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SilverMetal/windows
sysadmin e83ce6bcf0
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Build SilverMetal Enhanced - Windows ISO / build (pull_request) Successful in 5m0s
fix(kiosk): keyboard filter covers admins + taskbar auto-hide + disable sm-bootstrap in-session
Live e2e: in the sm-bootstrap session the taskbar showed and Win/Start worked.
- Keyboard Filter EXEMPTS administrators by default and sm-bootstrap is an admin, so
  Win/Start/Alt-Tab etc. were never blocked. Set WEKF_Settings
  DisableKeyboardFilterForAdministrators=false so the filter applies to it.
- Auto-hide the taskbar (default-user StuckRects3, inherited by sm-bootstrap) so it
  doesn't peek over the fullscreen wizard.
- TearDownAsync now Disable-LocalUser's sm-bootstrap in-session (immediate) so it's
  unusable at once; the deferred SYSTEM task still deletes it on next boot (SAM-confirmed
  the delete works now).

Verified: Configure-Kiosk parses under Windows PowerShell 5.1 (ASCII-clean); welcome 29/29.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 <noreply@anthropic.com>
2026-06-09 23:30:43 +01:00
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SilverMetal Enhanced — Windows

Status: Phase 3W (planning, post-Linux v1)

🛡️ SilverMetal Enhanced product line — we harden Windows in place; we do not ship a custom Windows kernel (Microsoft does not permit that).

Tier C — config-layer hardening only. Honest positioning: we cannot modify the Windows kernel or boot chain; we turn every dial Microsoft exposes.

Scope (v1)

LTSC IoT-based installer that transforms a vanilla Windows install into a SilverMetal-hardened build:

  • Windows 11 IoT Enterprise LTSC base (no Cortana, no Store, no Edge baked in, ~10-year support)
  • Group Policy hardening (telemetry at Security floor, services disabled, sane defaults)
  • VBS + HVCI + Credential Guard + Kernel DMA Protection (Microsoft's hardware-backed isolation)
  • Defender ASR rules at maximum
  • WDAC (App Control for Business) allow-list — kernel-enforced, audit-first then enforce (AppLocker is the documented fallback, not the primary)
  • BitLocker enforced — TPM + PIN (never TPM-only; PIN defeats the faulTPM-class offline attack on the AMD fTPM)
  • Telemetry suppressed at GP + service + firewall layers (not hosts-file blocking of Microsoft domains — that breaks Windows Update); residual published, not claimed zero
  • Edge / Chrome replaced with SilverBrowser default
  • Full SilverLABS Stack preinstalled (native Windows builds)
  • SilverVPN MAUI Windows client integrated from existing SilverLABS/SilverVPN

Out of scope

  • Anything requiring kernel modifications
  • Anything requiring developer-controlled verified boot
  • Bypassing Microsoft Update (we ship updates via the same channel; we cannot replace it)

Directory layout

To be populated in Phase 3W. Initial structure planned:

windows/
├── installer/         # PowerShell / WiX-based installer
├── policies/          # Group Policy templates, ADMX
├── wdac/              # WDAC (App Control) policies (AppLocker fallback rules if needed)
├── debloat/           # Removal scripts (Edge, Cortana residue, telemetry)
├── stack-installer/   # Native SilverLABS Stack package builders
└── tests/             # Telemetry-leak test, hardening-baseline test

Verification gates

  • Telemetry-leak test on hardened install — minimum-feasible Microsoft contact, documented in full (we cannot reach zero on Windows; we publish what remains)
  • BitLocker enabled with TPM + PIN binding verified (TPM-only is rejected)
  • VBS / HVCI / Credential Guard verified running
  • WDAC allow-list functional (enforced) and documented
  • Stack apps install and function

Full hardening specification

The detailed control spec — eight control domains, verification commands, residual-risk statement, and productization notes — lives in hardening-spec.md. Reference device: GPD Pocket 4 (AMD Strix Point).

Upstream we depend on

  • Windows 11 IoT Enterprise LTSC — base OS (licensed)
  • AtlasOS / ReviOS / privacy.sexy — reference for hardening configs
  • Chris Titus Tech / O&O ShutUp10 — reference for telemetry blocking
  • SilverLABS/SilverVPN — MAUI Windows client (existing)