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5. How to use the program
 General information
PrivacyKeyboard™ program is very easy-to-use and doesn't require any special training. Its kernel is based on heuristic algorithms and the user needn't interfere into making the decisions about disabling any "suspicious" programs or their modules. The monitoring programs are disabled at the very moment the operating system starts even before the user logs in the system. It is indicated by the sign "This computer is protected by PrivacyKeyboard™" in the lower right corner of the screen.
After the program is successfully launched, the icon in the system tray acts as its indicator. If the module is ON the icon is green, otherwise it turns red.
Auto-detected modules
The only setting available for the user in the PrivacyKeyboard™ is the list of auto-detected modules created by the kernel automatically. It indicates that the program has detected the modules which use mechanisms similar to those used by monitoring programs; the kernel blocks them by default. As a rule, it doesn't disrupt most of the "legal" programs which also capture key strokes but are not of monitoring purpose. If a program or its module appears in the list of auto-detected modules, it doesn't mean that it is definitely a spy program.
If you find out that some of the programs installed with your consent fail to function correctly with active PrivacyKeyboard™, the list of auto-detected modules will probably help you. Find the module which is a part of the program blocked and cancel the blocking. Click the mouse on its line and the module will start working again, indicated by the green icon beside it.
PrivacyKeyboard™ 7.x versions has a module for managing the list of auto-detected modules, which can detect system modules and automatically enables their work in operating systems Windows® 2000 or higher. More information about this module is in the "Program Options" section.
WARNING: Don't allow operation of any modules with unknown function, and in case when the applications' work is not visibly disrupted. If the modules with unknown function are unblocked by mistake, your information might be captured by a keylogger.
Note: only a user with administrative privileges can modify the list of auto-detected modules. (see the "Program Options" section).
White list
White List is a list of trusted applications which a user chooses himself.
A user can add any executable module into the White list if it is necessary to allow some application and modules it contains to perform any action whatever the status of the protection. There are two ways of adding modules into the White list, namely:
- Click the "Add" button, then select a executable module;
- Holding the left mouse button, drag and drop a group of files from the desktop or file manager.
All files added into the white list should have .EXE extension. The number of these files should not exceed 50. If the module which is to be added to the White list is already in the list of detected modules, drag and drop it onto the White list header, holding the left mouse button. To delete a module select it in the list and click the "Delete" button.
Warning: Any application from the White list is permitted to perform any action whatever the state of security system is.
Note: only a user with administrative privileges can modify the White list. (see the "Program Options" section).
Recommendations
To determine whether the blocked module belongs to some program, follow these recommendations:
- Locate it by pointing at the name of the module with the mouse pointer and letting it stay there for a while. The full path to the file will be shown as a tool tip. If it leads to a catalog with the program you know, this module must be its component.
- Check the module description carefully. Software manufacturers usually include information about functions of module into its description. If there is none, it is really suspicious and should alert you.
Switching PrivacyKeyboard™ ON/OFF
To switch the anti-monitoring protection off temporally, use "Stop" button. When pressed, it changes the state of the indicator and the icon in the system tray; its function becomes opposite, i.e. "Start".
Switching mechanisms of anti-monitoring protection off is necessary in case when PrivacyKeyboard™ incompatible programs are going to be used (e.g. some types of computer games etc.)
When the system is rebooted, the protection will start by default whatever its previous state was, if the program is not configured otherwise.
PrivacyKeyboard™ performance check
If you would like to check the performance of PrivacyKeyboard™ do the following:
- Install the PrivacyKeyboard™ program on your computer.
- Install any keylogging program. Most keylogging programs are available from the Internet for free.
- Launch the keylogging program.
- Open any program which has fields for text entry, for example Notepad, WordPad etc.
- Make sure that the PrivacyKeyboard™ program has been launched and is active at the moment.
- Type any text on the keyboard connected to your computer, for example the phrase "My privacy is protected by PrivacyKeyboard™ program".
- Close the program where the test information has been entered.
- Inactivate the PrivacyKeyboard™ program.
- Open a new copy of the program you have tested.
- Type any text on the keyboard connected to your computer, for example the phrase "My privacy is NOT protected now".
- Open the Log-file of the keylogging program and see that this keylogging software program has captured only keystrokes made when the PrivacyKeyboard™ had been inactivated, i.e. a report file will only contain the text "My privacy is NOT protected now", and the text "My privacy is protected by PrivacyKeyboard™ program" won't be captured.
