Protect Your Laptop Screen from Roving Eyes

limbo makes a good point. One thing that should always be considered with security products is whether they make you more vulnerable to other forms of attack. Anything that reduces your ability to hear or see potential attackers is not good for security.

The only really good potential solution to shoulder-surfing of the screen contents is to have a head based display (which again gives a security issue and gives a lower resolution).

As for watching key-presses, if you are a touch typist you could scrub the key tops, most people can’t even read a keyboard if the letters have been scrubbed off. To make it more difficult you could use a different keyboard mapping.

Paul • April 26, 2008 10:09 AM

What I found funny is that just last week I saw somebody wearing his hoodie just like this to work on his laptop outside. Of course it wasn’t done for privacy. He was trying take advantage of good weather and also work on his computer outside.

j0hnner_ca • April 26, 2008 10:30 AM

Someone call 911– oh I see… nevermind.

But seriously does it breathe? Am I the only one who thinks it could get pretty stuffy in there? I’d have to use a straw.

ZaD MoFo • April 26, 2008 11:53 PM

It works!

KISS like in Keep It Stupid Simple.

Just waiting the Christian Dior version.

DarkStar • April 27, 2008 5:17 PM

Don’t even bother erasing the keys. Just type with a Dvorak layout on a standard keyboard. I do that and it seems to throw everyone off when I hit ‘G’ and ‘I’ shows up on the screen.

I will say, though, that the woolly for just the keyboard would be useful for cold hands while typing in the winter…

Dave Aronson • April 28, 2008 6:43 AM

Why bother erasing the keycaps? Much easier to just plop a blank sticker on it. That way you can also remove the sticker if you find it difficult using blank keys.

matt a • April 28, 2008 7:11 AM

Yeah, works good until the first time you sneeze…

BMurray • April 28, 2008 1:53 PM

I assume it has an SPH.

Rai • April 29, 2008 12:32 PM

I used to use an army field jacket zipped up and the hood covering the neck hole to darkbag my 35mm camera back in the day. If there was some reason such as film having slipped off the sprocket you could put the camera inside, fold the hood over the neck hole, fold the waist to close that and reach in through the sleeves to open the back of the camera and feel your way through the fix.

Rai • April 29, 2008 12:39 PM

about disguising the keys, I touch type and I use wi fi in cafes, with muffin and coffee, that and the fact that I have a cat at home, means that my keyboard would be subject to a lot of crumbs and the electostatic cat hair, except that I often cover the keyboard with saran wrap off the dayold muffin, crumb side out. this does not inhibit typeing except it makes me more aware of the little marks that are on the F and J keys, but the shiny and wrinkled saran wrap makes it very difficult for someone to see the keys from thier angle. and I don’t look at them

Schneier on Security

Protect Your Laptop Screen from Roving Eyes

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