Having thwarted attempts to rob the Japanese bank, Sumitomo Mitsui Bank, security experts are warning that anti-virus software products are struggling to cope with the increase of Spyware, especially those relating to keystroke logging. According to Wikipedia, keystroke logging is:
... a diagnostic used in software development that captures the user's keystrokes. It can be useful to determine sources of error in computer systems.
Keystroke logging can be achieved by both hardware and software means. Commercially available systems include devices which are attached to the keyboard cable (and thus are instantly installable, but visible if the user makes a thorough inspection) and also devices which can be installed in keyboards (and are thus invisible, but require some basic knowledge of soldering to install). Writing software applications for keylogging is trivial, and like any computer program can be distributed as a trojan horse or as part of a virus or worm.
Keyword loggers are thought to have played a major part in the foiled robbery. They way it would have worked in the planned robbery heist is that the attackers would have used a "backdoor" that would allow them to read all the logins and passwords used. Here is the gloomy pictured painted by Paul Woods:
"The greatest threat is the false sense of security people get from using antivirus software. Antivirus software is not very effective against new forms of spyware, it can only protect against viruses it already knows about."
The New Scientist magazine has an interesting story, entitled Attempted cyber-heist raises keylogging fears, on its website.