Options
From the version 6.0 the user will be able to change some of the default settings. It is possible because several options are added to the version 6.0. They are available if the user chooses the "Options" button in the main menu
All the available settings fall into three groups, namely: "For [user name]", "Advanced" and "Virtual keyboard". Options of the first group determine the behavior of the program when it is launched by the particular user whose user name is displayed in square brackets.
The second and the third groups of options determine the global settings of the program; only a user with the privilege of a local administrator can change them.
Functionality of every parameter is given below.
The group of options "For [user name]"
Disable splash-screen when the program starts
This option allows switching off the splash-screen when the program initially loads after the user logs in. The program might take rather long time to load in some operating systems, so PrivacyKeyboard™ "entertains" you showing this splash-screen. While the program loads it analyzes system modules it uses to ensure that all the system modules are genuine and their functions can well be used.
Display the icon in the system tray
Enabled by default. When the system loads, the program interface loads as well. You can ban it with this option. In this case you will be able to start the program only from the "Start" menu or from the shortcut on the desktop. The "Close" button (the X-like one) will actually close, not minimize, its window. The anti-keylogging protection will remain as it was at the moment when the program interface was closed. In such a mode the program will work absolutely transparently for the user, i.e. no messages or notes are displayed. When modules are added to the Exclusions List they are blocked whatever "Check certificates of the modules from the Exclusions List automatically" option was set.
Switch off notices about changes in the Auto-detected modules list
This option is disabled by default and the program warns you that new modules have been added into the list of auto-detected modules. A pop-up window with this note appears near the program icon, if the program is active.
As a rule, it means that the program which modules are in the Exclusions List, has been launched. Functionality of these modules is partially restricted (see "The Exclusions List" section for details). The pop-up window has a link to "The Exclusions List" of the main menu.
Switch sound effects off
Enabling this option switches the program into the "silent mode" and it doesn't make any sounds.
Switch visual effects off
If this option is set, there will be no visual effects when the user switches between windows and tabs of the program.
Choose the skin
This option enables the user to change skin of the interface. Select the skin you like from the dropdown list and click "Apply".
The group of options "Advanced"
Automatically launch protection when the system starts
Enabled by default. If canceled, the anti-keylogging protection will not start automatically when the operating system starts. In such a case the user will have to start PrivacyKeyboard™ like any other Windows application.
Prohibit switching off the protection if the user doesn't have administrator privilege
If this option is set, users without administrator privilege will not be able to switch the PrivacyKeyboard™ protection off.
Switch the clipboard protection on
The clipboard protection is enabled by default. However, you can switch off this protection if you find out that there are problems with retrieving information from the clipboard in some applications. In such a case don't copy/paste valuable information because it can be intercepted.
Disable anti-screenshoting
Some spy programs can capture not only keystrokes and text from application windows, but also are capable of copying everything displayed on the screen as the user sees it (making a screenshot). Screenshots can be made in response to some event, e.g. according to a timer signal. So a thief can intercept any information displayed on a PC screen as graphics.
PrivacyKeyboard™ has a special module which prevents screenshoting. However, this module requires more system resources and in some cases can slow down work of the graphic subsystem, especially if the application uses lots of graphics, such as advanced computer games. Switch off the protection only if the system slows down.
Switch the protection on automatically in other sessions when Fast User Switching is used
The "Fast User Switching" option is available in Windows® XP operating system and protection for all users is enabled by default. If you use Fast User Switching mode but don't want PrivacyKeyboard™ to protect other users' information when you are away, disable this option.
Disable splash-screen on logon desktop
This option is not set by default and allows the program to display the “This computer is protected by PrivacyKeyboard™” splash-screen. Setting this flag bans displaying this splash-screen. Note that the splash-screen is not just a picture – it indicates that the program has been successfully launched, all the sub-systems are working properly and anti-keylogging protection is activated.
Check certificates of the modules from the Auto-detected modules list automatically
Enabled by default. This option can automatically enable modules with a digital signature (certificate). These modules are as a rule either system components or programs tested in certification centers.
It is almost impossible to make up a fake certificate, so if a program has one, it is trustworthy. The process of certification check is rather time-consuming and can slow down the whole system if the capacity of a workstation is not high enough for this purpose.
Automatically enable modules with certificates from Microsoft®
Enabled by default. As a rule, modules with such a certificate are operating system components and their functions needn't be restricted. The applied mechanism of certificate verification guarantees that the file containing the specified module is the very file certified by its developer and it hasn't been replaced by some malicious program. If you don't want the program enable modules with certificates, cancel this option.
Don't display automatically enabled modules in the Auto-detected modules list
The program is able not to display in the list of auto-detected modules modules which were enabled automatically, i.e. those with certificates. This option is useful in case you have too many programs which components occur in the list of auto-detected modules, making it difficult to manage.
