EAST GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Libraries across Kent County have put new security measures in place after a hacking device was found on a public computer in East Grand Rapids.
Library patrons who used the computer were notified of the hacking device earlier this year, Kent District Library spokesman Randall Goble said.
“This is a first,’’ Goble said. “I don’t think anyone ever expects this.’’
The East Grand Rapids Department of Public Safety continues to investigate, but there is no indication patrons who used the bugged computer have been victims of identity theft or fraud, Detective Pete Gruzin said.
“It wasn’t there very long; it was a short period of time,’’ he said. “We continue to investigate it.’’
The device found at the Kent District Library - East Grand Rapids branch, is called a keystroke logger or keylogger. Keyloggers plug into computers and record every keystroke that has been typed. Hackers use it to obtain user names and passwords, which can lead to identity theft and fraud.
Potentially illegal information obtained could be bank information, account passwords and other sensitive information, Gruzin wrote in a search warrant affidavit.
The keylogger was found after the library had water damage from a burst pipe back in March. Staff found it attached to one of the public use computers during clean-up.
“We were pretty quick to recognize that it was something that could have compromised security and privacy, so we alerted the police right away,’’ Goble said.
Kent District Library has 275 computers in 19 library branches across Kent County, including the East Grand Rapids branch at 746 Lakeside Drive SE.
In response to the incident in East Grand Rapids, keyboards are now connected to the face of the computer, rather than in back, to make it easier to detect a keylogger, Goble said.
“If there’s a device that’s been added to the system, it’s visible to our staff right away,’’ he said. “We’ve also taught our staff to look for certain things – anything that’s unfamiliar.’’
Library staff are also inspecting the public access computers throughout the day, he said.
“It’s just a quick walk-by check they do throughout the day,’’ Goble explained. “They know what standard equipment is, so if it’s been altered in any way, they’ll notice it.’’