Kiosk Security Archives - The KioskSimple Blog

How to Automatically Log In To an ASP.NET Website Using JavaScript

In this article I’m going to show you how to automatically log into an ASP.NET website running on a kiosk.

This comes in handy when you’re reusing your existing website and want to host it on a kiosk, but want to automate the login process. Often times in this scenario it doesn’t make sense for the user to log in manually.

KioskSimple makes it easy to securely host your website on a kiosk and automatically log in using a little JavaScript injection.

Automatically log in to your ASP.NET website with JavaScript

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Windows Kiosk Mode vs. Kiosk Software

A common question I hear from new clients is “why would I want to use kiosk software when I can just use kiosk mode in Windows 8 (aka Assigned Access)?”

This is a fair question, so I’m going to explain the limitations of Windows Kiosk Mode and when there is a need for kiosk software.

The short answer is that kiosk software makes up for the short comings in Windows Kiosk Mode and adds an additional layer of security and ease of use to get you up and running quickly without all the headaches.

Our kiosk software is designed to be so simple that no nerd degree is required.

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System Downtime May Be Costing You More Than You Think

Does your system have too much downtime and you don’t even know it? Are your customers running away to your competitors without your knowledge?

The answer may be YES if your system experiences regular downtime and worst of all you may not even be aware of the extent of the damage until your reputation has been irreparably tarnished.

The term ‘downtime’ derives from when a system, combination of systems, or any application or service is unable to perform a desired operation. Downtime can be expected and scheduled, such as planned maintenance, or it can be an unintended interruption of service such as a server overload or device failure.

This article is intended to help broaden your thinking about the costs and types of system downtime.

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How To Disable The Windows Charms Bar on Your Kiosk

If you operate a self-service kiosk or unattended payment terminal running Windows 8 with a touchscreen then you’ve probably noticed that pesky Windows charms bar that pops up all the time.

This cute looking charms bar is a huge security vulnerability since it allows users to navigate away from your kiosk application and tamper with the operating system.

Fortunately, disabling the Windows charms bar can be easily achieved with kiosk software.

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How to Dramatically Increase Your Kiosk Applications Performance with Local Caching – Part 2

If your kiosk regularly synchronizes data with a remote server then you may have the opportunity to dramatically improve your kiosks performance by making use of your kiosks local storage. By caching data locally it allows your kiosk to respond more quickly to user input by reducing the amount of time your kiosk spends waiting on a response from the server.

In the second part of this 2-part series I’ll cover a couple cool options for persistent local storage in the web browser. In part one I covered the benefits of caching data locally on your kiosk, the sort of data you’ll want to cache and some helpful tips for caching.

The three main advantages of caching data locally on your kiosk

Increases the responsiveness of your kiosk
Reduces the load on your server
Lowers bandwidth requirements

Continue reading “How to Dramatically Increase Your Kiosk Applications Performance with Local Caching – Part 2”

How to Dramatically Increase Your Kiosk Applications Performance with Local Caching – Part 1

In the first part of this 2-part series I’m going to cover the benefits of caching data locally on your kiosk, the sort of data you’ll want to cache and some helpful tips for caching. In part two I’ll cover a couple cool options for persistent local storage in the web browser. Continue reading “How to Dramatically Increase Your Kiosk Applications Performance with Local Caching – Part 1”

Protecting Your Kiosks From BadUSB Malware

If your kiosks have any of their USB ports exposed then watch out, because your kiosks are vulnerable to a recently discovered security vulnerability. According to a recent USB security article in Wired the security researchers Karsten Nohl and Jakob Lell have demonstrated how their malware called BadUSB “can be installed on a USB device and used to completely take over a PC, invisibly alter files installed from the memory stick, or even redirect the user’s internet traffic.” Continue reading “Protecting Your Kiosks From BadUSB Malware”

What is Kiosk Software?

Kiosk software is a security application specifically designed to transform a PC or tablet into a self-service kiosk. The kiosk software is also responsible for locking down your kiosks operating system to prevent malicious user tampering, which is why kiosk software is often referred to as “kiosk lockdown software.”

Some common features of kiosk software include:

Ensures that your kiosk application is always running

In most cases the kiosk operator will desire to deliver their content in the form of a website or native application running on their kiosk. An example of a native application for a kiosk running Microsoft Windows would be a .NET WPF application. For the sake of brevity, for the remainder of this article I’m going to refer to the website or native application running on your kiosk as “your kiosk application.”

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EMV Compliance vs. PCI Compliance

What’s the difference between EMV compliance and PCI compliance? The short answer is they’re both guidelines for protecting cardholder data for the purpose preventing fraud, but they focus on different elements of the credit card transaction.

“To clarify it even further and more simply, PCI is about making sure the card data doesn’t get stolen and is secure in the first place and EMV is making sure if the data IS stolen that the content is rendered useless.” – CPI PCI and EMV: What’s the difference? Continue reading “EMV Compliance vs. PCI Compliance”

Start Internet Explorer in Kiosk Mode with KioskSimple

KioskSimple makes it a breeze to start Internet Explorer in “kiosk mode” and convert your PC into a self-service kiosk in just a few easy steps. This is a great option if your kiosk content is HTML based and you want to display it via the Internet Explorer web browser. Continue reading “Start Internet Explorer in Kiosk Mode with KioskSimple”