CLIPBOARD MONITOR

🔐 Clipboard Monitor – Real-Time Sensitive Data Protection (Java)

Built a Java-based real-time clipboard security monitor that detects, alerts, masks, logs, and automatically removes sensitive data copied anywhere on the system.

🚀 What this project does

This application continuously monitors the system clipboard (OS-wide) and protects users from accidental data leaks by identifying sensitive information the moment it’s copied.

🛡️ Key Features

Real-time clipboard monitoring (polling every 1 second)

Risk-based detection engine

HIGH risk (auto-cleared immediately):

Passwords

Credit card numbers

Aadhaar numbers

Bank account numbers

API keys (e.g., sk-...)

MEDIUM risk (alert + log, no deletion):

Email addresses

IFSC codes

Passport-like identifiers

Instant clipboard sanitization for high-risk data to prevent paste leaks

Data masking engine (last-4 digits, partial email masking, full secret masking)

System tray notifications + optional popup alerts for critical risks

Forensic-safe logging with timestamps and masked values

No browser or app dependency – works across all applications

🧠 Technical Highlights

Java AWT & Swing (System Tray, Clipboard API, UI alerts)

Regex-based pattern detection with severity classification

Thread-safe scheduled executor for continuous monitoring

Defensive handling of clipboard race conditions

Secure-by-design masking (no plaintext secrets ever logged)

📂 Sample Use Cases

Prevent accidental sharing of passwords/API keys during screen sharing

Protect sensitive data in enterprise environments

Personal security tool for developers, testers, and analysts

Foundation for DLP (Data Loss Prevention) systems

⚠️ Security-Oriented Design

Zero storage of raw secrets

Immediate deletion for high-risk data

Logs contain masked values only

Fail-safe behavior when clipboard is busy

🏗️ Possible Extensions

Machine learning–based classification

Configurable policies per organization

Cross-platform packaging

Encrypted log storage

Cloud-based alerting

🔎 Tech Stack

Java | AWT | Swing | Regex | Concurrency | System Clipboard | Secure Logging