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Keyloggers for macs?
- Thread starter Melinda
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I would guess that wouldn't work very well. Professional help (for everyone involved) is probably the only answer.
I think this could also be an issue of a kid trying to get the password for the family computer so that he is not restricted.
Back on topic
Spectersoft Internet Monitoring Spy Software.
It does exactly what you need, it's available @ Apple Retail Stores I think.
All I'm doing is answering the question
-r
Spectersoft Internet Monitoring Spy Software.
It does exactly what you need, it's available @ Apple Retail Stores I think.
All I'm doing is answering the question
-r
You can also use a keylogger for mac software. Google for " mac key logger" and you'll find it.
Sorry that there is a mac keylogger which can record keystrokes but not the passwords behind aterrisks from Parental Control Software site.
I refuse to help until I know the age of this child.
If you don't trust them with the computer, don't let them use it. Plain. And. Simple.
If you don't trust them with the computer, don't let them use it. Plain. And. Simple.
This is such the wrong way to go about checking what your children are doing on the internet.
Firstly, you do realize that in this day and age, 99% of child computer users know how to wipe the trail (history / cookies etc) of what they've been up to, hiding it from their generally computer illiterate parents?
Even if you get his / her password all it will do is log you onto their account, you'll most likely not find anything.
Instead, properly applying restrictions on their account and seeking a session logging program that you can view exactly what they've been up to would be a much wiser move.
If you know enough about what a keylogger it and how to use it, you should be in enough of a position to apply proper regulations on a child's account.
A successful child <-> parent relationship (yes, it is two way) is one built on trust & respect. He / she respects you enough to understand why such restrictions are put in place and you have trust in them and your child's use of what they are given access too.
Keylogging your own child is pretty grim.
I think what is grim is assuming that some how by having a keylogging there it'll stop the problem. If the kid wants to do something, they can easily use the library computers, friends computers, school computers, their mobile phone (many kids have them these days).
People talk about pedos on the internet, but lets also remember that many of these kids go looking for a 'big brother' of 'father' figure - and what they assume, when they're talking to online is a 'nice man who understands them'. If your child finds the need that he or she must talk to strangers online about their issues, then I think you as a parent need a good hard look in the mirror and ask why you have shut down the channels of communication, why you think that filling your house up with the latest mod cons is more important than spending quality time with your children. Buying fancy clothes, big houses and mod-cons don't make up for the lack of involvement in a childs upbringing.
Login as an admin account and reset their password ffs.
That way you can log in and check their browsing history andmake them aware you won't stand for any misuse of the computer.
Installing a keylogger to snoop on your kid is no better than your kid protecting their account with a password so they can misuse the computer at will behind your back.
EDIT: In all seriousness, we have no way in which to verify you're said child's mother, or even female. For all we know you could be someone from the neighbourhood who has access to a child's home and intends to groom them online once they know which chat rooms the child visits.
That would leave us all guilty of aiding and abetting child abduction. And you can count me out of that.
That way you can log in and check their browsing history andmake them aware you won't stand for any misuse of the computer.
Installing a keylogger to snoop on your kid is no better than your kid protecting their account with a password so they can misuse the computer at will behind your back.
EDIT: In all seriousness, we have no way in which to verify you're said child's mother, or even female. For all we know you could be someone from the neighbourhood who has access to a child's home and intends to groom them online once they know which chat rooms the child visits.
That would leave us all guilty of aiding and abetting child abduction. And you can count me out of that.
It's not "spying". It's called "parenting" and more parents should take such precautions, with so many predators out there! You're making assumptions that you know the child's age or behavior.... you don't! Even knowing the age isn't enough. Some children mature faster than others. It's obvious there are problems that a mom is just trying to work through, to protect and parent her child. My guess is most of the ones criticizing her are not old enough to be parents, so they can't be expected to understand. I applaud ANY parent who takes steps to protect their child from the dangers of the internet.
You have what proof exactly that an anonymous person who signs up to an internet forum asking where they can get software which enables them to surreptitiously view what a child is doing online is their parent?!
You accuse people of making assumptions of said child's age when you're equally making the assumption that this person is who they say they are. Rather hypocritical, don't you think? This could be a part time cleaner at a school with an unhealthy interest in the under 10s for all we know.
If a parent is that concerned about what their child is doing on the internet on the home computer (which as you say they have every right to be) then they should put the computer in a communal area where it is obvious what they are doing on it and/or restrict its use by other means. Keep it in a study with a lock on the door. Only have 1 login and keep the password for that login secret so you have to log the child in.
There are countless ways to restrict access for minors. THAT is parenting.
Asking how you can spy (yes, spy) on a child without them (or for that matter, any parent or person in loco parentis) knowing is more than a little dodgy, imho.
You wouldn't be so willing to part with information if someone came up to you out of the blue and asked you which children walk home from school on their own, now, would you?
You have what proof exactly that an anonymous person who signs up to an internet forum asking where they can get software which enables them to surreptitiously view what a child is doing online is their parent?!
You accuse people of making assumptions of said child's age when you're equally making the assumption that this person is who they say they are. Rather hypocritical, don't you think? This could be a part time cleaner at a school with an unhealthy interest in the under 10s for all we know.
If a parent is that concerned about what their child is doing on the internet on the home computer (which as you say they have every right to be) then they should put the computer in a communal area where it is obvious what they are doing on it and/or restrict its use by other means. Keep it in a study with a lock on the door. Only have 1 login and keep the password for that login secret so you have to log the child in.
There are countless ways to restrict access for minors. THAT is parenting.
Asking how you can spy (yes, spy) on a child without them (or for that matter, any parent or person in loco parentis) knowing is more than a little dodgy, imho.
