LockDown Browser是一个专有的网络浏览器和软件套件(web browser and software suite)，旨在确保在线或远程考试(online or remote exams)没有作弊。如果您是一名正在编写在线考试的学生，那么您很有可能会使用LockDown 浏览器(LockDown browser)作为评估的一部分。
什么是锁定浏览器？
LockDown Browser是由Respondus Inc开发的(Respondus Inc)软件应用程序(software application)。该公司不将其出售给个人用户，而是将其授权给进行远程考试的机构。
LockDown Browser明确旨在防止数字作弊。换句话说，它锁定了整个计算机，以确保学生无法查看笔记或使用谷歌(Google)查找答案。
浏览器无法对房间中的另一个人、另一个设备或实际上只是普通的旧纸质备忘(paper cheat)单做任何事情。它只能保护运行它的计算机。这就是为什么您最有可能在正式考试中心遇到(exam center)LockDown Browser的原因。在面对面考试中，人工监考人员确保学生不会以LockDown Browser无法阻止的方式作弊。
这并不意味着LockDown Browser不适用于在家参加考试的学生，只是它本身不足以进行远程考试。为了涵盖其他形式的作弊，还需要远程监考。这不是LockDown 浏览器(LockDown browser)的固有部分，但我们将在本文后面简要讨论监考。(briefly talk)
面向学生的 Respondus LockDown 浏览器简介(Introduction to Respondus LockDown Browser for Students)
“锁定浏览器”的一般用途
就像人们将所有真空吸尘器称为“ Hoovers ”一样，将所有考试安全浏览器称为“锁定浏览器”已变得很普遍。但是，LockDown Browser是Respondus Inc的商标。本文专门讨论了Respondus 产品(Respondus product)，但您可能正在使用其他品牌的浏览器做类似的事情。
本文中的解释一般适用于所有锁定类型的浏览器和解决方案；重要的是要知道您应该使用您将使用的软件的特定名称搜索信息以获得最准确的答案。
为什么我们需要锁定浏览器？
基于计算机的测试每年都变得越来越流行，大学和其他机构也有许多不能忽视的好处。如果考试或测试发生(exam or test happens)在计算机上，则意味着可以快速确定结果。它需要更少的管理，并为所有相关人员（包括学生和机构）提供许多经济利益。
期望基于计算机的在线测试最终将成为常态并非没有道理。因此，显然有必要打击考试欺诈。毕竟，如果你不能相信他们的考试结果，一个学院的资格就毫无意义。
LockDown 浏览器如何工作？
由于它是一个闭源软件解决方案(software solution)，我们并不确切(exactly)知道LockDown 浏览器(LockDown browser)是如何工作的。对于像这样的安全软件(security software)来说，最好不要弄明白它是如何工作的。毕竟，人们对浏览器内部运作的了解越少，就越不可能绕过它。
我们能做的就是从学生的角度来描述LockDown Browser是什么样的。(LockDown Browser)使用LockDown Browser时，测试是全屏的，不能最小化。除了参加评估外，学生不能切换到其他应用程序或在计算机上做任何事情。
许多标准浏览器(standard browser)功能也被禁用。例如，您不能右键单击任何内容。除了Back(Back)、Forward、Refresh 和 Stop(Refresh and Stop)之外的所有浏览器控件都被禁用。不允许复制或粘贴，(copying or pasting)打印屏幕(Print Screen)等按钮也不起作用。此外，所有打印都被禁用。
也无法通过任何其他浏览器打开专为与LockDown 浏览器一起使用而设计的评估。(LockDown browser)评估网站会检测到您使用了错误的浏览器并拒绝(browser and refuse)加载。
当然，您在评估期间所做的或试图做的一切都会被记录下来。因此，任何作弊或使用被阻止功能的尝试都可以标记您的测试以进行更仔细的审查。
LockDown 浏览器可以(LockDown Browser Be)绕过吗？
首先，重要的是要说没有牢不可破、牢不可破的安全系统(security system)。所以这不是LockDown是否可以被规避的问题，而是需要付出的努力是否值得。学习和通过测试可能比尝试您在某处找到的所谓解决方法更容易，并且在评估那天之前无法测试。
除了来自第三方的可疑漏洞外，如果您足够聪明，可以自己想出破解LockDown 浏览器(LockDown browser)的方法，那么您可能也足够聪明，可以以合法的方式通过测试。
我们显然不支持任何形式的作弊，但即使您对此没有任何道德问题，试图绕过LockDown 浏览器(LockDown browser)也会带来严重的风险，而且成功的机会也很低。只是不(Just don)要这样做。
LockDown 浏览器隐私问题
通常，LockDown 浏览器(LockDown browser)将在属于您正在学习的机构或考试中心(testing center)的计算机上运行。但是，在大流行驱动的远程工作和学习(work and study)时代，您可能会被要求在您的个人计算机上安装该软件。
要工作，LockDown 浏览器(LockDown browser)必须具有管理员权限(administrator privileges)，并且可以访问您计算机上最高级别的安全访问权限。(security access)因此，我们建议您仔细阅读Respondus 的隐私政策。(Respondus’ Privacy Policy)即使这样，您也可能只想在没有任何敏感或私人信息的计算机上使用它。
(LockDown Browser)具有在线(Online)监考功能的LockDown 浏览器
如前所述，像LockDown Browser这样的产品只是防止考试欺诈的解决方案的一部分。您还需要一名监考人员来观察考试，以确保每个人都遵守规则。在计算机实验室(computer lab)中，您可以简单地让人们巡视并密切关注程序。但是，如果您要远程进行评估，则需要在线监考。
对此有两种方法。首先(First)，人们可以使用连接到学生计算机的网络摄像头(using a webcam)和麦克风远程监控考试。或者，您可以使用软件自动检测可疑的作弊行为。然后将视频和音频(video and audio)发送给人类进行审查以确认。
在Respondus的具体案例中，他们销售一种称为Respondus Monitor的服务。他们声称它是完全自动化的，并且教师可以在测试结束后查看标记的镜头和音频。(footage and audio)远程考试的这一方面使得作弊变得非常困难，应该会阻碍任何潜在的作弊者。
What Is LockDown Browser and How Does It Work?
