Are Your Employees Using Mouse Jigglers? A Quick Guide to Preventing Mouse Jigglers at Work
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The remote working model has made it mandatory for organizations to deploy employee monitoring software that can track employee productivity by detecting whether they’re idle or spending time on non-work tasks during work hours.
However, technology is also providing a counter to employee monitoring – a mouse jiggler. This seemingly harmless tool is becoming increasingly popular with employees, but it does raise a few ethical questions for workers and enterprises.
In this article, we’ll dig deeper into the topic of mouse jigglers. Read on further to learn why detecting mouse jigglers is crucial and how to spot their use during work hours.
What Is a Mouse Jiggler?
A mouse jiggler or mouse mover is a device that is used to stimulate mouse activity or movement on computers. Its main task is to periodically move the cursor so the system remains active and does not go into sleep or screensaver mode.
While the intention of these tools is purely functional, employees working remotely have been observed to utilize them to mislead their employees into believing they are still working. This creates the illusion of activity, incorrect screen time monitoring and masking periods of inactivity.
How Are Employees Using Mouse Jigglers?
Not all employees use mouse jigglers to fudge their work activity hours. For some, it may offer momentary convenience, help them work more efficiently, or manage some technical issues. From a work perspective, a mouse jiggler is useful in keeping the system active during time-sensitive tasks, such as video rendering or data processing. However, in most cases, jigglers are used primarily to inflate activity counts.
Here are a few reasons why an employee might be using a mouse jiggler:
- Washroom Break: to avoid monitoring software recording non-productive time
- Non-Official Work: stepping away briefly but planning to resume tasks
- Work-Related Tasks: such as reading a whitepaper or datasheet, without appearing inactive
Mouse movers are easy to set up and difficult to detect, making them a popular workaround for employees. However, it is possible to detect mouse movers if employees’ have them installed on their work devices. But before that, let us look at the types of mouse jigglers.
Types of Mouse Jigglers
Mouse jigglers are classified into two types: software-based mouse jigglers and physical mouse jigglers. Let’s look at them both in greater detail.
Software Mouse Jigglers: These are applications or programs that can mimic the movement of the mouse on a computer system. They are installed on the OS and can be configured as needed, making it challenging to detect them without an antivirus or screen monitoring software.
Extensions for Browsers: Another simple mouse jiggler is a browser extension that can be attached directly to any web browser. Even though they are user-friendly and easy to install, their functionality is limited only to the web browser, and they have no impact on other system applications. Extensions are often used by employees who work on web-based applications or platforms.
Hardware Mouse Jigglers: These are small devices that look like USB storage and can be connected directly to a USB port. They work by generating electrical signals that simulate the movement of the mouse. Physical mouse jigglers are portable, discreet, and difficult to spot.
Are Mouse Jigglers Detectable?
Mouse jigglers have been designed for the purpose of preventing systems from going into sleep mode. However, these do bring up security risks, such as unauthorized access to systems and stored information. Is it possible to detect a mouse jiggler? The answer is yes, but it can be challenging.
Let’s look at how to detect mouse jigglers at the workplace.
Employee Monitoring Software
One way to check whether your people are using mouse jigglers is to use employee monitoring software. Besides tracking employee activity during the workday, the software can also help detect mouse jiggler activities. While these applications can’t read the actual keystrokes, they are good at spotting unusual behavior and patterns that can indicate mouse jigglers.
Physical Inspection of Work Computers or Laptops
Periodically checking the system or devices can aid in detecting the use of mouse movers. Look for unfamiliar devices in the USB ports, unexplained cables, any additions or alterations. You can also use device scanning tools to search for connected external devices. This process can be tedious and time-consuming in large organizations with multiple computers.
Specific Response Time Limits
A smart way to prevent the installation of mouse jigglers is to take a manual approach to daily work. Instead of needing to detect mouse movers, you can deter employees from installing software in the first place. For instance, you can specify certain time frames within which employees have to respond to chat apps, video calls, or messages. While a mouse jiggler can create a false impression about being active on the system and working, it can’t answer calls, reply to messages, or click buttons.
Tamper-Proof Seals
Mount tamper-proof seals on computer USB ports to prevent unauthorized access. If these seals are found broken during a physical examination, it means the employee is using a USB mouse jiggler.
Anti-malware or Antivirus Software
Many anti-malware and antivirus software programs today offer built-in features that can detect unauthorized or suspicious tools on computers. A regular system scan can help detect mouse jiggler software in the system.
Conclusion
Mouse jigglers can make employee monitoring a little challenging. However, with the right tools and knowledge, managers can prevent such issues from occurring. Use this article as a guide and decide which approach works best for your organization. Not only will this ensure a transparent and productive work environment, but it will also help in keeping all security protocols in place.
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