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1 DATA PROTECTOR v1.03 User Manual ╔══════════════════════════════╗ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ DATA PROTECTOR ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ Version 1.03 ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ╚══════════════════════════════╝ ┌───────────────────────┐ │ │ │ TABLE OF CONTENTS │ │ │ └───────────────────────┘ DISCLAIMER - AGREEMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Chapter 1 : HOW TO AVOID READING THIS USER MANUAL . . . . . . . . 5 1.1 A daily work with DATA PROTECTOR . . . . . . . . 5 1.1.1. EXAMPLE NO 1: HIDING ALL THE RESTRICTED INFORMATION . . . 7 1.1.2. EXAMPLE NO 2: MR. SMITH IS USING YOUR COMPUTER . . . . . 8 1.1.3. EXAMPLE NO 3: MR. JONES IS USING YOUR COMPUTER . . . . . 9 1.1.4. EXAMPLE NO 4: MR. ROBERT IS USING YOUR COMPUTER . . . . .10 1.1.5. EXAMPLE NO 5: YOU ARE USING YOUR COMPUTER . . . . . . . .11 1.2 How to continue from here . . . . . . . . . . .12 Chapter 2 : INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 About DATA PROTECTOR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 About our manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 Chapter 3 : INSTALLATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 3.1 Hardware requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 3.2 Installing DATA PROTECTOR on a hard disk . . . .15 3.3 Removing DATA PROTECTOR from the hard disk . . .17 2 DATA PROTECTOR v1.03 User Manual Chapter 4 : HOW TO PROTECT FILES AND DIRECTORIES . . . . . . . .18 A. Setting up protection for files and directories (PSP.EXE program) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 4.1 Starting the "PSP" program . . . . . . . . .19 4.2 Setup menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 4.2.1 Creating the user setup . . . . . . . .20 4.2.2 User setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20 Adding or removing a protection to a directory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21 Changing the current drive displayed in the user setup menu . . . . . . . .22 Adding or removing a protection to a file . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22 4.2.3 Changing the user setup . . . . . . . .24 4.2.4 Deleting the user setup . . . . . . . .24 4.2.5 Master Password . . . . . . . . . . . .25 4.2.6 Encryption method . . . . . . . . . . .26 4.3 Report menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27 4.3.1 General report . . . . . . . . . . . . .27 4.3.2 User report . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28 4.3.3 Hidden Files/Directories report. . . . .28 4.3.4 Log report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29 4.3.5 Delete Log . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29 4.4 Program exit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30 B. Running the protection (LOGIN.EXE and LOGOUT.EXE programs) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30 C. Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33 Chapter 5. SUGGESTED PROTECTION STRATEGY . . . . . . . . . . . .34 Chapter 6 : IMPROVING YOUR DIRECTORIES/FILES PROTECTION . . . . .36 Chapter 7 : POTENTIAL CONFLICTS WITH OTHER UTILITIES . . . . . .38 7.1. Adding files to the automatically hidden list .38 Chapter 8 : USEFUL TIPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40 Chapter 9 : COMMONLY ASKED QUESTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43 Chapter 10: COMPUTER SECURITY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45 OMBUDSMAN STATEMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45 3 DATA PROTECTOR v1.03 User Manual DISCLAIMER - AGREEMENT ════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════ Any user of DATA PROTECTOR program must accept this disclaimer of warranty: DATA PROTECTOR IS SUPPLIED AS IS. PIGAS Inc. DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND OF FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. YOU HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED THAT IN A CASE OF A FAILURE IN DATA PROTECTOR, UNRECOVERABLE DAMAGE TO YOUR DATA MIGHT OCCUR. IF YOU USE DATA PROTECTOR, YOU ASSUME EXCLUSIVE RESPONSIBILITY AND LIABILITY FOR ANY LOSS OR DAMAGE DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY ARISING OUT OF THE USE OF THE PROGRAM. PIGAS Inc. ASSUMES NO LIABILITY FOR ANY DAMAGES, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR INCIDENTAL WHICH MAY RESULT FROM THE USE OF DATA PROTECTOR. IN NO EVENT SHALL PIGAS Inc. AND/OR ANYONE ELSE BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGE EVER EXCEEDING THE PRICE PAID FOR THE LICENSE