Editing Secure attention key (section)

A '''secure attention key''' ('''SAK'''), '''special attention key''',<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://mastodon.social/@pid_eins/113441346864726148|title=Lennart Poettterin on Mastodon|author=Lennart Poettering|date=2024-11-07|accessdate=2025-03-26}}</ref> or '''secure attention sequence''' ('''SAS''')<ref name=ms-sas>{{Cite web|url=https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/secgloss/s-gly#_SECURITY_SECURE_ATTENTION_SEQUENCE_GLY|title=S (Security Glossary) - Win32 apps {{!}} Microsoft Learn|author=[[Microsoft]]|date=7 January 2021 |access-date=2023-04-02}}</ref> is a special key, [[Keyboard shortcut|key combination]] or sequence to be pressed on a [[computer keyboard]] before a [[login]] screen which must, to the user, be completely trustworthy. The  [[operating system]] [[kernel (operating system)|kernel]], which interacts directly with the hardware, or [[Init|init system]] is able to detect whether the secure attention key has been pressed. When this event is detected, the trusted login processing is started.

The secure attention key is designed to make [[login spoofing]] impossible, as the kernel will suspend any program, including those masquerading as the computer's login process, before starting a trustable login operation.