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Best way to secure text info
Posted: Thu Oct 12, 2006 6:00 pm
by GeoTrail
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.
Posted: Thu Oct 12, 2006 6:19 pm
by thefool
Don't write it down, just remember it in your head hehe
Posted: Thu Oct 12, 2006 7:07 pm
by netmaestro
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.
Posted: Thu Oct 12, 2006 7:14 pm
by Killswitch
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.
Posted: Thu Oct 12, 2006 7:53 pm
by thefool
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

Posted: Thu Oct 12, 2006 8:02 pm
by chromaX
Truecrypt with a hidden volume? (supports 3x encryption, eg. AES-Twofish-Serpent)
http://www.truecrypt.org/docs/?s=hidden-volume
Posted: Thu Oct 12, 2006 8:18 pm
by Killswitch
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?
Posted: Thu Oct 12, 2006 8:21 pm
by chromaX
ASCII Art Nude Pics of Hasslehoff.

Posted: Thu Oct 12, 2006 8:24 pm
by oldBear
That looks very interesting. Thanks for the link
cheers
Posted: Thu Oct 12, 2006 8:34 pm
by Killswitch
@chromaX
What a horrible image!
...where can I get me some of them?
:roll:
Posted: Thu Oct 12, 2006 8:36 pm
by chromaX
@Killswitch: Don't ask me, I don't (want to) know.
@oldBear: Anytime.
Posted: Thu Oct 12, 2006 8:42 pm
by rsts
oldBear wrote:
That looks very interesting. Thanks for the link
cheers
I agree. That link looks like a keeper.
Thanks for the info.
later
Posted: Thu Oct 12, 2006 8:50 pm
by Killswitch
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).
Posted: Thu Oct 12, 2006 9:54 pm
by White Eagle
I use
bmpPacker. I have a friend that swears by
ImageHide.
Posted: Thu Oct 12, 2006 10:19 pm
by utopiomania
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.