Metadata-Version: 2.4
Name: darkelf-shadow
Version: 7.0.9
Summary: Darkelf Shadow — Cross-platform privacy browser with hardened off-the-record browsing and MiniAI Sentinel
Author: Dr. Kevin Moore
Project-URL: Homepage, https://github.com/Darkelf-Labs/Darkelf-Shadow-CE
Project-URL: Repository, https://github.com/Darkelf-Labs/Darkelf-Shadow-CE
Project-URL: Issues, https://github.com/Darkelf-Labs/Darkelf-Shadow-CE/issues
Project-URL: Releases, https://github.com/Darkelf-Labs/Darkelf-Shadow-CE/releases
Keywords: browser,privacy,security,private-browser,off-the-record,qt,qtwebengine,pyside6,webengine
Classifier: Development Status :: 5 - Production/Stable
Classifier: License :: OSI Approved :: GNU Lesser General Public License v3 (LGPLv3)
Classifier: Programming Language :: Python :: 3
Classifier: Programming Language :: Python :: 3.11
Classifier: Operating System :: MacOS
Classifier: Operating System :: Microsoft :: Windows
Classifier: Operating System :: POSIX :: Linux
Classifier: Topic :: Security
Classifier: Topic :: Internet :: WWW/HTTP :: Browsers
Requires-Python: >=3.11
Description-Content-Type: text/markdown
License-File: LICENSE
Requires-Dist: PySide6<7,>=6.5
Dynamic: license-file

# 🕶️ Darkelf Shadow — Community Edition 7.0.9 Stable

[![PyPI Downloads](https://static.pepy.tech/personalized-badge/darkelf-shadow?period=total&units=INTERNATIONAL_SYSTEM&left_color=BLACK&right_color=GREEN&left_text=downloads)](https://pepy.tech/projects/darkelf-shadow)

**Fully Hardened • Ephemeral • Zero-Trace Browser (Qt WebEngine / Chromium Core)**

Darkelf Shadow is a defense-in-depth, privacy-hardened web browser engineered to minimize persistent tracking, reduce attack surface, and actively defend against modern web threats — while maintaining an ephemeral browsing environment.

**Version 7.0.9 Stable** expands native macOS integration with a custom Darkelf Qt WebEngine 6.11.2 build, Touch ID/passkey support, improved H.264/AVC media compatibility, and hardened release packaging while preserving the cross-platform privacy, filtering, canvas, and MiniAI improvements introduced in 7.0.8.

---

## 📦 Installation

### Python / PyPI

If you already have Python 3.11 or newer:

```bash
pip install darkelf-shadow
darkelf-shadow
```

### macOS

Darkelf Shadow Community Edition is also distributed as a signed and notarized macOS application.

The macOS release includes a SHA-256 checksum for independent download verification.

---

# ✨ What's New in 7.0.9

### 🍎 Custom Darkelf Qt WebEngine 6.11.2 for macOS ARM64

The native macOS ARM64 release now bundles a custom Darkelf build of Qt WebEngine 6.11.2.

This platform-specific engine adds:

- Native macOS WebAuthn integration
- Touch ID/passkey authentication support
- Darkelf-specific WebAuthn configuration
- Expanded H.264/AVC media compatibility
- Dedicated QtWebEngineProcess and QtWebEngineCore signing
- Apple Hardened Runtime integration
- Developer ID signing, notarization, stapling, and Gatekeeper validation

Windows and Linux continue to use the standard PySide6 / Qt WebEngine platform distribution while retaining Shadow's off-the-record and privacy architecture.

### 🔑 Touch ID, Passkeys & WebAuthn

- Added native Touch ID support for compatible WebAuthn/passkey authentication on the custom macOS build.
- Added the persistent platform configuration required by the macOS authenticator while keeping browser-session privacy controls scoped appropriately.
- WebAuthn secret material is generated locally with restricted file permissions.
- Integrated the macOS application with the required keychain access group and Developer ID provisioning.
- Passkey creation and subsequent passkey sign-in have been tested with a WebAuthn-enabled service.
- Bluetooth privacy declarations remain available for compatible Bluetooth-enabled security keys and devices.

