In this article, we will discuss six ways to prevent screenshots using Python.
These methods can help protect your application from attacks such as screenshots, screen recordings, or screen recordings.
These methods are not only used to protect your personal information and privacy, but they can also be used to protect valuable business information from being stolen.
Before discussing the specific implementation methods, we need to understand what anti-screenshot is.
Anti-screenshot refers to a set of techniques or methods used to prevent others from capturing or recording images on the screen without permission.
This is an important security measure that prevents the theft of sensitive information or the surveillance of personal information.
Here are six ways to implement screenshot-proofing for Python applications:
1. Pillow, ImageGrab
The Pillow library provides a module called “ImageGrab” that can be used to grab images from the screen.
While it is a useful library, it can also be used to take screenshots of your application.
To prevent this from happening, we can use the “grabclipboard” function from this library.
It will enhance your security by preventing screen images from being copied to the clipboard.
The following is sample code for using Pillow to prevent screenshots:
from PIL import ImageGrab
def test_screenshot():
im = ImageGrab.grab()
im.show()
# Use screenshot protection
def test_screenshot_protection():
import win32clipboard
try:
win32clipboard.OpenClipboard()
win32clipboard.EmptyClipboard()
win32clipboard.CloseClipboard()
print("Clipboard cleared")
except Exception as e:
print(e)
im = ImageGrab.grabclipboard()
if im:
im.show()
The code above shows how to use the ImageGrab module to capture a screen.
Please note that in the “test_screenshot_protection” function we clear the clipboard first and then use the “grabclipboard” function.
This ensures that the image is not copied to the clipboard, improving security.
2. pyautogui, screenshot
pyautogui is a powerful library for GUI automation. It contains some functions for taking screenshots.
Even if your program is not sharing the screen, it is still possible to capture the screen using these functions.
The following is sample code to prevent screenshots using pyautogui:
import pyautogui
def test_screenshot():
pyautogui.screenshot("screenshot.png")
# Use screenshot protection
def test_screenshot_protection():
import win32clipboard
try:
win32clipboard.OpenClipboard()
win32clipboard.EmptyClipboard()
win32clipboard.CloseClipboard()
print("Clipboard cleared")
except Exception as e:
print(e)
pyautogui.FAILSAFE = False
pyautogui.PAUSE=0
image = pyautogui.screenshot()
if image:
image.show()
Similar to the first method, in the “test_screenshot_protection” function, we clear the clipboard and then use pyautogui’s screenshot function.
At the same time we set the two parameters of the pyautogui library to False and 0, this ensures that the program does not inadvertently interrupt and try to copy to the clipboard.
3. win32gui API screenshot
The win32gui API can be used to capture screenshots on Windows operating systems.
Therefore, if your program is running on Windows, other programs can also use these APIs to take screenshots.
To prevent this from happening, we can use these APIs to limit screenshots to a specific window.
The following is sample code to prevent screenshots using the win32gui API:
import win32gui
import win32ui
import win32con
import win32api
def capture_window(window_name):
hwnd = win32gui.FindWindow(None, window_name)
if hwnd != 0:
l,t,r,b = win32gui.GetClientRect(hwnd)
h = b - t + 1
w = r - l + 1
hDC = win32gui.GetWindowDC(hwnd)
myDC = win32ui.CreateDCFromHandle(hDC)
newDC = myDC.CreateCompatibleDC()
myBitMap = win32ui.CreateBitmap()
myBitMap.CreateCompatibleBitmap(myDC, w, h)
newDC.SelectObject(myBitMap)
win32gui.SetForegroundWindow(hwnd)
newDC.BitBlt((0,0),(w, h) , myDC, (0, 0), win32con.SRCCOPY)
myBitMap.SaveBitmapFile(newDC, bmp_file)
win32gui.DeleteObject(myBitMap.GetHandle())
newDC.DeleteDC()
myDC.DeleteDC()
win32gui.ReleaseDC(hwnd, hDC)
The above function can be used to capture screenshots within a specific window.
