Snail: Dejal Userware, PO Box 33-1011, Takapuna, Auckland 1309, NEW ZEALAND
Internet: dejal@iconz.co.nz (preferred) or dejal@deepthnk.kiwi.gen.nz
Dejal Userware home page: http://amug.org:80/~dejal/
CompuServe: >INTERNET: dejal@iconz.co.nz or 100033,2435
I read the Internet mail every day, and will reply immediately (allow a day or two for net.delay), but only call CI$ once a fortnight, or less.
Note: my software is now available for anonymous ftp at ftp.amug.org in the /pub/dejal directory. Most of the software is also available on sumex-aim and its mirror sites, though my ftp site has the advantage of having all my software in the one directory, and you know they are the latest versions.
——— Usage ———
This application will quickly and securely encrypt or decrypt any file. It is very configurable and has many features, including Apple event support, the ability to process files of an unlimited length, multiple worksets, user-controlled password limitations, a default password, automatic encryption and/or decryption, verification of validity, the option of a standard source folder and various destination options, opening files once decrypted (via Apple events), and more.
To use QuickEncrypt, either drop any number of files — or even a folder full of files — onto the application, or start it as usual by double-clicking on the application icon. For each file, if it isn’t encrypted you will be prompted for a password to use to encrypt the data, which will be confirmed to ensure you didn’t mis-key it, since there is no way to decrypt a file if you forget the password. If the file is encrypted, you will be asked for its password, and given up to four attempts to get it right. If you prefer, you can automate the process via the worksets options, e.g. omit the confirmation, or don’t even ask for a password but use a default one instead — see the Worksets section below.
Once a valid password has been provided, the file will be quickly encrypted or decrypted, with a progress dialog reporting how things are going. You can stop at any time, if you wish.
Worksets:
The application features multiple worksets: the active workset affects how the files are processed, and may be chosen via the Worksets menu, as a quick way of reconfiguring the program to do different operations. The application comes with a number of ready-made worksets, but you can also add your own, or modify or delete existing ones. When you add a workset, the options start off the same as in the active workset, so that you can add one that is very similar to an existing one, but with a few differences.
Worksets may be locked or unlocked via the Worksets menu. If a workset is locked, it cannot be deleted or modifed without first unlocking it; you might like to lock some of your worksets if you find yourself accidentally changing the wrong set occasionally.
The Worksets editing dialog features multiple “pages” of radio buttons, checkboxes, and entry fields, each page grouping certain kinds of functions. You can switch between pages simply by choosing them from a popup menu. Here follows a description of the various pages:
Workset Info page:
Here you can change the name of the current workset, the keyboard equivalent used in the Worksets menu to select this workset, and a description of, or comments about, the workset.
Password page:
Here you can control the level of password security you desire, including whether you want to specify a different password for each file (or just use the same one for all files in the batch), confirm and/or conceal the password entry, ignore the password’s case (e.g. so that “password” and “PassWORD” would be treated as equal), insist that the password contains a non-alphabetic character (a good way to make it harder to guess the password), and the minimum length the password should be (a zero value means you don’t have to enter a password at all).
You can also specify a default password here, which won’t be shown (after entering it the first time) and can be useful if your machine is sufficiently secure, but you want to send files to other people securely.
Folders page:
Here you have the option of specifying a standard folder to look in when the application was opened by double-clicking on its icon, instead of dropping files on it. If you choose this option, the program will process any files it finds within that folder. You can also choose where to put the destination (output) files:
The ‘put in the same folder’ option is the most trivial to use, as it simply uses the same location as the source file, creating a new file next to the source file.
The ‘standard folder’ option allows you to put the files in one particular folder; you choose the location once, and it’s used thereafter.
The ‘prompt for destination’ option will ask for a destination each time, so you can decide on-the-fly.
Files page:
This page lets you choose which files to process: all files (files that are encrypted will be decrypted, and others will be encrypted), only files to be encrypted (files that are already encrypted will be skipped), or only files that need decrypting (files that aren’t encrypted will be skipped).
Additionally, you can specify whether or not to check for QuickEncrypt 1.0 files: that obsolete version used a very different and unreliable encryption format, which is no longer supported. If you never had QuickEncrypt 1.0, you might as well turn off this option.
Encryption 1 page:
This is the first of two pages controlling the encrypting process. Here you can specify the suffix to add onto the names of the output files (or leave it blank to have none). Note that unique names are always created, in the same way as the Finder does, by adding numbers to the end until a unique name is found. You can also indicate which forks to encrypt — normally you’d leave this set to encrypt both forks; there isn’t much reason to only encrypt one, but you have the choice just in case.
You can automate the encryption operation if you wish, automatically encrypting files without asking for a password; the default one specified on the Passwords page is used. Also, if you wish to ensure that the data hasn’t been corrupted, you can choose to verify the files.
Encryption 2 page:
Here you can choose what dates to use for the encrypted file. You can use the date the original file was created or last modifed, the date the original was created and use today’s date for the modification date, or simply use today’s date for both (i.e. don’t alter the output file dates).
You can also choose what to do with the original file, if and only if the encryption process is successful. The file can be shredded (i.e. the contents zeroed out) and then deleted, so that even disk recovery utilities can’t recover the original contents (the most secure option), simply delete the file (remembering that it might be possible for someone to recover it later), move the file to the Trash, or simply leave the file alone (the least secure option).