Display certificates
If you cancel this option you won't be able to recognize modules with certificates. The certificate icon also won't be displayed in the list of auto-detected modules.
Allow a user without administrator privilege to manage the Protection policy
This option is disabled by default. Only a user with administrator privilege can change it. In this mode the list of auto-detected modules and the white list are globals, i.e. it is the same for every user of the system. That is why administrator privilege is required to change settings. Other users can't change the status of blocked modules. If this option is enabled, every user of the system will have his own list of auto-detected modules and the white list. Initial settings are copied for every user from the global list of auto-detected modules and the white list when the user first logs in the system after the settings have been changed. Switching back to the global list of auto-detected modules and the white list won't influence the users' local settings.
The group of options "Virtual Keyboard"
This group of options determines the global settings of the program which affect all the users of the system; that is why only a user with the privilege of a local administrator can change them.
Autoload
If this option is set, the virtual keyboard activates as soon as the protection is switched on (which is indicated by the inscription "This computer is protected by PrivacyKeyboard™"), so it can be used for entering the password.
Keystroke accompaning sound
When a key is pressed, a short sound signal is emitted.
Autokey repeat
Setting this option emulates auto-repeat of keystrokes on the virtual keyboard (like the same function of the real keyboard). The auto-repeat function switches on if the key stays "pressed" longer than the specified period of time. When this option is switched on, two fields for entering settings for the auto-repeat function are available, namely:
- delay before the first keystroke repeat;
- delay between keystrokes.
Specify the period of time (in milliseconds) for this function by choosing a number (50, 100, 250, 500, 1000).
Hot key for popup window
The combination of hot keys <Ctrl>+<Alt>+<Shift>+<P> for activating the virtual keyboard is set by default. You may change it if you like. You should keep in mind that this function of the hot key combination will be of higher priority than that for any other application - for example, if you set the hot key combination <Ctrl>+<P> for activating the virtual keyboard, when you press this combination, the virtual keyboard will be activated instead of printing the document (the default setting for this combination in most of the applications).
Virtual keyboard
The virtual keyboard prevents hardware keyloggers from intercepting keystrokes made by the user. The protection against software keyloggers is also active at this moment.
Since the user is not actually using the keyboard of his PC, hardware keyloggers don't receive any signals from it and capture the keystrokes.
Virtual keyboard is especially useful for entering information which is of high value but of small volume, such as passwords, logins, bank account numbers, and other personal data.
The virtual keyboard is activated by pressing the certain combination of "hot keys". When the program is installed, default settings for these hot keys are <Ctrl>+<Alt>+<Shift>+<P>. There is no distinction between left and right command keys. Users with administrator privilege can change settings for hot keys combinations as well as some other default settings. (see The group of options "Virtual keyboard" section).
When the certain combination of hot keys is pressed, the virtual keyboard appears on the screen:
To enter information via the virtual keyboard select the window for text entry (application). Then "press" the virtual keyboard keys by left-clicking on the particular key.
Peculiarities of the virtual keyboard
When you are typing information via the virtual keyboard, keep in mind its characteristics:
- You can launch the virtual keyboard at any moment after the program kernel is loaded, which is indicated by the inscription "This computer is protected by PrivacyKeyboard™" in the lower right corner of the screen. So, you can use the virtual keyboard for entering your password to access the system. The virtual keyboard can't be activated if the protection is switched off in the current session.
- The virtual keyboard is not available for terminal sessions users (launched via Remote Desktop Connection).
- You can move the virtual keyboard window like any other window in Windows OS, i.e. by dragging and dropping it with the mouse.
- When the virtual keyboard is in use, the PC's keyboard is blocked, so no key combinations, including system keys, can be entered from it. The keyboard of the PC will be automatically unblocked as soon as the virtual keyboard is closed.
- <Ctrl>, <Alt>, <Shift>, <Caps> keys have two states (on/off). Switching between these states is performed by clicking the mouse on the particular key. When any of these keys is "on", it looks as though it was "pressed in".
- Switching between languages on the virtual keyboard is similar to the same operation on the real one. In this case alphanumeric keys will change according to the new keyboard layout.
- If the keyboard layout has additional symbols, they can be entered by "switching on" the right <Alt> button. All the second symbols available will be shown on the alphanumeric keys.
Sending an Error Report
If an unexpected error occurs, the window with its description and system configurations will appear:
To send an error report, click the "Send Error Report" button. To ignore the message, click "Don't Send". After such an error stable operation of the program can't be guaranteed. It is strongly recommended to reboot the computer to avoid unforeseen situations.
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