Show HN: I saw this mind-blowing experiment, so I made a simple version of it • Hacker News Board

I used the same LocalStorage sharing technique to update the target window when the setting had been changed on a separate browser window. Just listen for the storage.onChanged event for the update.

Re: Show HN: I saw this mind-blowing experiment, so I made a simple version of it

#44

Post by b112 » Sat, Nov 25, 2023, 9:13 PM UTC

dylan604 wrote: post #38

lgats wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

warning, this is really annoying. imagine you're infected with a ton of adware in the early 2000s you will be logged out of many accounts here's someone testing it out on Windows a few years ago, but I assure you even in the latest chrome on mac, it's at least as bad https://youtu.be/estvbRSj4LU?si=gq6-l4pWLC9yXqap&t=109

Why would you keep minimizing things instead of closing them? The video just looks like one of those meant to frustrate the viewer into wanting to do it themselves. I blame the creator of that video as much as the site itself. The site itself served a purpose. The person running that video has a much less clear motive

I think if you close a window, another pops up. Or two.

You should go to this site and test this.

Re: Show HN: I saw this mind-blowing experiment, so I made a simple version of it

#45

Post by PakG1 » Sat, Nov 25, 2023, 9:21 PM UTC

lgats wrote: post #32

jocaal wrote: post #30

The available API's on the web are very questionable. Feross has a web security lecture series on youtube where he showed off the following abomination. Enter at own risk. https://theannoyingsite.com/

warning, this is really annoying. imagine you're infected with a ton of adware in the early 2000s you will be logged out of many accounts here's someone testing it out on Windows a few years ago, but I assure you even in the latest chrome on mac, it's at least as bad https://youtu.be/estvbRSj4LU?si=gq6-l4pWLC9yXqap&t=109

I tried it on Safari private window. It was absolutely horrible. I hesitate to guess what would have happened if I didn't keep clicking cancel whenever it asked if I wanted to allow downloads, etc.

Re: Show HN: I saw this mind-blowing experiment, so I made a simple version of it

#46

Post by placebo » Sat, Nov 25, 2023, 9:24 PM UTC

whenlambo wrote: post #42

placebo wrote: post #13

made something similar 14 years ago... https://youtu.be/bEwsuWNxdno domain isn't mine anymore...

What API allowed that back then?

It was an API I developed using ActiveX on Microsoft's Internet explorer and NPAPI on other browsers

Re: Show HN: I saw this mind-blowing experiment, so I made a simple version of it

#47

Post by jackewiehose » Sat, Nov 25, 2023, 9:28 PM UTC

zer0kool wrote: post #40

munch117 wrote: post #14

Am I the only one that's horrified that window.screenX and window.screenY exist? This is not information that I want to provide.

Sorry, i'm a little lost. I tried thinking about it, but I can't think of any nefarious attacks someone could do with screenX/Y. Why is that such a risk? What could they possibly learn from that other than screen size?

Because fingerprinting. Shit like this is the reason you are supposed to use the Tor browser only with a tiny window.

Re: Show HN: I saw this mind-blowing experiment, so I made a simple version of it

#48

Post by sprobertson » Sat, Nov 25, 2023, 9:41 PM UTC

Might as well link to the original / "stolen from" author's equivalent demo with Three.js (open this in multiple overlapping windows) - https://bgstaal.github.io/multipleWindow3dScene/ - and repo - https://github.com/bgstaal/multipleWindow3dScene/

Re: Show HN: I saw this mind-blowing experiment, so I made a simple version of it

#49

Post by benj111 » Sat, Nov 25, 2023, 9:46 PM UTC

doctorhandshake wrote: post #3

Cool! Feels like whichever window has focus, that window’s rectangle should draw on top.

Isn't that just to illustrate that it isn't just transparency?

Re: Show HN: I saw this mind-blowing experiment, so I made a simple version of it

#50

Post by munch117 » Sat, Nov 25, 2023, 9:46 PM UTC

zer0kool wrote: post #40

munch117 wrote: post #14

Am I the only one that's horrified that window.screenX and window.screenY exist? This is not information that I want to provide.

Sorry, i'm a little lost. I tried thinking about it, but I can't think of any nefarious attacks someone could do with screenX/Y. Why is that such a risk? What could they possibly learn from that other than screen size?

The fingerprinting potential may well be limited, but it's the principle of the thing: The browser should not provide unnecessary information about its surroundings.

It would be another matter if this was a very useful feature, but I don't think that it is.

Here's one use for it: Ads could sense that they are off-screen and withhold content until the ad is moved back in view. I could easily see screenX/Y being used for that. I mean, I hope not, but how am I going to stop it?