Decryption 1 page:
This and the following page contain options applicable when decrypting files. Here you can indicate whether to use the name of the original file, or based on the encrypted file’s name — normally there won’t be any difference, but the encrypted file could have been renamed, so you have a choice of which name to use. As with the Encryption 1 page, you also have the options of automatic decryption and verification.
A rather useful feature here is the ability to open the file once it has been decrypted — in conjunction with the automation options, above, you could simply double-click on an encrypted document, have it decrypt automatically and then open up in the relevant application. For example, an encrypted file could decrypt to a SimpleText document, which is then opened and displayed by SimpleText, ready for editing.
Decryption 2 page:
This page is much the same as the Encryption 2 page, except it has an additional date option: the ability to use the encrypted file’s dates instead. It also doesn’t have the shred option, since there isn’t much point in shredding an encrypted file.
Preferences:
Also included is a Preferences dialog, which allows you to configure common features. The preferences file is only created or modified when you actually change the prefs.
Auto-Open If Nothing From the Finder: If this is checked you will be automatically prompted with the Open file dialog when you launch the application by double-clicking it’s icon (as opposed to dropping a file on it). This option is off by default.
Present Open Dialog Until Cancel: If checked, you’ll be repeatedly prompted with the Open file dialog after processing a file until you Cancel the dialog. This is off by default.
Auto-Quit When Done: If checked, the application will automatically quit after successfully processing a file or files; it won’t quit if you stop the operation, in case you wish to modify the Preferences or a workset. This is off by default.
Animate Icons: If checked, the icons in the progress dialog will be animated. If you have a slow machine, you might experience a small speed improvement if you uncheck this option. It is on by default.
Lock the Progress Dialog Position: If checked, the progress dialog will always appear in the same location; if unchecked, whenever you move it the new position will be remembered for next time. This is off by default (you might like to turn it on once you’ve positioned the dialog in a favourite location).
Sort Worksets Alphabetically: If checked, the worksets will be listed in alphabetical order in the Worksets menu (from the next time you run the application), otherwise they will be listed in the order they were added. This is on by default.
Default Workset: This popup menu allows you to specify a particular workset you want to always be active when you start the application, or specify that whichever one you used most recently should be active.
Progress Bar Pattern: Clicking this will cycle through the available patterns for the progress bar, so you can find one that you prefer.
——— What’s in a Name? ———
For your information, I recently changed my name from David Lambert to David Sinclair, as my fiancée and I have chosen that new name for when we get married (April 1995). Registrations would make nice wedding presents. <grin>
——— Dejal Sound Utilities™ ———
If you’re into sounds, you may be interested in this popular bundle: SndConverter Pro™, SndConverter Lite™, SndPlayer™, and SndCataloguer™; four Shareware utilities that can be registered separately or together. You’ll find them on the Dejal Userware distribution disk and many online services, CD-ROM discs, etc.
——— Warning ———
Warning: do not forget your passwords! Please don’t contact me asking if I can decrypt your data because you’ve forgotten your password — even I can’t decrypt files without the correct password, as the password itself is used in the encryption process for added security.
——— Compatibility and Disclaimer ———
QuickEncrypt requires at least System 7, and is 32-bit compatible.
Note that while the encoding schemes are very secure, I do not guarantee they are unbreakable. I have tried to make the schemes as secure as I can, but given sufficient motivation, skilled low-level hackers can eventually break almost all forms of security. Use at your own risk.
The usual disclaimers apply: David Sinclair and Dejal Userware accept no responsibility for any incidental or consequential damage of any sort as a direct or indirect result of using this software. The software is provided “as-is”, and no warranties are made as to its fitness for a particular purpose or whatever. I would be very interested to hear of any problems, though. <grin>
——— Release History ———
The following is a reverse-chronology of the changes in each release of QuickEncrypt. Look out for the next release, due February 1995, that will add several new features!
Release 2; QuickEncrypt 2.0, 21 December 1994:
• Added support for multiple worksets.
• Added the ability to open folders via Apple events or the Open dialog.
• Added the registration form printing option.
• Added the choice of defaulting to the last used workset or a fixed one.
• Significantly improved the encryption format.
• Added several options to control the entry of passwords.
• Added the ability to specify a default password.
• Added the option of a default source folder.
• Added different destination options.
• Added the choice of encrypting and decrypting files, or just one or the other.
• Added support for using Temporary Items folders.
• Added optional suffixes for encrypted files.
• Added support for encrypting the resource fork.
• Added the ability to specify which fork(s) to encrypt.
• Added a choice of using the original or encrypted files name when decrypting.
• Added the option of automatically encrypting or decrypting files.
• Added verification of encryption/decryption validity.
• Added support for setting the created and modified dates of output files.
• Added options of moving files to the trash, deleting them, or shredding them.
• Added the ability to automatically open the files once decrypted, via AppleEvents.
• Plus other minor enhancements.
Release 1; QuickEncrypt 1.0, 2 January 1994:
• First public release of the software.
First started work on QuickEncrypt: June 1993; first limited release, 1.0a1: 1 July 1993.