Please read these release notes carefully as they contain important information for using Enigma successfully.
Product Summary
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Enigma protects your privacy by encrypting sensitive documents on your computer. Registered user's documents are protected by the DES encryption algorithm with 56 bits of security. The program provides a vault feature which makes it easy to organize and store large numbers of encrypted documents. In addition clipboard encryption, self extracting vaults, and binhex options make it easier to share encrypted documents with others.
Unregistered users are protected by a weak encryption algorithm that only provides 32 bits of encryption. This is sufficient to protect against casual snooping but is not adequate when a professional is interested in your data. Unregistered users can also only store 5 files in a vault, unlike registered users who can store up to 800.
Enigma uses a private key form of Encryption, unlike the popular PGP program that many potential users may have heard about. Private key encryption is a better solution for private files because it is faster and easier to use, public key encryption (PGP for example) is more cumbersome to use but is ideal for securely sharing encrypted data.
New in version 2.7
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This version finally allows multiple vaults to be open at once, and for files to be dragged between the vaults.
Version 2.8 introduces the ability to register via the Kagi system, allowing me to accept credit cards and many other forms of electronic payment.
Upgrades
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If you are a registered user of Enigma an upgrade is provide at no charge if I can send you the upgrade via email. A $5 charge is necessary if you require the upgrade via regular mail.
If you are a registered user already DO NOT USE the unregistered application associated with this readme file. You must contact me directly to receive a registered version of Enigma 2.8. This facilitates implementing export restrictions on DES encryption products.
To upgrade simply send me an email to service@thenextwave.com. Please be sure to provide your name and/or the email address you registered with so I can verify the information.
How powerful is the encryption used by Enigma?
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The DES standard used by Enigma has been around since the early seventies. In the last 25 years no one has discovered an easy (i.e. backdoor) way to break into files protected by DES. On the other hand, DES was designed in an era when computers were thousands of times less powerful then they are today.
Most experts consider DES adequate security for most uses. Experiments done on the Internet have shown that massive computing power is required to break into a DES file (literally tens of thousands of computers running for weeks). See http://www.rsa.com/des/ for details (I would also, in passing, point out that the RSA tests deliberately sidestepped the difficult problem of determining exactly when success was achieved by providing part of the decrypted file in advance to contest participants. This "hint" made the experiment much easier than it could have been.)
Most users of Enigma should find the product provides excellent security. If you have very powerful enemies or data worth many millions of dollars you might want to consider stronger protection. PGP by Phil Zimmerman is the best and cheapest (for non-commercial purposes) alternative.
Memory Requirements
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Enigma 2.8 has a default memory partition size of three megabytes. Enigma will run in less memory down to about one megabyte. However if running in a small partition you may get an out of memory error (-108) when trying to add or extract large folders or compacting a vault. If so increase Enigma's memory partition and try again.
Note: 680x0 Mac users can set memory a couple of hundred kilobytes less than Power Mac users.
Problems using Drag and Drop
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If you find you have trouble dragging files and folders to the Enigma application from the desktop, or you see only generic icons for Enigma and its files the desktop database needs to be rebuilt. To accomplish this restart your Macintosh and hold down the option and command keys until the system asks if you want to rebuild your desktop. This process should be a regular part of your Macintosh maintenance. Apple recommends doing this procedure once a month.
Upgrading from a previous version of Enigma
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Enigma version 2.8 remains fully compatible with previous version of Enigma. Simply replace your older copy of Enigma with version 2.8.
Any preferences you have set from a previous version of Enigma are preserved when you upgrade.
Enigma on a Power Macintosh
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Enigma 2.8 is distributed as a fat binary. This means it will automatically detect the kind of machine it is running on and use the appropriate code.
Enigma on a PC
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Enigma for Windows provides a cross-platform compatible encryption solution if you use both Macs and PCs. Enigma for Windows requires Windows 3.1 and an 80286 or higher CPU. Only file encryption (not vaults) is supported in version 1.0. Because Enigma now exists on both Macs and PCs please be sure to specify which machine you have when corresponding with me.
Enigma for Windows is a separate product from Enigma for the Macintosh. If you would like full DES encryption on the PC you must purchase that product separately from me for $15. If you are already have a registered copy of Enigma for the Macintosh a discount of $5 applies.
Tech Support
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Any user of Enigma can get free technical support via mail or email. Email to my primary account is usually answered in under 24 hours.
Send questions, comments, or bug reports to any of the following email addresses:
