🔐 PinBubble

A secure, lightweight Windows desktop application for storing and quickly accessing encrypted text snippets with Windows Hello biometric authentication support.

✨ Features

🔒 Security First

• AES-256-GCM Encryption - Military-grade encryption for all your snippets
• Master Password Protection - Single password to rule them all
• Windows Hello Biometric Authentication - Fingerprint unlock support for compatible devices
• Secure Storage - All data encrypted at rest in %AppData%\PinBubble\snippets.bin
• Zero Cloud Dependency - Everything stays on your machine

⚡ Quick Access

• Always-on-Top Bubble - Stays accessible on your screen edge
• One-Click Copy - Click any snippet to copy it to clipboard
• Expandable Interface - Compact 64x64 bubble when not in use, expands on demand
• System Tray Integration - Minimize to tray for stealth mode
• Multi-Monitor Support - Remembers position per monitor

📝 Snippet Management

• Visual Editor - Modern DataGridView-based editor with dark/light theme support
• Encryption Toggle - Show/hide individual snippets with eye icon
• LED Status Indicator - Visual feedback for encryption state:
  • 🟢 Green: All encrypted (secure)
  • 🔴 Red: Some visible (warning)
• Expiry Tracking - Track creation, modification, and expiry dates for each snippet
• Smart Expiry Alerts - Color-coded clock icons warn you of expiring snippets:
  • 🔴 Red: < 7 days remaining
  • 🟡 Yellow: 7-14 days remaining
  • 🔵 Blue: 15+ days (hover-only visibility)
• Auto-Save with Live Preview - Changes saved automatically on edit

🎨 User Experience

• Dark/Light Theme - Toggle between modern dark and light modes
• Adjustable Transparency - 20%, 50%, or 80% backdrop opacity
• Drag & Snap - Drag the bubble anywhere, automatically snaps to nearest screen edge
• Pin/Unpin - Toggle always-on-top behavior
• Auto-Encryption - Edited entries automatically re-encrypt after 150ms typing pause
• Rich Tooltips - Hover over clock icons to see full timestamp details
• Taskbar Toggle - Show/hide from Windows taskbar on demand

📋 Requirements

• Windows 10/11 (version 1809 or higher recommended)
• .NET 8.0 Runtime (Download)
• Windows Hello (optional, for biometric authentication)

🚀 Installation

Download Pre-built Release

1. Go to Releases
2. Download the latest PinBubble.zip
3. Extract and run PinBubble.exe
4. Set your master password on first launch
5. (Optional) Enable fingerprint unlock when prompted

Build from Source

git clone https://github.com/niravp-0x/PinBubble.git
cd PinBubble
dotnet restore
dotnet build --configuration Release
dotnet run

🎯 Usage

First Time Setup

1. Launch PinBubble
2. Enter a master password (minimum 4 characters)
3. ⚠️ CRITICAL: Your password encrypts all data - don't lose it!
4. If you have Windows Hello, you'll be prompted to enable fingerprint unlock

Biometric Authentication

• First Launch: If Windows Hello is available, PinBubble offers to enable fingerprint unlock
• Subsequent Launches: Touch your fingerprint sensor to unlock without typing password
• Disable Biometric: Right-click bubble → Settings → Biometric Settings

Adding/Editing Snippets

1. Right-click the bubble → Edit Snippets
2. Add rows with:
   • Clock Column: Hover to see dates, click to set expiry
   • Label: Display name (uppercase letters/numbers shown on bubble, max 6 chars)
   • Value: The actual snippet text (shows •••••••• when encrypted)
   • Eye Icon: Click to toggle encryption visibility
3. Each new snippet automatically gets 30 days expiry by default
4. Changes auto-save on edit
5. Click Save or close dialog to finalize

Using Snippets

1. Click the green bubble to expand and show all snippet buttons
2. Click any snippet button to copy to clipboard
3. Bubble auto-collapses after copying
4. Drag the bubble to reposition - it snaps to nearest screen edge
5. Press ESC to collapse manually

Managing Expiry Dates

• Hover over the clock column to see:
  • Created date
  • Last modified date
  • Expiry date
  • Days remaining (color-coded)
• Click the clock icon to open date picker and update expiry
• Watch for color-coded alerts as expiry approaches

Security Features

• Eye Icon: Click to toggle encryption/visibility for individual snippets
• Show All Button: Hold Ctrl key to reveal button, then toggle all snippets at once
• LED Indicator: Visual status at top of editor
  • Green glow = All encrypted (secure)
  • Red glow = Some snippets visible (security warning)
• Auto-Encrypt: Visible snippets automatically re-encrypt 150ms after you stop typing

