Hiding the TinyPilot Pro from Windows
- @david
When my TinyPilot is attached to my Windows 10 computer, the only place where I see "TinyPilot" is under the Audio Inputs and Outputs section. "TinyPilot Intel(R) Display Audio" also appears under the audio outputs selectable on the taskbar.
When I review Device Manager, I do not see USB Mass storage as described in other threads. I do not have any thumb drives connected - just the internal microSD card. I am not using any of the USB ports. I do see USB COMPOSITE DEVICE under Universal Serial Bus Controller.
There were instructions to disable virtual media at a link that no longer works - https://tinypilotkvm.com/faq/disable-virtual-media
Is it correct to assume that on the current Pro version this is no longer needed?
Does that only show up if you use insert a USB thumb drive into one of the Tiny Pilot USBs?
I want to hide the device from any scans that could be run on my home computer - I assure you not for nefarious reasons that will get anyone fired or put in jail :-).
Since the site is public information, someone could create a script that looks for traces of a TinyPilot device. I am going to guess at what steps to make it even harder to detect without breaking it.
- change the hostname
- modify the login screen so that it appears to be something other than a TinyPilot login.
- USB Identifiers -
a) echo "6b65796d696d6570690" > "${USB_STRINGS_DIR}/serialnumber" <- create a random hexadecimal string
b) echo "tinypilot" > "${USB_STRINGS_DIR}/manufacturer" <- pick a different manufacturer like say Microsoft or Asus
c) readonly INQUIRY_STRING=' TinyPilot ' <- replace with the same manufacturer name from b)
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If the audio device still appears as TinyPilot, change it manually to a different name in WIndows
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EDID -
a) backup the original EDID
b) modify only bytes 8-15 of the alternate EDID to a different display manufacturer, product code, and serial number. Would need to find a valid product code of an alternate manufacturer besides Toshiba but not the same manufacturer used in step 3.
Would any of these updates break the device?
Is there anything I am not thinking of that should also be customized ?
David @david2023-09-25 12:03:26.364ZHi @marty123, thanks for your questions!
When I review Device Manager, I do not see USB Mass storage as described in other threads.
I do see USB COMPOSITE DEVICE under Universal Serial Bus Controller.Yes, this is expected behavior. TinyPilot appears as a generic USB hub (USB COMPOSITE DEVICE). And when you explicitly mount virtual media, you'll see the USB mass storage device / thumb drive.
There were instructions to disable virtual media at a link that no longer works
Is it correct to assume that on the current Pro version this is no longer needed?
Does that only show up if you use insert a USB thumb drive into one of the Tiny Pilot USBs?Previously, on TinyPilot Pro, virtual media was always enabled. We changed this behavior back in 2.4.0 - TinyPilot now presents virtual storage to a target computer only when you mount a drive (System > Virtual Media > Add Disk Image).
TinyPilot doesn't present its attached USB media to your target machine. But you can move your virtual media to an external USB drive.
I am going to guess at what steps to make it even harder to detect without breaking it.
1. change the hostname
You're free to change your TinyPilot's hostname by going to System > Hostname on the TinyPilot web interface.
2. modify the login screen so that it appears to be something other than a TinyPilot login.
You're welcome to modify HTML templates and CSS if you like, but be aware of any potential breaking changes (i.e., HTML element IDs, Javascript, etc.). You should also be aware that when you perform a TinyPilot software update, the update will overwrite any changes.
3. USB Identifiers
Like other identifiers, you're welcome to modify the USB identifiers. However, I'll reiterate the notes in our FAQ that the TinyPilot team offers no assurances that doing so prevents adversarial tools from identifying a TinyPilot device. And that changes to TinyPilot's USB identifiers are not supported. So when you perform a TinyPilot software update, the update will overwrite any changes to the USB configuration files.
If the audio device still appears as TinyPilot, change it manually to a different name in WIndows
Sure! We have a guide for doing that here.
EDID
You're welcome to use a custom EDID if you like, but you can't simply modify the product code bytes. If you want to use a different product name, you'll need to use an EDID editor like AW EDID Editor. Using a tool will make sure that the EDID has the correct checksum.
Would any of these updates break the device?
It's unlikely that changing identifiers would affect the functionality of your TinyPilot. If you make changes to the EDID, you may affect TinyPilot's display behavior, but changing only the product name should be ok.
If you do happen to make some breaking changes, you always have the option to perform a factory reset.
Is there anything I am not thinking of that should also be customized ?
Our "Can anyone detect when I'm using TinyPilot?" FAQ outlines how TinyPilot presents itself. And it looks like you've listed all of the identifiers from there.
I hope that helps!
- MIn reply tomarty123⬆:Marty @marty123
I spent the day playing with mine and was able to make all those changes described above. I did make some custom changes to the EDID but only the fields that did not impact its ability to render video correctly. Thank you for the response and as you note, it is not impossible to devise a way to identify that this device is connected to a host system but it is less obvious now. Also, all changes must be re-applied after updating the unit.
David @david2023-09-27 11:27:15.730ZYou're welcome! Thanks for the update - feel free to reach out if you have any other questions.
- In reply tomarty123⬆:MRaj @Mvtech123
Hello Marty
I saw your post at Tiny pilot.. Could you please be kind to educate me how you hid your Tiny pilot by changing identifies etc..I could be reached at 9165217689M
Marty @marty123Sep 26, 2023
I spent the day playing with mine and was able to make all those changes described above. I did make some custom changes to the EDID but only the fields that did not impact its ability to render video correctly. Thank you for the response and as you note, it is not impossible to devise a way to identify that this device is connected to a host system but it is less obvious now. Also, all changes must be re-applied after updating the unit.