Keyboard Driver Encryption Against Keylogging Interception
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current anti-keylogger software techniques are insufficient in preventing malicious keylogging, as they do not provide adequate security against interception of keyboard inputs, leaving computers vulnerable to significant economic damages.
Innovation Solution
An anti-keylogger method that installs an extra keyboard driver above the low-level driver, encrypts keyboard communications, and monitors driver configurations to detect and prevent interception, ensuring that even if the same characters are entered, they are intercepted as different characters, maintaining system functionality while protecting against malicious keylogging.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If encryption is applied to keyboard communications, then security against keylogging is improved, but system complexity increases due to driver installation and monitoring mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediate keyboard driver that sits between the physical keyboard and the operating system. This driver acts as a mediator that intercepts keyboard events, encrypts them using cryptographic algorithms, and forwards the encrypted data to the application layer. The intermediary driver architecture allows encryption to be implemented without modifying the underlying operating system or application code, thus improving security while managing complexity through a dedicated security layer.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the keyboard input processing into distinct functional layers: the physical keyboard hardware, the encryption/decryption driver layer, and the application layer. By segmenting the system this way, the encryption functionality is isolated in a separate driver module that can be installed and managed independently. This segmentation improves security through layered protection while managing complexity by allowing each layer to operate autonomously with well-defined interfaces.
2Reliability
If an extra keyboard driver is installed to encrypt communications, then protection against interception is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates due to driver installation requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by automatically installing and configuring the encryption driver during the software installation process, before the user needs to use the protected application. The driver is pre-configured with cryptographic keys and parameters, and is automatically registered with the operating system's keyboard driver chain. This preliminary setup eliminates the need for users to manually configure complex driver settings, thus improving protection while maintaining ease of operation through automation.
Solution Approach 2:
The encryption driver implements self-service by automatically managing its own installation, configuration, and integration with the operating system. The driver includes built-in functionality to detect available keyboard devices, register itself in the appropriate position in the driver chain, and configure encryption parameters without user intervention. This self-service capability improves protection through automated security setup while maintaining ease of operation by eliminating manual configuration steps.
3Reliability
If driver configuration monitoring is implemented, then detection of interception attempts is improved, but device complexity increases due to monitoring mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms where the encryption driver continuously monitors the configuration state of the keyboard driver chain and compares it against the expected secure configuration. When changes are detected (such as unauthorized driver insertion or removal), the system generates feedback signals that trigger alerting mechanisms or automatic countermeasures. This feedback-based monitoring improves detection capability while managing complexity through event-driven architecture that only activates monitoring when relevant changes occur.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies preliminary anti-action by proactively detecting and responding to potential interception attempts before they can compromise security. The monitoring mechanism continuously checks the driver chain configuration for signs of tampering, such as unauthorized drivers attempting to insert themselves between the keyboard and the encryption driver. When potential threats are detected in advance, the system can take preventive actions such as blocking the unauthorized driver or alerting the user, thus improving detection while managing complexity through proactive rather than reactive monitoring.
Data Source
Figure 1
AI summary
: The invention relates to a method in computer assisted operation, wherein a user operates by using a keyboard of a computer, such as a PC, laptop, mobile device or the like, wherein, when the user presses a key of the keyboard, a computer hardware generates an event, whereafter a low-level driver of the keyboard is activated, which transfers the event to one or more upper-level drivers, thereafter to an operating system of the computer and furthermore finally to a program operated by the user in order to carry out the user's purpose of operation. An anti-keylogger software based on encrypting is being used for preventing malicious keylogging, wherein in order to prevent interception of the event received from the keyboard on its way to the user operated program, the whole way of communication related to the event between the low-level keyboard driver to the user operated program receiving the entered key is being encrypted by the anti-keylogger software, which includes at least an encrypting module and a decrypting module.