LockDown Browser iѕ a proprietary web browser and software suite designed to ensure that online or remote exams are free from cheating. If you’re a student writing online exams, there’s a good chance you’ll be using the LockDown browser as part of your assessment.
What Is LockDown Browser?
LockDown Browser is a software application made by Respondus Inc. The company doesn’t sell it to individual users but licenses it to institutions that conduct remote exams.
LockDown Browser aims explicitly to prevent digital cheating. In other words, it locks the whole computer down to ensure that students can’t look at notes or use Google to find answers.
The browser can do nothing about another person in the room, another device, or indeed just plain old paper cheat sheets. It can only secure the computer it’s running on. This is why you’re most likely to encounter LockDown Browser in a formal exam center. In face-to-face exams, a human proctor ensures students don’t cheat in ways that LockDown Browser can’t stop.
That doesn’t mean LockDown Browser won’t work for students taking exams at home, just that it’s not enough by itself for remote exams. To cover other forms of cheating, remote proctoring is also needed. That’s not an intrinsic part of the LockDown browser, but we’ll briefly talk about proctoring later in this article.
Introduction to Respondus LockDown Browser for Students
Generic Use of “Lockdown Browser”
Like people refer to all vacuum cleaners as “Hoovers,” it has become common to refer to all exam security browsers as “lockdown browsers.” However, LockDown Browser is a trademark of Respondus Inc. This article deals specifically with the Respondus product, but you may be working with another brand of browser that does something similar.
The explanation in this article applies to all lockdown-type browsers and solutions in general; it’s just important to know that you should search for information using the specific name of the software you’ll be using for the most accurate answers.
Why Do We Need LockDown Browser?
Computer-based testing is becoming more popular every year, and there are many benefits universities and other institutions just can’t ignore. If an exam or test happens on a computer, it means that results can be finalized quickly. It requires much less administration and offers many financial benefits to everyone involved, both students and institutions.
It’s not unreasonable to expect that online, computer-based testing will eventually become the norm. So there’s a clear need to clamp down on exam fraud. After all, an institute’s qualifications mean nothing if you can’t trust the results of their examinations.
How Does LockDown Browser Work?
Since it’s a closed-source software solution, we don’t know exactly how the LockDown browser works under the hood. It’s better for security software such as this to be obscure regarding how it works. After all, the less anyone knows about the internal workings of the browser, the less likely anyone will be able to circumvent it.
What we can do is describe what LockDown Browser is like from a student’s point of view. When using LockDown Browser, the test is full-screen and can’t be minimized. Students can’t switch to other apps or do anything on the computer other than taking the assessment.
Many standard browser functions are also disabled. For example, you can’t right-click on anything. All browser controls except for Back, Forward, Refresh and Stop are disabled. No copying or pasting is allowed, and buttons like Print Screen also won’t work. Also, all printing is disabled.
It’s also not possible to open an assessment designed for use with the LockDown browser with any other browser. The assessment website will detect that you’re using the wrong browser and refuse to load.
Of course, everything you do or attempt to do during the assessment will be noted. So any attempts to cheat or use blocked functions can flag your test for closer scrutiny.
Can LockDown Browser Be Circumvented?
First, it’s important to say that there is no such thing as an unhackable, unbreakable security system. So it’s not a question of whether LockDown can be circumvented, but rather whether the effort needed to do so is worth it. It may simply be easier to study and pass the test than try an alleged workaround you’ve found somewhere and have no way of testing until the day of the assessment.
Apart from dubious exploits from third parties, if you’re smart enough to come up with a way to hack the LockDown browser by yourself, you’re probably also smart enough to pass the test in a legitimate fashion.
We obviously do not support cheating in any form, but even if you have no moral issue with it, trying to work around the LockDown browser carries serious risks and a low chance of success. Just don’t do it.
LockDown Browser Privacy Concerns
Usually, the LockDown browser will run on a computer that belongs to the institution you’re studying or to a testing center. However, in the age of pandemic-driven remote work and study, you may be asked to install the software on your personal computer.
To work, the LockDown browser has to have administrator privileges and access to the highest level of security access on your computer. So, we advise that you read Respondus’ Privacy Policy closely. Even then, you may want to only use it on a computer that does not have any sensitive or private information on it.
LockDown Browser With Online Proctoring
As mentioned earlier, a product like LockDown Browser is only a part of the solution to preventing exam fraud. You also need a proctor to observe the exam to make sure everyone sticks to the rules. In a computer lab, you can simply have people do the rounds and keep a literal eye on proceedings. However, if you’re doing an assessment remotely, online proctoring becomes necessary.
There are two approaches to this. First, a human can remotely monitor the exam using a webcam and microphone connected to the student’s computer. Alternatively, you can use software to detect suspected cheating automatically. The video and audio are then sent for review by humans to confirm.
In the specific case of Respondus, they sell a service known as Respondus Monitor. They claim that it’s fully automated and that the instructor can review the flagged footage and audio after the test is over. This aspect of remote exams makes it very difficult to cheat and should hamper any potential cheaters.
