If Dorothy from "The Wizard of Oz" took stock of the beasts inhabiting cyberspace, she might gasp, "Web bugs and porn bots and spyware, oh my!"

One particularly scary type of spyware, key-logging software, records a computer user's keystrokes for the purpose of monitoring computer activity. Think of it as a real-time spy noting your every move, including logs of IM chats and websites you've visited. The hidden software records keystrokes and places them in a password-protected file so the person doing the spying can retrieve the information later. The information can also be delivered via email. Worse, because the software is hidden from view, you won't be able to find it to purge it from your hard drive.

A new threat?

Key-logging software took center stage last year when it was revealed that the FBI was working on a program called Magic Lantern, a key-logging application that allows access to passwords and other sensitive information. Critics warn of invasion of privacy while proponents answer back that it's necessary given the widely available high tech tools to which criminals have access. Others who might be interested in monitoring computer use are protective parents who want to keep an eye on their children's computer use, suspicious spouses, or anyone else prone to snooping -- as long as it's on their own computer in their own home.

For the most part, software that eliminates key loggers hasn't been available. But Raytown gives computer users who are paranoid about computer monitoring some ammunition to fight back. The software is called Anti-keylogger, and its purpose is to hunt down and expose the monitoring program so you can delete it.