FERRAMENTAS LINUX: New AI Keys in Linux 7.0: What They Mean for Your System Security (And How to Control Them)

Linux 7.0 adds AI trigger keys. Learn to check, block, and audit them on any distro. Hands-on lab + automation script inside.

In early 2026, the Linux kernel added support for three new HID keycodes: "Action on Selection", "Contextual Insertion", and "Contextual Query". These keys are designed for AI agents.

But regardless of the date, the core question remains: how do you control what happens when a user – or a malicious process – presses them ?

This guide is not a news recap. It’s a reusable playbook to detect, block, or audit these AI-trigger keys on any Linux distribution, today and for years to come.

Why Should a Sysadmin Care About a Keyboard Key?

Because a key is just an input event. Any process that can simulate keystrokes (via , , or a compromised GUI app) could trigger these AI actions without your knowledge. Imagine:

A trojaned PDF viewer sending "Contextual Query" on selected confidential text → via an .

A malicious browser extension triggering "Action on Selection" to send highlighted passwords to a web AI.

You need to know: which keys are recognized, how to block them, and how to verify your system isn't misusing them.

How to Check if Your System Is Vulnerable (Actual Commands)

First, determine if your kernel recognizes these new keycodes. Then check if any application is listening to them.

Step 1: Verify kernel support

Run:

grep -i "KEY_CONTEXT" /usr/include/linux/input-event-codes.h

Expected output if supported:

#define KEY_CONTEXT_MENU              0x2a0
#define KEY_CONTEXT_INSERT            0x2a1
#define KEY_CONTEXT_QUERY             0x2a2

No output? Your kernel is older (safe from these codes, but also missing newer security patches).

Step 2: See if any process is listening for these keys

Use evtest (install with sudo apt install evtest on Ubuntu, sudo dnf install evtest on Rocky/SUSE):

sudo evtest --grab /dev/input/by-path/platform-i8042-serio-0-event-kbd

Press the new AI key (if you have one). If nothing appears, your system either doesn’t have the hardware or the kernel maps it to an unused code.

Distribution-specific checks

Ubuntu 24.04+ (with proposed kernel):

uname -r | grep -q "6.8" && echo "Needs backport" || echo "Check manually"
grep -i "HID" /var/log/kern.log | grep -i "key"

Rocky Linux 9 / AlmaLinux:

rpm -q kernel
modinfo hid | grep -i "ai\|context"

SUSE Linux Enterprise / openSUSE Tumbleweed:

zypper info kernel-default | grep Version
journalctl -k | grep -i "hid.*key"

Automation Script to Apply the Fix (Block or Remap)

This bash script works on Ubuntu, Rocky, SUSE, and Debian. It prevents any process from simulating or capturing these three AI keycodes.

#!/bin/bash
# block_ai_keys.sh - Disables ACTION_ON_SELECTION, CONTEXTUAL_INSERTION, CONTEXTUAL_QUERY
# Run as root.

set -e

# Check if we have the key definitions
if ! grep -q "KEY_CONTEXT_MENU" /usr/include/linux/input-event-codes.h; then
    echo "Your kernel does not recognize these keys. Nothing to block."
    exit 0
fi

# Method 1: udev hwdb to remap keys to RESERVED (no action)
cat > /etc/udev/hwdb.d/99-block-ai-keys.hwdb <<EOF
evdev:input:b*v*
  KEYBOARD_KEY_2a0=reserved  # ACTION_ON_SELECTION
  KEYBOARD_KEY_2a1=reserved  # CONTEXTUAL_INSERTION
  KEYBOARD_KEY_2a2=reserved  # CONTEXTUAL_QUERY
EOF

systemd-hwdb update
udevadm trigger

# Method 2: block uinput (simulated keystrokes) from non-root users
cat > /etc/modprobe.d/disable-uinput.conf <<EOF
blacklist uinput
install uinput /bin/false
EOF

echo "AI keys blocked. Reboot to apply fully."

To run:

chmod +x block_ai_keys.sh
sudo ./block_ai_keys.sh

Alternative Mitigation If You Can't Update Now

No root? No reboot? Use these runtime controls:

1. iptables rule to block outbound AI plugin traffic (if AI keys call home)

sudo iptables -A OUTPUT -m string --string "api.openai.com" --algo bm -j DROP
sudo iptables -A OUTPUT -m string --string "copilot.microsoft.com" --algo bm -j DROP

2. AppArmor profile to restrict any app that reads input devices

Create /etc/apparmor.d/deny-input-events:

profile deny-input-events flags=(attach_disconnected) {
  /dev/input/event* r,
  deny /dev/input/event* w,
  deny /dev/uinput w,
}

Apply: sudo apparmor_parser -r /etc/apparmor.d/deny-input-events

3. X11 / Wayland proxy

Use wev (Wayland) or xev (X11) to intercept and discard keycodes 0x2a0–0x2a2. Example with sxhkd (X11):

sxhkd -c <(echo "~{0x2a0,0x2a1,0x2a2}"; echo "  @false")

Suggested reading : Linux Device Drivers, 3rd Edition Amazon

Hands-on Lab: Reproduce & Block the AI Keys in a VM

You don’t need real hardware. Here’s how to simulate these keys in an isolated environment.

- What you need

- or on any Linux host

10 minutes

Step-by-step

1. Create a test container (Ubuntu 24.10+ recommended)

lxc launch ubuntu:24.10 test-ai-keys
lxc exec test-ai-keys bash

2. Inside the container, compile a key injector

apt update && apt install -y build-essential evtest
cat > inject.c <<EOF
#include <linux/input.h>
#include <fcntl.h>
#include <unistd.h>
int main() {
    int fd = open("/dev/uinput", O_RDWR);
    struct uinput_setup us = { .name = "AI Key Simulator" };
    ioctl(fd, UI_SET_EVBIT, EV_KEY);
    ioctl(fd, UI_SET_KEYBIT, 0x2a0);  // ACTION_ON_SELECTION
    ioctl(fd, UI_DEV_SETUP, &us);
    ioctl(fd, UI_DEV_CREATE);
    struct input_event ev = { .type = EV_KEY, .code = 0x2a0, .value = 1 };
    write(fd, &ev, sizeof(ev));
    sleep(1);
    ev.value = 0; write(fd, &ev, sizeof(ev));
    return 0;
}
EOF
gcc inject.c -o inject

3. Run evtest in another terminal inside the container – you’ll see the simulated key press.

4. Apply the block_ai_keys.sh script from above – then rerun inject. The key event disappears.

Result: You now have a reusable lab to test any future input security patch.

Conclusion – Stop Reacting, Start Controlling

New kernel features are not vulnerabilities by default. But uncontrolled input paths are. The three AI keys in Linux 7.0 are just the beginning. Next year it’ll be , , or .