MPPSC 2021 Prelims Paper-I · Question 61 of 100

Correct — D, All of the above. A virtual (on-screen) keyboard is operated by mouse clicks instead of physical key-presses, so keystroke-logging malware — which can be delivered as a Trojan program or run as spyware — has no physical keys to record. Because that same keylogging technique is the main route by which passwords are stolen, a virtual keyboard simultaneously defeats password theft, keylogging Trojans, and spyware, making 'all of the above' the accurate combined answer.

• (a)Password theft — True but incomplete — a virtual keyboard does stop password theft carried out via keylogging, but the same protection equally blocks the Trojan and spyware programs that carry out that keylogging, so naming only 'password theft' understates it.
• (b)Trojan programs — True but incomplete — it does defeat keylogging delivered as a Trojan, but the same mechanism also covers spyware-based keylogging and the resulting password theft.
• (c)Spyware — True but incomplete — it does block keystroke-logging spyware, but the same protection also defeats Trojan-delivered keyloggers and the password theft they cause.

A virtual (on-screen) keyboard lets a user 'type' by clicking characters with a mouse instead of pressing physical keys. It exists specifically to defeat keyloggers — malicious code, often installed as a Trojan or running as spyware, that records physical keystrokes to steal passwords, PINs, and other sensitive input.

The exam lists three named risks as if only one option can be right, but password theft, Trojan programs, and spyware are really different labels for the same underlying attack chain (keystroke capture) — seeing that link is what makes 'all of the above' correct rather than a trick.

• Virtual keyboards are operated by mouse clicks, not physical key-presses
• They are designed to defeat keyloggers (keystroke-recording malware)
• Keyloggers can be delivered via Trojan programs or run as spyware
• Widely used on net-banking login pages for entering passwords/PINs

• Picking only one of a/b/c because each sounds individually correct, missing that they describe the same underlying threat (keylogging)
• Confusing a security virtual keyboard with an accessibility on-screen keyboard (different purpose)

MPPSC computer-awareness typically asks 'X protects against Y' for cybersecurity terms — check whether the listed threats are actually the same attack described three different ways.

No directly related past PYQ was found.

• practice — not a real PYQ

  A keylogger is a type of malicious program that primarily:

  • (a)Deletes files on the hard disk
  • (b)Records keystrokes to steal sensitive data
  • (c)Blocks internet access
  • (d)Compresses files automatically

  Answer(b) Records keystrokes to steal sensitive data — exactly what virtual keyboards are designed to defeat.

• practice — not a real PYQ

  Which of the following is a recommended defence against keylogging malware while logging into online banking?

  • (a)Using a virtual/on-screen keyboard
  • (b)Disabling the antivirus
  • (c)Sharing the password over e-mail
  • (d)Using the same password everywhere

  Answer(a) Using a virtual/on-screen keyboard — mouse-click entry leaves no physical keystrokes for a keylogger to capture.