FileCrypt  -  File encrypter

by Sam Chamberlain

upgraded by David Bradforth

Filecrypt is a file encrypter that will enable you to keep your private documents away from prying eyes. Any file can be encrypted using a password (which may be different for each file if you wish). Once the file has been encrypted it will appear as garbage to anyone who tries to load it into an editor. The file must be decrypted before it can be read, and this can only be done by giving FileCrypt the correct password. Thus your files will always be secure.

FileCrypt is not archived and can therefore be dragged directly out of the root directory of this disc to a suitable location on your hard disc. Alternatively it can be run from the RISC User menu system. An icon is installed on the icon bar. Clicking Menu over this icon opens a menu with four entries. The Info and Quit options perform their usual functions. The Password option opens the password window, which can also be opened by clicking with Select or Adjust on the icon bar icon. The Save choices option enables you to save your chosen password so that it becomes the default in future.

The Password window contains a writable icon into which you can type a password of up to 27 characters. Any characters can be used, and the password checking is case-sensitive. Whatever you type will be used as the password for any files which are subsequently encrypted. The default password is "Default", but choosing Save choices from the icon bar menu will replace this by whatever new password you care to enter, allowing you to use a single password repeatedly with no effort. However, you should be very careful not to use this facility if your computer can easily be used by other people and you want to keep your password secure!

To encrypt a file, drag it to FileCrypt's icon on the icon bar. A save box will be displayed, showing the original pathname of the file which may be edited before saving. The saved file will be encrypted using the current password, and it will be given a filetype of Encryp (&010).

A file can be decrypted in two ways. Dragging a file of type Encryp to FileCrypt will open a save box as before, showing the original filetype of the file before encryption. The decrypted file can be saved in the normal way. Alternatively, double-clicking on an encrypted file will decrypt it and save it back to its existing location without any further action required by the user.  Thus the process of encryption and decryption works in an identical fashion to squashing and unsquashing a file using Acorn's Squash.

When a file is decrypted, FileCrypt will compare the current password with the password which was used to encrypt the file. If they are not identical an error will be generated and the file will not be decrypted.

Please note that if you forget your password, you will not be able to decrypt the file, so your data will effectively be lost. We cannot be held legally responsible for any loss of data through use or misuse of this program.

Improvements in version 2.00
1. Now StrongARM-compatible
2. User interface revised to be RISC OS Style Guide-compliant


Copyright  RISC User magazine 1998
