A sleek, lightweight, and simple folder protection tool for Windows.

Features • Installation • Usage • Configuration • License

📋 About

Aether Guard is a sleek, modern, and lightweight folder protection utility for Windows. It provides an additional layer of security by monitoring active Windows Explorer windows and requiring password authentication to access them.

✨ Features

• Real-time Protection: Actively monitors Windows Explorer and closes unauthorized windows instantly.
• Anti-Brute Force: Sophisticated rate-limiting system that implements exponential backoff after failed attempts.
• Session Grace Period: Stay authenticated for a configurable amount of time (default: 5 minutes) without needing to re-enter your key.
• Single Instance Enforcement: Automatically detects if the application is already running to prevent redundant processes.
• Stealthy Execution: Support for VBS startup to run without a visible console window.

🚀 Installation

Requirements

• OS: Windows 10/11 (Required for Windows API integration)
• Python: Version 3.8 or higher

Installation

1. Clone the Repository:

   git clone https://github.com/xkintaro/aether-guard.git
   cd aether-guard

2. Install dependencies:

   pip install -r requirements.txt

3. Run the application:

   python app.py

⚒️ Usage

1. Launch the Application:
   • Run run.bat for a console-attached session.
   • Run run-aether-guard.vbs to start in the background.
2. Authentication:
   • Default Password: 1234
   • When you try to open a folder, a modern UI will prompt for your access key.
3. To Close:
   • If running in a console, press Ctrl+C.
   • Otherwise, end the process via Task Manager.

⚙️ Configuration

Open app.py to modify the Config class settings:

class Config:
    DEFAULT_PASSWORD = "1234"    # Your master access key
    MAX_ATTEMPTS = 5             # Attempts allowed before lockout
    LOCKOUT_TIME = 60            # Initial lockout duration in seconds
    GRACE_PERIOD = 300           # Authorized session duration (5 mins)

📄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. You can check the LICENSE file for details.

_{❤️ Developed by "Mustafa TAŞAL" (kintaro)}