How to keep my app from being "killed"
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I have written an application that limits how much time my teenage children are on the internet each day. It prompts them for a password. When the password box is up, they can go to the task manager (applications tab) and just kill my process. How can I protect may app from being killed that way?
Darryl Borden Principal IT Analyst dborden@eprod.com
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I have written an application that limits how much time my teenage children are on the internet each day. It prompts them for a password. When the password box is up, they can go to the task manager (applications tab) and just kill my process. How can I protect may app from being killed that way?
Darryl Borden Principal IT Analyst dborden@eprod.com
I think you should create a a new user for ur children and give minimum rights to it. It would be better to make it a guest account. You can also apply policy using Microsoft Management Console and prevent them from opening Task Manager. But it has proved that today's children are more clever than parents. There is a saying in URDU which translates as "The children of today are so much clever as they are trying to evaluate the Night-Fly in the day.":)
Mujtaba
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I have written an application that limits how much time my teenage children are on the internet each day. It prompts them for a password. When the password box is up, they can go to the task manager (applications tab) and just kill my process. How can I protect may app from being killed that way?
Darryl Borden Principal IT Analyst dborden@eprod.com
I don't know about any easy way how to achieve that. Personally I would prefer to find a non-software solution, but if you insist ;-) I would: 1. limit the account the kids are running under (if not done already). If they are admins, you can do nothing they are not able to overcome. 2. Write a service that is optionally attached to the
WTSRegisterSessionNotification(WinXP+). This helps you to use their windows logon to measure the time they spend on the computer in total. Also can help to detect who is trying to overcome the security mechanism. 3. Set the service as autorestarted for any case (service settings). 4. Disable the network connectivity on the service startup (e.g. disable the ethernet card). 5. Write the communication application that is on one side communicating with the service, on other side asks for the specific username/password allowing to start the internet session. 6. The application will pass the credentials to the service. 7. Service will enable the ethernet card for use for valid credentials. 8. Logoff from the windows or from the communication application will cause the eth card to be disabled. 9. In cause the service is killed somehow, windows will restart it. Because of 4. the internet connection is disabled. This all will pops-up some questions: 1. what is a Internet spending time - I can download a bunch of pages at all in a few seconds, then read it for a week (offline browsing)? On the other side I can download e.g. a large iso image of my school project from slow school server physically not being at the computer - meanwhile helping at home with some other tasks ;P. 2. How to manage the software solution that someone will not simply bring in a notebook, disconnect the original computer and browse from that notebook? 3. above solution is quite difficult to manage with user-switching (although not impossible, but can be overcomed by another software running on background in suspended account waiting for the connection to be enabled from another account) Another possibilities (solves 2): - custom proxy - measure the time on other computer used as an authenticated proxy server. Set your network that the internet is not accessible in any other way without using this proxy. Lock proxy in secure place.