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I installed SSPRO (commercial keylogger) on my computer just for testing.

Then I ran a scan with Eset Smart Security, and it failed to detect it. I also downloaded some free spyware removal programs and they all failed to detect it.

Why do they fail to detect it?

I was wondering if since SSPRO is sold as a commercial surveillance program it's not treated as spyware? Or is it a flaw with my antivirus? Do popular antivirus software usually detect commercial keyloggers?

I would think that is very detectable since I can see the process.

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  • "since sspro is sold as a commercial surveillance program its not treated as spyware" Probably, but we can only speculate. Only the vendors know why they do what they do. As a side note, software recommendations are off-topic here. – Alexander O'Mara Jul 2 '16 at 1:01
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    In my (limited) experience, any given AV vendor may (or may not) recognize (or not recognize) "commercial" keylogger software as (legitimate) (illegitimate) (both states at once) (now) (later) (now & later) (neither now nor later).. The only thing you can rely upon are the results you receive at a given point in time... – gowenfawr Jul 2 '16 at 4:40
  • Upload to VirusTotal to get a wider view. It is possible that it is simply not classified as 'malware'. – schroeder♦ Jul 2 '16 at 18:28
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There can be a lot of reasons that the AV did not detect the software:

  • The code is signed by a reputable company (known good)
  • The binary is a known-good in the NSRL
  • The software does not match a malicious signature or attempt to make suspicious network connections

For additional confirmation, check the list of AVs at avcomparitives.org and test another AV solution on the same system and compare results.

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