Virtual Keyboards protect the computer against

Question

UnlockIAS · Accepted Answer

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.

Why the other options are wrong — (a) 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) 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) True but incomplete — it does block keystroke-logging spyware, but the same protection also defeats Trojan-delivered keyloggers and the password theft they cause.

Concept: 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.

State PCS 2021 Q61 — Science & Technology PYQ with Answer

State PCS 2021 Q61 — Science & Technology PYQ with Answer