Settings & Customization

Right-click the bubble to access:

• Edit Snippets: Open the snippet editor
• Dark Theme: Toggle dark/light mode
• Backdrop Opacity: Choose 20%, 50%, or 80% transparency
• Pin to Top: Toggle always-on-top behavior
• Show in Taskbar: Toggle taskbar visibility
• Biometric Settings: Manage fingerprint unlock
• Exit: Close application

🗂️ Data Storage

File Locations

• Snippets: %AppData%\PinBubble\snippets.bin (encrypted)
• Settings: %AppData%\PinBubble\settings.json (UI preferences)
• Legacy Migration: Old text.text files automatically migrated on first run

File Format (Encrypted JSON)

[
  {
    "label": "GitHub Token",
    "value": "ghp_YourActualTokenHere",
    "created": "2024-01-15T10:30:00Z",
    "modified": "2024-03-20T14:45:00Z",
    "expiryDate": "2024-04-20T14:45:00Z"
  }
]

Backward Compatible:

• Old CSV format Label,Value automatically upgraded
• Old files gain current timestamps and 30-day default expiry on first load

🏗️ Built With

• .NET 8.0 - Target framework (C# 12)
• WPF - Main window and bubble UI
• Windows Forms - DataGridView editor and custom dialogs
• System.Security.Cryptography - AES-256-GCM encryption
• PBKDF2 - Password-based key derivation (100,000 iterations)
• Windows Hello API - Biometric authentication integration
• System.Text.Json - Fast JSON serialization

🎨 UI Highlights

• Circular Bubble Design - Modern, minimalist 64x64px interface
• Glossy LED Indicator - Polished visual feedback with gradient glow effects
• Custom GDI+ Cell Painting - Hand-drawn clock and eye icons with anti-aliasing
• Smooth Animations - Button hover effects and transitions
• Responsive Layout - Adapts to snippet count (max 5 per row, auto-expands)
• Snap-to-Edge - Intelligent edge detection across multiple monitors
• Custom Dialogs - Sleek borderless windows with modern styling

🔐 Security Details

Encryption Specifications

• Algorithm: AES-256-GCM (Galois/Counter Mode)
• Key Derivation: PBKDF2-HMAC-SHA256 (100,000 iterations)
• Salt: 32 bytes, randomly generated per file
• Nonce: 12 bytes, randomly generated per encryption
• Authentication Tag: 16 bytes for tamper detection

Security Guarantees

• Master password never stored anywhere
• Only derived keys kept in memory during session
• Each file has unique random salt
• Each encryption operation has unique nonce
• No telemetry, no network access, no cloud storage
• Data stays on your machine

Biometric Security

• Master password encrypted using Windows Hello when stored
• Requires Windows Security prompt for each unlock
• Biometric data never leaves Windows credential store
• Can be disabled at any time from settings

🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please:

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add amazing feature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
5. Open a Pull Request

📄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

⚠️ Disclaimer

This software is provided as-is without any warranty. While PinBubble uses industry-standard encryption, always keep backups of important data. The developers are not responsible for any data loss, security breaches, or other damages.

💡 Pro Tips

• Bubble Labels: Only uppercase A-Z and 0-9 characters appear on bubbles (auto-extracts from full label, max 6 chars)
• Full Label View: Hover over any bubble to see the complete label name in tooltip
• Pin Feature: Click the pin icon in corner to toggle always-on-top behavior (stays accessible even when other windows are active)
• Quick Edit: Right-click the bubble for fast access to editor
• Backup Strategy: Regularly copy %AppData%\PinBubble\snippets.bin - it contains ALL your encrypted data
• Multi-Monitor: PinBubble remembers which monitor you last used it on
• Keyboard Shortcut: Press ESC to quickly collapse the expanded bubble

🐛 Known Issues

• DateTimePicker dropdown may not fully inherit dark theme on some Windows versions
• Window may briefly lose topmost status when certain apps force focus (reactivates on deactivation)
• Biometric unlock requires Windows Hello to be configured in Windows Settings

🔮 Roadmap

• Custom expiry presets (7d, 30d, 90d, 365d, never)
• Search/filter snippets in editor
• Export/import functionality
• Custom bubble colors per snippet
• Keyboard shortcuts for common actions
• Multiple snippet groups/categories

� Contributors

• Mike Green — @biggrocer
• Nirav Panchal — @niravp-0x

Contributions are welcome! See Contributing for details.

📞 Support

For issues and feature requests, please use the GitHub Issues page.

Found a security vulnerability? Please email security reports privately.

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