SniperSpy

Do you suspect that an employee is using your computer system for non-work purposes?  Do you suspect your child is viewing inappropriate websites or being targeted by predators?  Do you think your spouse or partner is cheating on you?  Life can be full of questions, and programs like SniperSpy are designed to help you answer them.  You can install this keylogger program to monitor your computer's usage.  But it is also very easy for someone to install SniperSpy or a like program for more nefarious purposes.  What do you do when this legal program is installed inappropriately in your system?

What is SniperSpy?

It should be stressed that SniperSpy is a legal and legitimate program that can be tremendously helpful for parents.  Its features include:

• Screenshots of active windows.
• Records of all websites visited.
• Keystrokes recorded for every window.
• Records of chats and IMs.
• Records of which applications have been executed, as well as how much time was spent on each application.
• Copies of every document that is changed.
• Remote shut-off or reboot.
• HTTPS secured control panel.
• Complete invisibility.  It does little good for parents to install a monitoring program that their children can find and uninstall in minutes.  This is why you will not see traces of the program in your system registry, directory, programs list, recent downloads, or other files.

A legitimate reason for using SniperSpy is to monitor your children's use of the internet.  Are they visiting sites they shouldn't be?  Are strangers contacting them via IM or chat?  Are they posting inappropriate pictures online?  These are not privacy issues when you have a young child; they are safety issues.  Businesses often use programs like these to protect their networks, and people install them on their own machines as a way to backup data.  In these cases, SniperSpy is an excellent tool.

What Can Happen if SniperSpy is Installed in Your System?

No cheating spouse wants to be found out by such a program and no teenager wants his actions followed quite so closely, but that doesn't make SniperSpy illegal or unethical.  It does become predatory, however, when SniperSpy has been installed on your computer without your knowledge or consent.

While the program poses little threat to your system per se, it does pose a threat to your personal and financial information.  Since each keystroke is recorded, it is easy for the remote monitor to discover your user names, passwords, social security number, address, phone number, bank information, and other sensitive data.  In the wrong hands, this can result in financial risks, including identity theft, and safety risks.

Is SniperSpy Installed in Your System?

Of all features that keylogging programs have, the most important is invisibility. While this is beneficial to parents and employers, it is not helpful if you suspect SniperSpy has been installed in your system.

SniperSpy won't be visible in your system, but you may notice that your computer is running more slowly than usual or that your system is using more CPU.  Programs like these often block pop-up, cookie, and adware filters, as well as "snoopware" detectors.  If you do have such a detector and you get an alert saying it has shut down due to malfunction, it may indicate SniperSpy or another keylogger has been installed.

With most other parental control software, direct access is required once to install the program.  From there, monitoring can be done through any computer.  This at least allows you to have a better idea of who could have installed it.  SniperSpy is different; it can be launched and installed remotely.  When you purchase the program, you are able to create what is called a "module."  This is then put into some sort of file, whether zip, Word, or email, and sent to your computer.  When the module runs (which it will, for instance, if your child opens the email in which you have placed it), the program is installed.  In this way, someone can install the program without ever being near your computer. 

Removing SniperSpy

If SniperSpy is a danger, why isn't your security program detecting and removing it?  Because it can be used legitimately and because it is specifically designed to run covertly; it evades standard security programs.  There are some security programs which will pick up some parental control software, but these can easily be subverted; SniperSpy, too, makes the effort to issue updates to ensure that it is not detected by security systems.  For the same reason, you cannot just go into your system and uninstall SniperSpy.