Later i’ll test Ghostpress in those browsers but I think that from now on, as an anti-keylogger I will only use Oxynger KeyShield2 Free virtual keyboard even if it involves a bit more work to do than the “traditional” anti-keyloggers.
Oxynger Keyshield2 latest release is from 2022. It works differently from Ghostpress and KeyScrambler as it’s a virtual keyboard and it works in the browsers I mentioned above in Windows 11 24H2.
Unfortunately I can’t test it with recent tools simply because they don’t exist.
I just downloaded Ghostpress.zip from official website Ghostpress - Anti-keylogger - schiffer.tech UG (haftungsbeschränkt) but Microsoft Defender anti-virus detected it as Trojan: AndroidOS/ZkarletFlash and quarantined it. Probably it’s a false positive but I prefer not to risk so my contribution to this specific Spyshelter’s thread ends here.
Regards
[edit] I just downloaded again Ghostpress.zip and it’s not flagged anymore as malware, neither by Microsoft Defender anti-virus nor MalwareBytes. Digital signature of Ghostpress.exe is dated 4th June 2024. In Windows version 24H2 is compatible with Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge and Firefox so I tested it with AKLT and it passed all tests. I couldn’t do test 6 as in the previous tests.
I’m going to use it coupled with Oxynger KeyShield2 Free, by using the latter for the videogame I mentioned in a previous post. In Ghostpress I added a exception for the videogame so I shouldn’t have any problems with the “Space” key.
OK I see, I thought you had downloaded KeyScrambler purely for testing. So in other words, I assume you didn’t use SpyShelter’s keystroke encryption? Because using them both together might cause problems.
To clarify, as mentioned before, Ghostpress does not use a driver (kernel mode) to encrypt keystrokes, instead it uses global hooking (user mode) to hide keystrokes, and apparantly it’s quite effective in doing so. But it does not encrypt keystrokes, so it’s less safe from a technical point of view.
I don’t think this is the case, because as you clearly see, this AKLT tool is able to log keystrokes without protection from tools like KeyScrambler and Ghostpress. As soon as protection is enabled, it can’t monitor keystrokes anymore, which is an indication that it works correctly.
OK what a major bummer, so with the newest update from Win 11, now all of a sudden KeyScrambler is broken? I guess this is what the SpyShelter’s development team figured out.
Interesting, didn’t know about this EnpointLock tool. But I am a user of HitmanPro.Alert, and I have asked the developer to make sure that the keystroke encryption still works correctly on Win 11, he hasn’t responded yet. HMPA does however only protect the browser, so it’s not trying to encrypt keystrokes system wide.
Hello, for testing I only used KeyScrambler Professional, I don’t have Classic Spyshelter. About KeyScrambler also other Windows 11 24H2 user had the same problem so I’ve uninstalled it.
I also have uninstalled Ghostpress because on videogames, at least the 2 I’ve tried, even if add an exception for the videogames’s executables, no key is recognized unless I switch to another app then back to the videogame with alt-tab or winkey-tab. Too much a hassle in my opinion.
So the only anti-keylogger i’m using now is the virtual keyboard Oxynger Keyshield 2 Basic version, which is free, better than nothing I think. Furthermore it passed all AKLT’s tests except test 6 because I didn’t manage to do it, as I already wrote in my previous posts.
Interesting, I didn’t know that and I though it encrypted the keystrokes like KeyScrambler did so really Ghostpress isn’t relevant at all in this thread which is about keyboard encryption. Anyway about Ghostpress I just discovered that in addition to the free version there are also paid subscription-based versions with added features, compared to the free version. I don’t know what are the “Enhanced process guard” and the “Target window screenshot protection”. Maybe the latter lets you select which windows will have screenshot protection but I’m not sure 100% of this. I must add that Ghospress is primarly a anti-keylogger but also it has a integrated screenshot protection.
At the moment as anti-keylogger I’ll continue to use Oxynger Keyshield2 Free. However, as the physical keyboard isn’t used, I presume that it doesn’t encrypt the keystrokes. In this case Oxynger KeysShield2 virtual keyboard wouldn’t be relevant in this thread, as Ghostpress is not.
Yes, that’s very frustrating! I hope they will be able to find a solution so their app can keep working.
We found that Windows will update, then our app could break… then we need to find a new hack every time. We are too small to do that at this time, but hopefully the Keyscrambler team is bigger and has the resources to do what is necessary to keep moving along.
Meanwhile on our side, we have some major new features coming soon (that aren’t an antikeylogger) that we think our fans will like!
Hello, I doubt they can find a solution. The latest KeyScrambler’s update is dated 15th August 2023 (3.18 version). Windows 11 24H2 became progressively available starting from 1th October 2024. So, at today’s date, they have had some months for fixing the issue which was already known at least from January 2025, which is the date of the post from ElevenForum. I’m afraid that KeyScrambler is abandonware at this point, unfortunately.
