Best way to secure text info

GeoTrail · Post by **GeoTrail** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 6:00 pm

I'm looking for a VERY, VERY secure way of securing data which is in text format.
I've looked at a few freeware encryption programs. But what would you recommend?

I don't want ANYBODY to be able to read my data apart from me. And if I loose the password, fine, it's gone. I can accept that. Any idea? Oh, and I want something free, if possible.

thefool · Post by **thefool** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 6:19 pm

Don't write it down, just remember it in your head hehe

netmaestro · Post by **netmaestro** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 7:07 pm

Email me everything you want to keep a secret and I'll remember it for you. Nothing to worry about, the blackmail part comes much later.

Killswitch · Post by **Killswitch** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 7:14 pm

I suppose the best way would be to invent your own encryption system, and not realse the source or the actual program anywhere. It doesn't need to be that complicated, a shift chiper would do.

Then again, someone could still (probally) crack it - if they really, really, really wanted to.

thefool · Post by **thefool** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 7:53 pm

Killswitch wrote:I suppose the best way would be to invent your own encryption system, and not realse the source or the actual program anywhere. It doesn't need to be that complicated, a shift chiper would do.

Then again, someone could still (probally) crack it - if they really, really, really wanted to.

Nah its better to use some very high standard stuff. Encryptions can get decoded too.. It would take a lot of time.. again..

A way would be to modify a standard known encryption. Eg your code encrypts using blowfish with a 1st password, then you xor every value with a 2nd password and at last you RC4 it all with a 3rd password.. and keep the exe only

chromaX · Post by **chromaX** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 8:02 pm

Truecrypt with a hidden volume? (supports 3x encryption, eg. AES-Twofish-Serpent)

http://www.truecrypt.org/docs/?s=hidden-volume

Killswitch · Post by **Killswitch** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 8:18 pm

Just out of interest, what's so important that no-one else can read, yet you don't actually care if you can't read it?

chromaX · Post by **chromaX** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 8:21 pm

ASCII Art Nude Pics of Hasslehoff.

oldBear · Post by **oldBear** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 8:24 pm

chromaX wrote:Truecrypt with a hidden volume? (supports 3x encryption, eg. AES-Twofish-Serpent)

http://www.truecrypt.org/docs/?s=hidden-volume

That looks very interesting. Thanks for the link

cheers

Killswitch · Post by **Killswitch** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 8:34 pm

@chromaX

What a horrible image!

...where can I get me some of them?

:roll:

chromaX · Post by **chromaX** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 8:36 pm

@Killswitch: Don't ask me, I don't (want to) know.

@oldBear: Anytime.

rsts · Post by **rsts** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 8:42 pm

oldBear wrote:
chromaX wrote:Truecrypt with a hidden volume? (supports 3x encryption, eg. AES-Twofish-Serpent)

http://www.truecrypt.org/docs/?s=hidden-volume
That looks very interesting. Thanks for the link

cheers

I agree. That link looks like a keeper.

Thanks for the info.

later

Killswitch · Post by **Killswitch** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 8:50 pm

Another idea just came to me - the best possible way for no-one to be able to read the data, would be if it didn't exist!

So, if you scan through the text and add the ASCII values of each character to a string, then convert that into a number (or several numbers for exta security) then all you need to do would be to devise some complicated math formula to give you that number.

All you'd need to do to get the text back would be to generate the result of the formula, convert it to a string then read back 2 characters at a time so you can convert them back into a byte, and then into a character.

Of course you'd have to limit the range of characters you'd use, because if one were to have a 1 or 3 digit btye value then things would start going wrong. So, to get around this use values 32 - 122 but, when processing take 23 away from each - giving a two digit value each time. (Although, obviously, there'd be some characters you can't possibly have in the text file).

White Eagle · Post by **White Eagle** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 9:54 pm

I use bmpPacker. I have a friend that swears by ImageHide.

utopiomania · Post by **utopiomania** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 10:19 pm

I'm looking for a VERY, VERY secure way of securing data which is in text format.

I have quite a few textfiles containing passwords and registration info to programs, email accounts
and so on and simply created a New/Zipped folder in XP, copied the text files in there, and selected
File/Add Password to protect them.