or Internet kiosks, the standard browser menus must be disabled because these provide too much configuration control to the user. It is important to prevent the user from accessing URLs not applicable to the function of the kiosk. This can be accomplished by hiding the address bar and incorporating domain and page blocking into the kiosk system software or browser lockdown software. Custom toolbars and navigation options are often a feature utilized by kiosk software. Oftentimes, a touch screen keyboard is used in place of a physical keyboard. The touch screen "virtual" keyboard is often built into the kiosk software and have custom design options. Additional feature sets of kiosk software include external devices (allowing for barcode readers, credit card readers, proximity mats, or retractable printing) More advanced deployments may also utilize management features such as usage, statistics, health & content management. One critical feature of kiosk software is the ability to clear the cache, user history and data between uses and users. This prevents users from accessing private data and protects both the device & the user from unauthorized data access. Another critical feature of kiosk software is the option to disable USB ports and other external access. This feature prevents hacks such as that of the Brinks Safe Hack, where hackers accessed the operating system of a Brinks Safe, unlocking the safe and providing access to the critical financial information on the PC. Operating systems Kiosk software is available for most all operating systems: Windows, ChromeOS, Android, iOS, Linux, etc. Browsers It also can be found to support various browsers, most commonly Internet Explorer, Safari, Firefox and Google Chrome. Alternatives Kiosk software is also an option for projects that may not even be using kiosk hardware. Windows PCs and Chrome Devices can be configured to run in “kiosk mode” which prevents users from accessing certain system functions. For Windows, this may not be appropriate for all uses, since running in kiosk mode may not give deployers the amount of control they need for their final end product configuration. Kiosk system software can be used to secure the kiosk or PC instead. For those running a Windows OS, an alternative to kiosk software is Group Policy, which serves to restrict user access to certain areas of the operating system, though not without its own drawbacks and security issues. See also CEN/XFS Interactive kiosk Porteus Kiosk - free operating system