### 🎬 Expanded macOS Media Compatibility

- Enabled Qt WebEngine proprietary-codec support in the custom macOS engine.
- Added H.264/AVC playback capability through the custom Qt WebEngine/Chromium media configuration.
- Improved compatibility with web video sources that depend on H.264.
- Codec support is independent of Darkelf's tracker blocking, fingerprint protections, and MiniAI security layers.
- H.264/AVC and third-party licensing information is documented in the packaged third-party notices.

### 🌐 Cross-Platform Distribution

Darkelf Shadow remains cross-platform through Python/PyPI.

- **macOS ARM64 native DMG:** custom Darkelf Qt WebEngine 6.11.2 with macOS-specific WebAuthn/Touch ID and expanded media support.
- **Windows / Linux:** standard platform PySide6 / Qt WebEngine with Shadow's off-the-record browsing and privacy architecture.
- **Python/PyPI:** installs the platform PySide6 / Qt WebEngine dependency rather than the custom Qt WebEngine framework bundled with the native macOS DMG.

The macOS-specific enhancements therefore do not change Shadow's core cross-platform filtering, MiniAI, fingerprint-protection, and ephemeral-browsing design.


### ⚡ Declarative Tracker Blocking

Darkelf Shadow's network engine now combines its existing EasyList/uBlock-compatible filtering architecture with a fast declarative tracker layer.

Frequently encountered tracker and advertising infrastructure can be rejected through fast hostname matching before falling back to the larger filter-rule engine.

This provides:

- Faster request evaluation
- Reduced large-rule scanning
- Improved page responsiveness
- Lower filtering overhead
- Strong tracker blocking without sacrificing the existing filter engine
- Indexed fallback evaluation for complex rules

The traditional EasyList/uBlock-style engine remains available for rules requiring more complex evaluation.

### 🎭 Improved Canvas Protection

Darkelf Shadow retains its randomized canvas protection system with domain-sensitive noise generation.

Canvas access follows three protection states:

| Mode | Behavior |
|------|----------|
| 🔴 BLOCKED | Canvas readback is disabled |
| 🟡 PROTECTED | Readback receives Darkelf's randomized protection |
| 🟢 TRUSTED | Native readback is permitted for explicitly trusted compatibility cases |

This provides stronger protection while allowing sites that legitimately depend on canvas functionality to remain usable.

### 🧩 Improved Website Compatibility

7.0.8 expands compatibility handling for complex modern web applications, including:

- Authentication services
- Microsoft / Outlook web applications
- CAPTCHA and human-verification systems
- Media-heavy websites
- Dynamic JavaScript applications
- Embedded authentication flows

Compatibility exceptions remain deliberately scoped rather than globally disabling Darkelf's protections.

### 🤖 Human Verification Handling

Darkelf can detect supported human-verification and authentication workflows and temporarily permit the functionality necessary to complete them.

This reduces CAPTCHA loops while preserving normal privacy protections outside the verification flow.

### 🍎 macOS Improvements

- Updated application metadata for 7.0.9
- Custom Darkelf Qt WebEngine 6.11.2 framework on macOS ARM64
- Native Touch ID/passkey WebAuthn integration
- Expanded H.264/AVC media compatibility
- Improved browser URL/document registration
- High-resolution display support
- Automatic graphics-switching support
- Bluetooth privacy declaration for Bluetooth-enabled security keys and devices
- Developer ID signing
- Apple Hardened Runtime integration
- Apple notarization and stapling
- Gatekeeper validation
- SHA-256 release verification
- Embedded open-source and third-party licensing notices

Bluetooth access is not automatically granted. macOS remains responsible for requesting user permission if Bluetooth functionality is actually requested.

---

## 🧱 HARDENED BY DESIGN

Darkelf Shadow is architecturally hardened using multiple independent protection layers.