TO USE THE DATA PROTECTOR. SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, SO THE ABOVE LIMITATION OR EXCLUSION MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU. THE DISCLAIMER - AGREEMENT SHALL BE CONSTRUED, INTERPRETED AND GOVERNED BY THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK. DATA PROTECTOR version 1.03 SHAREWARE is a "SHAREWARE program" and is provided at no charge to the user for evaluation. Feel free to share it with your friends, but please do not give it away altered or as part of another system. The essence of "user-supported" software is to provide personal computer users with quality software without high prices, and, at the same time, provide incentive for programmers to continue to develop new products. Any user of the DATA PROTECTOR SHAREWARE program must register and pay for his copy within 30 days of first use, or their license will be withdrawn. The registration fee will license one copy for use on any computer at any one time. You must treat this software just like a book. For example, this software may be used by any number of people and may be freely moved from one computer location to another, so long as there is no possibility of it 4 DATA PROTECTOR v1.03 User Manual being used at one location while it's being used at another. Just as a book cannot be read by two different persons at the same time. Site-License arrangements may be made by contacting PiGAS INC. Anyone distributing the DATA PROTECTOR SHAREWARE program for any kind of remuneration should follow our distribution policy (see file VENDOR.DOC) You are encouraged to pass a copy of the DATA PROTECTOR SHAREWARE program along to your friends for evaluation. Please encourage them to register their copy if they find out that they can use it. 5 DATA PROTECTOR v1.03 User Manual HOW TO AVOID READING THIS USER MANUAL ════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════ If this is the first time you are using DATA PROTECTOR, you will probably want to try it before reading the whole user manual. USING THE FOLLOWING EXAMPLES, IT WILL TAKE A FEW MINUTES TO UNDERSTAND HOW THE DATA PROTECTOR CAN HELP YOU. Please print the file demo.doc BEFORE continue reading. 1.1 A DAILY WORK WITH DATA PROTECTOR ════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════ When you installed DATA PROTECTOR, the installation program built the following structures on your hard disk : Directories name File list C:\ │ └─PIGASTST .......... login.exe , logout.exe ..... │ ├─MY_DATA │ │ │ ├─SECRET ... s1.dat , s2.dat │ │ │ └─LETTERS ... secret.let,inv.let,pro.let │ ├─SMITH ........ smith.txt │ ├─JONES ........ jones.txt │ └─PUBLIC ....... common.1 , common.2 The INSTALL program also built the necessary user setups. Later on , we will explain how to create a user setup, but for the moment, let's try to see how you can use DATA PROTECTOR to 6 DATA PROTECTOR v1.03 User Manual encrypt/decrypt information. REMARK: THE EXAMPLE WILL REFER ONLY THE INFORMATION UNDER C:\PIGASTST ALL OTHER FILES AND DIRECTORY WILL NOT TAKE PART IN THE EXAMPLE. 7 DATA PROTECTOR v1.03 User Manual 1.1.1. EXAMPLE NO 1: HIDING ALL THE RESTRICTED INFORMATION In our first example, we will demonstrate how to hide all the restricted information from an unauthorized user. (Normally , you will use this option, before turning the computer off). We gave the unauthorized user access ONLY to the following information: Directories name File list C:\ │ └─PIGASTST ...........login.exe , logout.exe ..... . │ . └─PUBLIC ....common.1 , common.2 . . In other words, we don't mind that anyone using our computer will have access to the directory c:\PIGASTST with all it's files, and to C:\PIGASTST\PUBLIC with all it's files BUT this unauthorized user, should not have access to C:\PIGASTST\MY_DATA , C:\PIGASTST\SMITH and to C:\PIGASTST\JONES. Later on, we will show how to create this configuration, but first let's see how it works: From the "C:\PIGASTST" directory, type : LOGOUT <enter> From now on the only the files under c:\PIGASTST and c:\pigatst\public are available. Rebooting from a DOS diskette or using powerful disk utilities will NOT let you access to the hidden information. Remark : You are now in the "most restricted user" category. 