Secure, non-system keyboard for Android

[Android Central Question]

I'm looking for a non-system keyboard for Android systems analogous to the Java class provided by Vladimir Petrenko ca 2017.

Such a class provides a graphic keyboard which enters characters in a text field via the JTextComponent.getCaretPosition()/setText() methods. Input characters do NOT go through the key-loggable key interface.

Hopefully, someone interested in avoiding keyloggers will already have such software for Android.

 

[mustang7757]

Hi, probably have better luck asking XDA Forum.

If you have further questions
I'll leave a Link to register so you can communicate here as a guest account you can only post questions but can't reply

https://forums.androidcentral.com/ask-question/409154-join-android-central-community.html

 

[cvkimball]

Moved to:

https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/secure-non-system-keyboard-for-android.4451663/

Thanks.

 

[fuzzylumpkin]

There are a couple of problems with this as far as I can see. I am a fairly security minded person but if I was this paranoid several things would occur

First, even if there aren't any "virtual key presses"... The positions where you press the keys still have to be recorded as input, and if you don't trust your device to not have a keylogger installed why could the key logger not intercept those interpretations?

Second, you can harvest text data from an input field so why would you expect the keylogger not to do that?

Third, a logical place to hide a keylogger is an a keyboard app. So unless you're installing an open source app, which would require you to have unknown sources enabled, installing a third party keyboard that you can't inspect the source code of seems a little counterintuitive. And if you do have unknown sources enabled, that is also counterintuitive.

Honestly, if I were that paranoid I wouldn't have a smartphone at all...

 

[mustang7757]

Moved to:

https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/secure-non-system-keyboard-for-android.4451663/

Thanks.

Welcome to AC!
Ok good let's see if you can get the answer your looking for.

 

[cvkimball]

The sought-after virtual keyboard is to be a defense against only the simplest keyloggers.

1. Logging and interpreting key presses is beyond what I'm defending against.

2. Surveilling text field contents is beyond what I'm defending against.

3. The sought-after software would be internal to the app and must be available in source code.

Yep, can't defend against everything.

 

[fuzzylumpkin]

The sought-after virtual keyboard is to be a defense against only the simplest keyloggers.

1. Logging and interpreting key presses is beyond what I'm defending against.

2. Surveilling text field contents is beyond what I'm defending against.

3. The sought-after software would be internal to the app and must be available in source code.

Yep, can't defend against everything.

May I ask... What is the point? Anything that simple is likely going to be caught by Google play protect...

 

[cvkimball]

The sought-after virtual keyboard certainly would be compatible with Play protect.

The unwanted, avoidable keylogger wouldn't necessarily be compatible with Play protect. But an intruder to the device might not get the software from the Play store.

I assume that a large percentage of keylogger infections, the majority at least, are by keyboard input tracking software. More advanced keyloggers require greater bandwidth and deeper analysis. Please advise if you feel this assumption is in error.