since the days of the magnifying glass on wires made for the Mac SE (anyone recall the name?) and has even come a long way since OS 9′s CloseView control panel. In this article we will discuss text zooming and screen zooming under Mac OS X 10.2 or later. (10.3+ required for custom system zoom key commands)
Read the rest of this entry »

Macintosh Battery Care

For proper care of your Mac laptop/notebook battery visit these two links and follow the instructions you find there.

- Calibrating Your Battery (last updated October 11, 2008)

- General Battery Care

Your battery will have a longer life as a result.