Website Remote Control Detection

TL;DR

Websites can detect if you’re controlling your browser remotely, but it’s not foolproof and depends on what the remote control software does. They look for unusual patterns in how you interact with the page – things a human wouldn’t normally do. Blocking these detections is tricky.

How Websites Detect Remote Control

Websites don’t directly ‘know’ if you’re using remote control software, but they can infer it by observing your browser behaviour. Here’s how:

1. Unusual Mouse Movements and Clicks

• Speed: Remote control often moves the mouse much faster than a human could.
• Precision: Precise, robotic movements are a giveaway. Humans wobble!
• Patterns: Repeated clicks in exact locations or very regular intervals raise suspicion.

2. JavaScript Checks

Websites use JavaScript to monitor your actions. They can check:

• Event Timings: The time between mouse movements, key presses, and clicks. Remote control software often has very consistent timings.
• Browser APIs: Some remote control tools interact with browser APIs in ways that are detectable.

3. User Agent Detection

While not a direct indicator, some remote control software modifies the user agent string (the information your browser sends to websites). Websites can check this.

// Example JavaScript to get the user agent
const userAgent = navigator.userAgent;
console.log(userAgent);

4. Canvas Fingerprinting

Websites can use a technique called canvas fingerprinting to create a unique ‘fingerprint’ of your browser based on how it renders images. Remote control software might alter this fingerprint.

What Can You Do? (Mitigation)

1. Use Reputable Software: Choose well-known remote control applications that are designed to be stealthy and avoid detection.
2. Adjust Settings: If your software allows it, slow down mouse movement speed and add randomness to clicks.
3. Browser Extensions (Limited Help): Some browser extensions claim to block fingerprinting or JavaScript tracking, but their effectiveness varies greatly. They can also break website functionality.
4. Privacy-Focused Browsers: Browsers like Brave or Tor Browser offer enhanced privacy features that might make detection harder, but they aren’t specifically designed for this purpose.
5. Virtual Machines (Best Protection): Running the remote control session within a virtual machine provides the strongest isolation and makes it much more difficult for websites to identify your real browser environment.

5. Detecting Remote Control in JavaScript

Here’s an example of how a website might try to detect unusual click patterns:

// Simple example - detects clicks faster than 100ms apart
let lastClickTime = 0;
const fastClickThreshold = 100;

document.addEventListener('click', function(event) {
  const currentTime = Date.now();
  if (currentTime - lastClickTime < fastClickThreshold) {
    console.log('Possible remote control detected!');
  }
  lastClickTime = currentTime;
});

Important Note: This is a very basic example and can be easily bypassed. Real-world detection methods are much more sophisticated.

cyber security Considerations

Be aware that using remote control software introduces cyber security risks. Ensure the software is from a trusted source, keep it updated, and use strong passwords. Avoid accessing sensitive information while remotely controlling your browser on untrusted networks.