This function uses various win32gui APIs to get a handle to a specific window and capture a screenshot from that specific window.
So you can easily limit screenshots if the function only applies to the window your program is in.
4. pyhook monitor screen
The pyhook library can be used to monitor screen activities such as screenshots or screen recordings.
This library can listen for Windows messages and trigger events when screen activity is detected.
We can use these events to prevent screenshots or recordings.
The following is sample code for using pyhook to prevent screenshots:
import threading
import pyHook
import pythoncom
def on_mouse_event(event):
if event.MessageName == 'mouse left down':
print("Mouse click detected.")
return False
return True
def install_hook():
hm = pyHook.HookManager()
hm.MouseAllButtonsDown = on_mouse_event
hm.HookMouse()
pythoncom.PumpMessages()
# Start thread to monitor screen activity
def start_scanning():
t = threading.Thread(target=install_hook)
t.start()
print("Hook installed")
# Stop screen scanning
def stop_scanning():
pythoncom.PostQuitMessage(0)
print("Hook removed")
The above code shows how to use the pyhook library.
In the “on_mouse_event” function we monitor mouse activity.
If a left mouse button click is detected, False is returned, preventing the screenshot.
Returns True if no activity is detected, allowing screenshots or recordings to be taken.
- OpenGL rendering screenshot
OpenGL rendering uses a hardware-accelerated graphics processor rather than using a CPU-based approach.
This means that the rendering process will not be recognized by screenshot tools.
Therefore, we can render the application’s graphics into an OpenGL context, thereby protecting the application while still being able to display the image.
Here is sample code to prevent screenshots using OpenGL:
from OpenGL.GL import *
from OpenGL.GLU import *
import pygame
from pygame.locals import *
def render():
glClear(GL_COLOR_BUFFER_BIT|GL_DEPTH_BUFFER_BIT)
glLoadIdentity()
gluPerspective(45, (640/480), 0.1, 50.0)
glTranslatef(0.0, 0.0, -5.0)
glColor3f(1.0, 1.0, 1.0)
glBegin(GL_QUADS)
glVertex3f(-1.0, 1.0, 0.0)
glVertex3f(1.0, 1.0, 0.0)
glVertex3f(1.0, -1.0, 0.0)
glVertex3f(-1.0, -1.0, 0.0)
glEnd()
def run():
pygame.init()
pygame.display.set_mode((640, 480), DOUBLEBUF|OPENGL)
clock = pygame.time.Clock()
while True:
for event in pygame.event.get():
if event.type == QUIT:
pygame.quit()
quit()
render()
pygame.display.flip()
clock.tick(60)
run()
The above code demonstrates how to render an image using OpenGL. Using OpenGL to render images prevents them from being stolen.
- Dark mode or watermark
Dark mode and watermarks can both be used to prevent screenshots.
Dark mode turns a user’s screenshot into a useless black image.
Watermarks, on the other hand, prevent others from using your images for unauthorized commercial purposes.
Depending on the application scenario and needs, in order to implement dark mode or watermark, you can use the ImageDraw and ImageFont modules in the Pillow library.
Here is sample code to prevent screenshots using dark mode and watermarks:
from PIL import Image, ImageDraw, ImageFont
# dark mode
def dark_mode():
image = Image.new('RGB', (500,500), color=(0,0,0))
image.show()
# watermark
def add_watermark():
image = Image.open("image.png")
draw = ImageDraw.Draw(image)
text = "Confidential"
font = ImageFont.truetype("arial.ttf", 30)
textwidth, texttheight = draw.textsize(text, font)
# Place watermark
x, y = image.size
draw.text((x - textwidth - 10, y - textheight - 10), text, font=font)
image.show()
Summary
In this article, we discuss six methods on how to prevent screenshots using Python.
Most of these methods rely on libraries or APIs in Python, such as Pillow, PyHook, and OpenGL.
Before implementing these techniques, make sure your application truly requires this additional security measure, and make sure you understand the best solution for your application.
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