### 🔥 Zero Persistence Architecture

- No persistent browsing profile
- Memory-oriented browsing lifecycle
- Ephemeral cookies and browser state
- Automatic cleanup on process exit

### 🛡️ Network-Level Enforcement

- Deep request interception
- Pre-render request blocking
- Third-party classification
- Declarative tracker blocking
- Indexed EasyList/uBlock-style filtering
- Compatibility-aware request handling

### 🧠 Autonomous Threat Detection — MiniAI

- On-device behavioral analysis
- No cloud AI dependency
- Real-time adaptive defense
- Local threat scoring

### 🚫 Telemetry-Free Core

- No Darkelf analytics
- No Darkelf tracking
- No hidden Darkelf telemetry service

---

# 🚀 HARDENED FEATURE SET

## 🔐 Ephemeral Session Engine

Ephemeral handling of:

- Cookies
- Cache
- LocalStorage
- IndexedDB
- Session state

Designed to minimize recoverable browsing residue after termination.

---

## 🧠 MiniAI Sentinel

Darkelf Shadow includes an on-device security analysis and response layer.

### 🚨 Intrusion Detection

Detection logic covers patterns associated with:

- SQL injection
- Cross-site scripting (XSS)
- Command injection
- Path traversal

### 🦠 Detection Capabilities

- Suspicious request detection
- Tracker and surveillance detection
- Fingerprinting monitoring
- Behavioral anomaly detection
- Burst/flood analysis

---

## ⚡ Automated Response Modes

| Mode | Behavior |
|------|----------|
| 🟢 Standby | Passive monitoring |
| 🔴 Lockdown | Blocks suspicious traffic |
| 🚨 Panic Mode | Network shutdown |

---

## 🌐 Advanced Network Filtering

Darkelf Shadow combines multiple filtering techniques:

- ✔ EasyList
- ✔ EasyPrivacy
- ✔ uBlock-derived filter sources
- ✔ ABP-compatible rule processing
- ✔ Declarative tracker blocking
- ✔ Indexed rule evaluation
- ✔ Heuristic tracker detection
- ✔ Known tracker-domain blocking
- ✔ Third-party request classification
- ✔ Compatibility-aware exceptions

The fast declarative layer handles known tracker infrastructure while the larger rule engine remains available for complex matching.

---

## 🔍 Anti-Tracking & URL Sanitization

Darkelf removes common tracking parameters such as:

- `utm_*`
- `fbclid`
- `gclid`
- Campaign and tracking identifiers

This helps reduce cross-site correlation through URL-based tracking.

---

## 🔐 HTTPS Enforcement Layer

- Automatic HTTP → HTTPS upgrade
- In-memory HTTPS/HSTS-style tracking
- Downgrade protection

---

# 🎭 Fingerprint Resistance Layer

Darkelf Shadow includes defenses against several browser-fingerprinting techniques.

### Canvas

- Domain-sensitive randomized noise
- Protected canvas readback
- Explicit trusted-site compatibility
- Readback blocking where appropriate

### Additional Protections

- WebGL protection
- AudioContext protection
- Font fingerprint mitigation
- WebRTC restrictions
- Geolocation restrictions

The objective is to reduce passive fingerprinting without claiming that any browser can guarantee anonymity or fingerprint uniqueness prevention.

---

## 📥 Secure Download Handling

- Controlled download directory
- Filename handling protections
- Optional ephemeral workflows
- Reduced persistence exposure

---

## ⚙️ Chromium / QtWebEngine Hardening

Darkelf disables or restricts unnecessary browser functionality, including:

- ❌ Browser synchronization services
- ❌ Metrics collection
- ❌ Crash-reporting telemetry
- ❌ First-run tracking behavior

Privacy-sensitive functionality is additionally controlled through Darkelf's QtWebEngine configuration and request-interception layers.

