Lab-Exam-Proctoring-in-Linux

To build this proctor framework, we mainly focused on problems like the use of the internet for offline or online lab exams, the use of external devices like pen drives, and the use of already present files in the system. Keeping in mind these problems, we started working on building Linux kernel modules to prevent the previously mentioned cheating activities. We have basically three modules related to this inserted in the Linux kernel that will be triggered at the time of the exam and perform the required activities the modules are intended to perform. We also used SSH to write a script that would insert these modules into the connected lab systems from the main computer. This will directly insert the modules inside the computer. The three modules that we built are:

1. Focus module: This script keeps track of the window switching at the time of the exam and logs the application used at the end of the log file.

2. Network Firewall : There are 2 parts one is Complete Internet Blocking where The module that we built was built using the Netfiler framework provided by Linux. The module is to be loaded into the kernel to make it functional. Numerous hooks are provided by the
   Netfilter framework in the Linux kernel. Other is selective internet blocking those exams where internet access is required on a particular website where the exam is being held. For these types of exams, we came up with a module where the examiner can block the entire internet, save one or two that are needed for the examination.

3. External Storage Blocking: This module blocks the specified port where the external devices (except for keyboard or mouse) are connected. This helps to avoid using any help that can be offered from the data on an external device.

4. Deployment : Manually loading each module on each PC is not an efficient solution. Therefore, we have written a script that would ssh from the master computer to each computer in a sequential manner and load these modules with the necessary scripts.

Note:

Only the .c ,.txt(wherever given in description),.ko files are required rest should be deletd. This was our complete project with result files so you canignore other files. Also a make file has to be written by you according to the module name. The make filecan have the following type of structue (varies for different writing styles)

# Name of the kernel module
MODULE_NAME = my_module

# Path to the kernel source tree
KERNEL_SRC := /lib/modules/$(shell uname -r)/build

# Flags for the module compilation
EXTRA_CFLAGS += -Wall

# Build target
obj-m += $(MODULE_NAME).o

# Module build rule
all:
    $(MAKE) -C $(KERNEL_SRC) M=$(PWD) modules

# Clean rule
clean:
    $(MAKE) -C $(KERNEL_SRC) M=$(PWD) clean

Prerequisites

● A system with a Linux OS

● An user account with root access to the system

● At least 12 GB of available space

Steps to follow from scratch

Step 1. Building Linux Kernel/Compiling Linux Kernel from Source Code

It involves building a custom version of the Linux system by compiling the source code. This process has several steps, like configuring, compiling, and installing the kernel. Step 1. Source Code Download The latest kernel version can be downloaded from the official kernel website. It can also be downloaded from the given command line in the terminal.

    wget https://cdn.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v6.x/linux-6.0.7.tar.xz

Step 2. Extracting Source Code

Run the following command to extract the source code

 tar xvf linux-6.0.7.tar.xz

Step 3. Installing the Core Packages

Some additional packages are required for building the kernel. To do this, run the following command:

 sudo apt-get install git fakeroot build-essential ncurses-dev xz-utils libssl-dev bc flex libelf-dev bison

Step 4. Kernel Configuration

This step involves changing kernel settings based on your needs, as they come with their default configuration. Here we have set the kernel to its default configuration.

 cp -v /boot/config-$(uname -r) .config
 make menuconfig

Step 5. Building Kernel

This process will take some time execute , run the below code

make

There may be the following error that will interrupt the building process if you are on Ubuntu. No rule to make target 'debian/canonical-certs.pem, then fix this issue with the two given commands

 scripts/config --disable SYSTEM_TRUSTED_KEYS
 scripts/config --disable SYSTEM_REVOCATION_KEYS

Now install the require modules by the following code:

sudo make modules_install

Finally, install the kernel by running the following code:

sudo make install

Step 6. Testing modules to validate kernel building

We have used two basic and simple modules which will justify the kernel that it has successfully built. You can test the modules by following these commands in the terminal navigated in the same directory.

Command to load the module:

sudo insmod <module_name>.ko

Verification for successful loading:

lsmod | grep <module_name>

Command to unload the module

sudo rmmod <module_name>

We are open to any improvement for the project and the help will be appreciated . You can also reach the contributers of this project through any means that are given on the Github profiles of the contributers.

Made by Kaiwalya, Aalekh and Gaurang