SAHEB: Securing the Access to Hardware for an Exam Browser

Lija Chandran T V () and Mohammed Shahid Abdulla ()
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Mohammed Shahid Abdulla: Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode

No 472, Working papers from Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode

Abstract: We propose here a secure online exam solution to overcome the vulnerabilities of the existing online exam applications. In particular, we profile applications like Mettl or Safe Exam Browser which sanitize the examinee’s computer by placing it into ‘kiosk mode’ of the MS Windows operating system. At launch, these applications also scan the system for a list of prohibited processes and kill these before the start of the exam. Yet, securityclaimed by these applications can be compromised with the help of applications or processes not in the prohibited list, including via a simple name-change. It is also possible to have an open source screen-sharing application and an audio chat application which can, in combination, be used to breach the system. We also consider the possibility that some important application, e.g. required for executive student’s work activities, is in the prohibited list, terminating which would cause loss of data or business. Our solution format SAHEB addresses these issues. SAHEB, which we evaluate for feasibility in its various features, consists of an open source hypervisor which will modify access to the peripherals of the examinee’s computer. A lightweight browser-only Linux distribution will further deploy the exam’s material.

Pages: 13 pages
Date: 2021-08
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