Bossware, Keyloggers, Silent Mic Taps: How to Detect and Fight Back
Your boss doesn’t trust you. Not really.
So they installed surveillance you never agreed to.
WELCOME TO DIGITAL WAGE SLAVERY
Forget punching clocks. Now it’s browser tabs, keyboard activity, eye movement.
The software watching you? It’s called “productivity monitoring.” Cute euphemism.
Let’s call it what it is: corporate spyware.
This isn’t fringe. As of last year, over 60% of companies admitted to tracking employees digitally. That’s just the ones willing to say it out loud.
- Mouse movement.
- App usage.
- Idle time.
- Screenshots.
- Clipboard content.
- Private messages.
All fair game in the name of “efficiency.”
You’re not being paranoid enough.
CHECKLIST: HOW TO KNOW IF YOU’RE BEING WATCHED
- CHECK FOR NEW PROCESSES
Open Task Manager (Windows) or Activity Monitor (macOS).
Look for names you don’t recognize: Teramind, ActivTrak, Hubstaff, InterGuard, Veriato, Time Doctor, StaffCop.
Even if disguised, most of them leave a trace. Look for apps phoning home to weird domains. - WATCH YOUR NETWORK TRAFFIC
Install Little Snitch (macOS) or GlassWire (Windows).
If an app sends data constantly while you’re idle, something’s up.
Also: check your DNS logs if you’re on your own network. A silent payload calling back to a corporate IP is a red flag. - LISTEN FOR THE MIC AND WATCH YOUR CAMERA
No joke, some of this software activates your mic and webcam to “analyze engagement.”
Use apps like Oversight (macOS) or Webcam Light Indicator tools for PC.
Better yet? Tape over the camera. Use an external mic you can physically unplug. - SCAN FOR KEYLOGGERS
Run a malware scanner. Not just antivirus.
Use Malwarebytes, OSSEC, or chkrootkit (for Linux).
Keyloggers don’t always flag as malware—but you might catch companion processes or shady behaviors. - TRUST NO SOFTWARE GIVEN TO YOU
If your company gave you the laptop, assume it’s compromised.
Don’t mix personal logins, Signal chats, or crypto wallets on that machine. Ever.
Use your own device for your own life.
THIS ISN’T JUST SNOOPING. IT’S CONTROL.
Bossware doesn’t just watch. It pressures.
It manipulates behavior by creating invisible cages.
You hesitate before stepping away.
You self censor in Slack.
You don’t Google that union rights article.
That’s not productivity. That’s digital compliance.
WHAT TO DO IF YOU’RE TRAPPED
- USE A SEPARATE PERSONAL DEVICE.
Don’t assume incognito mode helps you. It doesn’t.
Keep private searches, side projects, and communication off the work machine entirely. It’s their machine. Fine, use your own for personal stuff. - RUN LIVE LINUX FROM USB.
If you need to bypass surveillance for a secure session: boot a live OS like Tails or Kali from a USB.
Use it. Shut down. Pull the drive. No trace left on the host. - DOCUMENT IT. QUIETLY.
If the surveillance is extreme, start collecting logs.
Screenshots, traffic records, mic triggers, anything.
There are labor laws in some regions that this stuff violates. But only if you have proof. - TALK TO OTHERS.
Privately. Carefully. But talk.
Isolation is how surveillance wins.
Collective resistance is how it breaks. - GET OUT IF YOU CAN.
Sometimes the only way to win is to walk.
But walk smart. Secure your backups. Wipe what’s yours. Take nothing you don’t own.
FINAL THOUGHT
You won’t always be able to stop the spying, we all have bills to pay.
But you can refuse to condone it.
You are not a data stream.
You are not property.
FIGHT BACK. STAY QUIET.
-GHOST
Written by GHOST, creator of the Untraceable Digital Dissident project.
This is part of the Untraceable Digital Dissident series — tactical privacy for creators and rebels.
Explore more privacy tactics at untraceabledigitaldissident.com.