---

# 🧩 DEFENSE-IN-DEPTH MODEL

Darkelf Shadow combines:

1. Request Interception Layer
2. Declarative Tracker Blocking
3. EasyList/uBlock-Compatible Filter Engine
4. Third-Party Classification
5. MiniAI Behavioral Analysis
6. Fingerprint Protection
7. Ephemeral Storage Model
8. Compatibility and Authentication Handling

Each layer addresses a different portion of the browser's attack and tracking surface.

---

# 🧪 THREAT INTELLIGENCE CAPABILITIES

MiniAI provides:

- 📊 Threat scoring
- 📈 Real-time event monitoring
- 🧠 Domain risk caching
- 📋 Threat reporting
- 🔄 Adaptive escalation logic

All MiniAI analysis is performed locally.

---

# ⚡ PERFORMANCE

Version 7.0.9 preserves the optimized network-filtering architecture from 7.0.8 while expanding native macOS integration, WebAuthn/passkey support, and media compatibility.

- ⚙️ PySide6 + Qt WebEngine
- 🚀 Chromium rendering core
- ⚡ Fast declarative hostname matching
- 🔎 Indexed filter-rule evaluation
- 🧠 In-memory operation
- 💾 Reduced persistent disk activity
- 🚀 Fast startup and clean shutdown

The declarative layer allows many known tracker requests to be decided without unnecessarily traversing the complete filter-rule set.

---

# 🔒 SECURITY POSTURE SUMMARY

| Category | Status |
|----------|--------|
| Persistent Browser Profile | ❌ None |
| Darkelf Telemetry | ❌ None |
| Tracking Resistance | ✅ Active |
| Declarative Tracker Blocking | ✅ Active |
| EasyList/uBlock Filtering | ✅ Active |
| Fingerprint Defense | ✅ Active |
| Canvas Protection | ✅ BLOCKED / PROTECTED / TRUSTED |
| Threat Detection | ✅ Real-time |
| Network Control | ✅ Enforced |
| Session Model | ✅ Ephemeral |

---

# ⚠️ OPERATIONAL SECURITY NOTES

For stronger system-level protection, Darkelf Shadow can be combined with:

- 🔐 Full-disk encryption (FileVault / LUKS)
- 🔥 OS-level firewall rules
- 🧱 Sandboxed runtime environments
- 🌐 Trusted VPN or network isolation
- 🔑 Hardware security keys where appropriate

Darkelf Shadow is one component of a broader security model and does not guarantee anonymity.

---

# 🔒 Security & Verification

The macOS release includes a SHA-256 checksum.

### Verify on macOS

```bash
shasum -a 256 -c Darkelf-Shadow-7.0.9.dmg.sha256
```

A successful verification should report:

```text
Darkelf-Shadow-7.0.9.dmg: OK
```

The macOS application and DMG release workflow uses Developer ID signing, Apple notarization, and stapling for Gatekeeper verification.

---

# 📜 LICENSE

Licensed under **LGPL-3.0-or-later**

The native macOS application also includes Darkelf and third-party notices under:

`Darkelf Shadow.app/Contents/Resources/licenses/`

Qt, Qt WebEngine, Chromium, FFmpeg, and other bundled components remain subject to their respective licenses. H.264/AVC intellectual-property considerations are documented separately in the third-party notices.

---

# ⚠️ DISCLAIMER

This software is provided **“AS IS”** without warranty.

Darkelf Shadow:

- Does not guarantee anonymity
- Does not guarantee protection against every tracking technique
- Does not replace operating-system security
- Does not replace good operational-security practices
- Is intended for privacy-conscious and advanced users

---

# 👤 AUTHOR

**Dr. Kevin Moore (2025–2026)**  
**Darkelf Project — Shadow Edition**

---

# 🤝 Special Thanks

Thank you to:

- **Mecha Comet Team**
- **Tim Burns**

for their support and contributions to the Darkelf project.

---

**Darkelf Shadow Community Edition 7.0.9 Stable**  
*Ephemeral by design. Hardened in depth. Privacy without persistence.*
