How Invisible Interview Stays Undetectable in Browser‑Based Interviews

Tech Explained

We hear the questions: does it still fly under the radar? Short answer — yes. Here’s a developer‑level breakdown of why a native assistant like Invisible Interview remains hidden during typical browser‑based interviews.

The Browser “Bubble”

Most coding screens happen inside a web page (HackerRank, CoderPad, CodeSignal, etc.). Modern browsers isolate web content from the rest of your system — a built‑in protection called sandboxing. A page can run its own scripts and render UI, but it cannot peer into other apps on your machine.

Think of the interview tab as a sealed workspace: the site controls what happens inside the tab, but it doesn’t get a backstage pass to the operating system.

What Platforms Can Observe (Inside the Tab)

Within their own page, interview platforms can detect standard browser events:

• Losing focus or switching tabs: They’ll know when the tab blurs, not where you went.
• Pasting text: Editors can watch for paste events and large inserts.
• Webcam/eye checks (optional): Some products ask for camera access and flag excessive “looking away”.
• Screen sharing (when you share): If you share your screen, they see the region you choose.

Example events you might see in a code pad:

// Tab lost focus
window.addEventListener('blur', () => {
  console.log('Tab lost focus');
});

// Paste inside their editor
editorElement.addEventListener('paste', (e) => {
  console.log('Paste detected');
});

What They Can’t Access (Outside the Tab)

Because of the sandbox and OS boundaries, a website cannot reliably:

• Identify which application became active when focus changed.
• List running processes or inspect other app windows.
• Read memory from other applications.
• Capture global keystrokes or clicks (only what occurs inside the page).
• Reveal hidden native windows during a standard screen share.

There’s simply no browser API to enumerate local processes from a web page, by design:

// Not a real browser capability — there is no such API
function getRunningApps() {
  return navigator.runningProcesses || [];
}

Why a Native App Stays Invisible

Invisible Interview is not a browser extension. It’s a small desktop app, which is crucial for staying out of sight:

• Lives outside the page: The interview site has no link to the app and can’t query it.
• Screen‑capture exclusion: On supported OSes, windows can be marked to be omitted from screen recordings and shares — a standard privacy feature many apps use.
• Focus‑safe toggles: Global hotkeys (e.g., ⌘+B) show/hide the app without moving your cursor focus or switching tabs, so blur checks in the page don’t trigger.
• Camera‑friendly positioning: Keyboard nudges (⌘ + Arrow keys) let you align hints over the code area, so your eyes stay on the editor while you think aloud.
• Reasoned output: Beyond code, you get line‑by‑line comments and high‑level rationale to articulate your approach naturally.
• Uses normal OS functions: Nothing exotic — just well‑worn system capabilities that don’t leave odd fingerprints.

“What if they install a desktop proctor?”

They could, but most reputable platforms avoid it. Heavy proctoring software is risky (privacy, security, trust) and unpopular with candidates. That’s why the vast majority of coding interviews stick with safe, sandboxed browser sessions.

Bottom Line

Browser interviews run in locked‑down tabs. Invisible Interview runs as a separate native app that doesn’t steal focus and can be excluded from capture. Those two facts together mean standard web‑based detection methods won’t see it.

Until companies mandate invasive desktop proctoring or move back to in‑person only, this approach continues to work as intended.

— Written by Roy Lee