Furthermore on popular cybersecurity websites like MalwareTips and Wilders Security the latest posts in KeyScrambler’s threads are dated 2023 and there are few of them so probably almost none, maybe none, is interested anymore in this product.
QFX Software, KeyScrambler’s developer, does not have its own official forum.
In my case, even if they could even find a solution, probably I should pay again some money because the license I purchased back in 2021 for KeyScrambler Professional 3.17 only entitled me to one year of free upgrades. The attached screenshot is the current selling model, the same when I purchased the licence at that time.
I also wanted to add that we are still considering some kind of unique anti-keylogging functionality that will be compatible with modern Windows, so it should work with future planned Windows updates.
But of course this is easier said that done, so please be patient while we keep investigating this concept.
Yep, I’ve seen your post of 30th March on Wilders Security Forums’s HitmanPro.Alert’s thread. Anyway, it’s been 10 days and he still hasn’t responded. That’s not a good sign, unless he hasn’t read the post yet, of course.
You also have to take into account the different versions of Windows 11 since, for example, KeyScrambler worked on browsers in version 23H2, but not in version 24H2.
Therefore if there were similarities with KeyScrambler, the Hitman Pro.Alert’s keyboard encryption in Windows 11 for some it would work, for others not.
That is always so frustrating for software developers and I hope they find a fix quickly!
This is the scenario we are trying to avoid. Sophos is a large and amazing company that can keep up with constant Windows changes for keyboard encryption. We’re a smaller team who has decided to focus on letting people control what can, and can’t launch on their PCs, and control what that software is allowed to do.
On top of this we’re adding new exciting functionality soon that we think you will like.
Yep, in the end your doubts were proven right because currently with Windows 11 version 24H2 the anti-keyloggers that are based on keyboard encryption don’t work correctly as when typing in browsers the latter crash and close. So the only anti-keyloggers that seems to work are those that don’t encrypt keystrokes such as Oxynger Keyshield2 Free virtual keyboard or Ghostpress. Anyway with the latter I had some issue with videogames as I wrote in a previous post.
Furthermore some minutes ago I found on this Forum that another KeyScrambler’s user had exactly the same issue 2 months ago
That’s interesting to know, we will check those out. Do you like those, or do you have doubts on their protection? Or, do you find them difficult to use? My worry is that they are not very convenient to use, but maybe I am mistaken about that.
Unfortunately I could test them only with the old tool AKLT but both of them passed all tests. Oxynger Keyshield2 Free, being a virtual keyboard, needs a bit more work because for typing you have to click on each letter / number / symbol with the mouse cursor. For me it’s not really a problem because for managing password in browsers I use a secure password manager software that encrypts username / password using 256-bit AES encryption so I need only to insert a single password in the password manager and for doing so I use the virtual keyboard. The password manager software uses a dedicated browser addon to interact with browsers.
About Ghostpress I prefer not to use it because, as I wrote in a previous post, I had issues on videogames where no key was recognized in game, even by adding that videogames’ executables to Ghostpress’ exception list. I had to switch to another app’s window with alt+tab or winkey+tab and back to the videogame for make the keys work. Too annoying in my opinion.
Coupled with the virtual keyboard, just to be sure, I use the free screenshot protection software ScreenWings, coincidently the developer is the same of Ghostpress. Indeed Ghostpress, even in free version, has a selectable option to protect the system from unwanted screenshots.
The Premium version of Oxynger KeyShield (One time purchase - Perpetual License for $ 29) offers 2 additional security protections, Screen Capture Protection and Mouse Logging Protection as you can see from the attached screenshot.
How would you feel if a security app let you add keyboard encryption for only a couple specific apps… like maybe Chrome only or Firefox only? Just an idea…
Maybe more can be done if the focus is specifically on browsers.
I guess the problem could be that your password manager or things that are sensitive like that could be left out completely if you only focused on browsers…
In my opinion a secure password manager is a essential software because it memorizes all usernames / passwords in encrypted form and you need only 1-2 mouse clicks to log to website without manually type username and password so it bypass keyloggers. If I have to register for the first time on a website I use the virtual keyboard for choosing username and password, thereafter the password manager memorizes them.
What I really would like to see is a software that encrypt keystrokes not only in browsers but also in all other apps that require username and password. KeyScrambler Professional did it for many apps but not for all of them so probably there are some technical issue that prevents to develop a software like this.
So for logging to those apps I currently use Oxynger KeyShield2 virtual keyboard, I only need to do a bit more work than before, when I used KeyScrambler Professional.
For logging to websites I use the secure password manager.
I must add that currently I’m satisfied with both virtual keyboard and password manager so probably I wouldn’t buy a software like the one I described above if it were subscription-based like most softwares nowadays, not only those related to cybersecurity.
Yes, I do get this, but perhaps I can ask Sophos to contact Microsoft and tell them to stop making changes that break certain features like keystroke encryption.
If that doesn’t work, you might want to copy Ghostpress which uses global hooking, but apparantly does cause certain problems when playing videogames. So I’m not sure how to solve this, I don’t know if there is a way to exclude certain processes.