You wouldn't be so willing to part with information if someone came up to you out of the blue and asked you which children walk home from school on their own, now, would you?
If you actually take the time to read my post and the post I quoted, which sets the context, you'll see I was referring to "spy on your kid?". The statement assumes that a parent is spying on their own child, which is what I challenged as being parenting, not spying. My comments were based on lofight's assumption (not mine) that the OP is the parent.
If you notice, I did not offer any technical help to the OP to help them achieve what they were attempting, since I can't verify that the OP is, indeed, the child's parent.
While not impossible, it is far less likely that a predator will have access to a child's home computer, to install a keylogger. Therefore, the chances are greater that the OP is a parent.
And even if a child is well-behaved and the computer is physically protected, a good parent isn't going to be able to spend all the time watching everything a child does on the computer, once they've logged in. Setting up parental controls and keyloggers is a good way to go back and make sure a child isn't being seduced or manipulated by an online predator. And everyone knows that a child will behave one way when they know they're being watched by a parent, and another way when they think they're not being watched. Hence, the value of a keylogger.
I love retorts that start like this
From good old Wikipedia:
"Espionage or spying involves an individual obtaining... information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, as the legitimate holder of the information may change plans or take other countermeasures once it is known that the information is in unauthorized hands"
And from Chamber's Online Dictionary:
"spy noun (spies) 1 someone who is employed by a government or organization to gather information about political enemies, competitors, etc.
2 someone who observes others in secret."
As you've said taking countermeasures, as Wiki puts it, is exactly what a child would do if they knew they were being spied (as per the above definitions) on. So to clarify my point, if you restrict access to the computer in the first place, the child will invariably be well behaved when using it, as they know they are being monitored.
Parenting is leading by example. If you snoop around behind your child's back what do you think they're going to learn from you?
While you have a point that a predator may not have access to a child's home / computer, it's well known that in a large number of child abduction cases the kidnapper is known to the child and their family. Also, as I previously pointed out, there is no proof in this instance to suggest the computer in question is actually a home computer. It could a school computer, a library computer, a youth club computer, an internet cafe... Anywhere a child could access the internet.
I'll admit my last sentence was badly worded and for that I apologise. It was a rhetorical question asked to highlight the similarities between the two scenarios of someone unknown asking how they can get clandestine access to a child and not an accusation based on your previous posting.
...and as has been pointed out, the question asked was "Are there any keyloggers for macs that will collect asterisk keystrokes? I want to get my child's passwords on our computer. " - in effect "How can I observe what my child is doing without them knowing?" which again, as someone pointed out, could equally be a naughty child wanting to know how to obtain an admin password to bypass parental locks; rather than something along the lines of "I'm worried my child might be visiting dubious websites, how can I prevent this?"
...Parenting is leading by example. If you snoop around behind your child's back what do you think they're going to learn from you?
Haven't you heard the age-old wise advice from parents: "Do what I say, not what I do!"??? The truth is, a child, by definition, has a different set of standards than a parent. While a parent can have "off limits" areas in the house that a child may not access, a child has no such privileges. Checking up on your child isn't teaching them to check up on everyone; it teaches them to check up on their OWN children, when they grow up and become parents. A child learns how to parent by watching their parents.
Quite true. In such cases, the person who has direct access to the child has little need for a key logger. They don't need to access the child over the internet, since they have direct contact with them.
...which is why I didn't assume the OP is a parent or offer any technical assistance.
Parenting is a tough job. Everyone has their own style. The only people who can speak intelligently to parenting issues are those who have gone through the experience themselves. Many of the posters in these forums are young enough to more readily identify with the child, not the parent.
As for assuming that the OP is legit, I see it all the time in these forums. Someone claims they "forgot their password" or "just bought a Mac but don't have the install disks" or "want to wipe an old Mac so they can give it to their parents, but want to use install disks from another Mac". It's amazing how many will rush to offer details of how to do such things, when it's quite possible the OP is a thief who just stole someone's Mac and wants to hack into it.
Exactly. Hence why my solution involved the OP having an admin password to begin with. And you've answered perfectly to the "righteous indignation of censorship and supervision" comment earlier, imo.
These interwebs are a big bad place, I think we can agree on that!
Also I think a known predator would probably look upon a keylogger in our example as a bonus, given the anonymity it would provide them, rather than the child being able to say "Mummy I'm just going over to Gary Glitter's house" before leaving the house. That said, we're commenting on one theoretical possibility which naturally doesn't cover all eventualities.
In any case, as you say, parenting is a tough job, anyone who says it isn't is ignorant or lying. But with regard to the original query (true or false) I do believe that if you're going to provide something like an internet enabled computer to your child, then change your mind but leave them with access anyway and spy on them, the only thing you'll end up doing when you get caught out (either by the more tech savvy child who has already thus far eluded your efforts to prevent them from using the computer in a sanitary manner, or when you oust them from the saddle of your high horse with your piece of clandestinely acquired information on their browsing habits) is only going to drive a wedge of distrust between you and said child which is going to be much harder to reverse than it would be being open and honest in the first place with a "you can use my computer but I'm going to prevent you from doing things I don't deem appropriate for a child" policy.
My tuppence.
Guys... you do realize you are arguing about a post that is 6 months old don't you... the OP posted 3 times and has been long gone
Woof, Woof - Dawg
Woof, Woof - Dawg
In case anyone is still interested, logKext does indeed work quite nicely, although sometimes the log file is not updated in real time. Sometimes keystrokes just never show up in the log. Meh.
Guys... you do realize you are arguing about a post that is 6 months old don't you... the OP posted 3 times and has been long gone
Woof, Woof - Dawg
Haha, no I didn't. Just saw it as the most recently posted in thread in this section