Window Information Gathering is a technique that leverages various Windows APIs to collect detailed information about a specific window. This can be done either by using a known window handle, obtained through a previous enumeration or by identifying the window based on its caption (title) and then retrieving its handle. There are also APIs available to directly access information about the current foreground or active window.

The process of Window Information Gathering typically includes retrieving attributes such as:

• Window properties (e.g., style, class)
• Size and position on the screen
• Owner process information
• Window caption (title)

While useful, this technique can introduce privacy or security concerns. For instance, reading the window caption can be particularly sensitive. Certain applications such as chat clients or web browsers may expose private or contextual information in their titles. In the case of browsers, a window title might reveal the name of a website a user is visiting, or even snippets of private messages or email subjects, especially when those details appear in unread message notifications.

Featured Windows APIs

• GetWindowTextLength User32.dll
• GetWindowsText User32.dll