Keyboard backlight color based on active qube

[Marek Marczykowski-Górecki]

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Hi,

I've published the first post on my blog:
https://blog.marmarek.net/blog/2018/10/11/keyboard-backlight-color-qubes.html

Have fun!

- --
Best Regards,
Marek Marczykowski-Górecki
Invisible Things Lab
A: Because it messes up the order in which people normally read text.
Q: Why is top-posting such a bad thing?
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[Tai...@gmx.com]

Very cool!

This is very innovative for security, to prevent typing in the wrong window.

I wish unicomp made a keyboard with colors as I can't give up my model M
tho :[

[brenda...@gmail.com]

On Thursday, October 11, 2018 at 1:01:12 PM UTC-4, Marek Marczykowski-Górecki wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I've published the first post on my blog:
> https://blog.marmarek.net/blog/2018/10/11/keyboard-backlight-color-qubes.html

That's pretty great!

I'm fairly certain I read about a CIA, NSA or DOD deployed OS that did something very similar: the keyboard {back-,indicator-}light color was changed by the OS when the compartment or security context changed. Unfortunately I can't seem to track down the reference now.

Brendan

[brenda...@gmail.com]

On Saturday, October 13, 2018 at 2:45:13 PM UTC-4, Brendan Hoar wrote:
> On Thursday, October 11, 2018 at 1:01:12 PM UTC-4, Marek Marczykowski-Górecki wrote:
> > Hi,
> >
> > I've published the first post on my blog:
> > https://blog.marmarek.net/blog/2018/10/11/keyboard-backlight-color-qubes.html
>

> I'm fairly certain I read about a CIA, NSA or DOD deployed OS that did something very similar: the keyboard {back-,indicator-}light color was changed by the OS when the compartment or security context changed. Unfortunately I can't seem to track down the reference now.

Hi Marek,

I found it! DOD/NSA uses a product called SecureView for some work, built on XenClient/OpenXT. Not surprisingly, this particular page references Qubes: https://trmm.net/SecureView

Anwyay, their keyboard color-coding is called GlowView ... https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Dd5J-_GUwAEl8lb.jpg

Brendan

[Vít Šesták]

So, you have found an ancient UNIX command to be useful for fuzzy testing: cat.

[brenda...@gmail.com]

> > On Thursday, October 11, 2018 at 1:01:12 PM UTC-4, Marek Marczykowski-Górecki wrote:
> > > I've published the first post on my blog:
> > > https://blog.marmarek.net/blog/2018/10/11/keyboard-backlight-color-qubes.html

In the spirit of fun, after I ran across a $13 USB device that is, essentially, a serial-port connected RGB LED...

https://fit-iot.com/web/product/fit-statusb/
http://www.fit-pc.com/wiki/index.php/Fit-statUSB

...I took Marmarek's keyboard-color script, modified it a bit, and voila, I now have a little night-light indicator as an extra reminder on which VM has focus. My wife was amused...ish at this < 2hr project.

Right now, I don't have any custom scripts or executables on the sys-usb side, the script just printf's to a cat >> redirect. There probably should be something sys-usb side to identify the correct /dev/ttyACM{0,1,2} device, set the tty speed and reset the permissions, esp. after a suspend or removal/insertion.

Enjoy

https://pastebin.com/H6bj5tSS

Brendan

[brenda...@gmail.com]

On Saturday, January 12, 2019 at 2:48:24 PM UTC-5, Brendan Hoar wrote:
> ...I took Marmarek's keyboard-color script, modified it a bit, and voila, I now have a little night-light indicator as an extra reminder on which VM has focus.

In action:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIbFJvUgMa4

Brendan