8 DATA PROTECTOR v1.03 User Manual 1.1.2. EXAMPLE NO 2: MR. SMITH IS USING YOUR COMPUTER You gave a permission to Mr. Smith to work on your computer. BUT , you want to restrict his access so he will be able to access only the following information: C:\ │ └─PIGASTST ..........login.exe , logout.exe ..... │ ├─SMITH .....smith.txt │ └─PUBLIC ....common.1 , common.2 When Smith wants to start working he will type: (this time, you will type it for him ... ) LOGIN <enter> >smith 12345678 <enter> As before, all the restricted files and directories for smith are now hidden. Rebooting from a DOS diskette or using powerful disk utilities will NOT let smith access to the hidden information. Once Smith has finished working, he should type (before turning off the computer) : LOGOUT <enter> Again, all the confidential information becomes hidden. ("most restricted user" category ). 9 DATA PROTECTOR v1.03 User Manual 1.1.3. EXAMPLE NO 3: MR. JONES IS USING YOUR COMPUTER You gave a permission to Mr. Jones to work on your computer. BUT , you want to restrict his access so he will be able to access only the following information: C:\ │ └─PIGASTST ..........login.exe , logout.exe ... │ ├─JONES .....jones.txt │ └─PUBLIC .... common.1 , common.2 When Jones wants to start working he will type: LOGIN <enter> >jones 87654321 <enter> As before, all the restricted files and directories for jones are now hidden. Rebooting from a DOS diskette or using powerful disk utilities will NOT let jones access to the hidden information. Once Jones has finished working, he should type (before turning off the computer) : LOGOUT <enter> Again, all the confidential information becomes hidden ("most restricted user" category ). 10 DATA PROTECTOR v1.03 User Manual 1.1.4. EXAMPLE NO 4: MR. ROBERT IS USING YOUR COMPUTER You gave a permission to Mr. Robert to work on your computer. BUT , you want to restrict his access so he will be able to access only the following information: C:\ │ └─PIGASTST .........login.exe , logout.exe ..... │ ├─MY_DATA │ │ │ └─LETTERS .. inv.let , pro.let │ └─PUBLIC ...... common.1 , common.2 Please pay attention that Robert should NOT have access to the FILE: c:\PIGASTST\MY_DATA\LETTERS\secret.let. When Robert wants to start working he will type: LOGIN <enter> >robert friend <enter> As before, all the restricted files and directories for robert are now hidden. Rebooting from a DOS diskette or using powerful disk utilities will NOT let robert access to the hidden information. Once robert has finished working, he should type (before turning off the computer) : LOGOUT <enter> Again, all the confidential information becomes hidden("most restricted user" category ). 11 DATA PROTECTOR v1.03 User Manual 1.1.5. EXAMPLE NO 5: YOU ARE USING YOUR COMPUTER Suppose now that YOU (the master user) would like to work on your computer. Simply type : LOGIN <enter> >master masterp <enter> (Note : "masterp" here is the original password. Do not forget to change it when you define all your users' configuration !) As a master user, you now have ALL YOUR FILES AND DIRECTORIES available again (just as if there were no protection whatsoever). Once you have finished your work, simply type : LOGOUT <enter> Again, all the confidential information becomes hidden. The above examples illustrates how to execute DATA PROTECTOR. As you can see, it is very simple to use once you have defined the users and the data to hide. 12 DATA PROTECTOR v1.03 User Manual 1.2 HOW TO CONTINUE FROM HERE ════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════ Now that you have seen how DATA PROTECTOR really works, you need to understand how you can create the user's configuration. For this you need to read chapters: HOW TO PROTECT FILES AND DIRECTORIES and SUGGESTED PROTECTION STRATEGY While reading these chapter, try to learn from the example we built, and change them if needed. After you feel that you understand how to create you own configuration you can delete the directory C:\PIGASTST and all it's subdirectories BUT: 1. Remember to copy the PSP.EXE to other directory. We strongly suggest the you will copy it to C:\PIGAS directory. 2. Remember to copy the LOGIN.EXE & LOGOUT.EXE to other directory. DO NOT COPY THEM TO A DIRECTORY THAT WILL BE PROTECTED (otherwise you will not have an access to the login/logout program. If this will happened you will need to recover the login.exe program by copying it from the original diskette by typing: copy a:pigas.01 login.exe) 13 DATA PROTECTOR v1.03 User Manual 2. INTRODUCTION ════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════ Thank you for using DATA PROTECTOR. We hope you will enjoy evaluating our software and that you will realize that, along with its simplicity of use, DATA PROTECTOR is one of the best available products on the market today for protecting information on your PC and controlling its access. About DATA PROTECTOR ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── DATA PROTECTOR is a standard DOS utility that allows you to protect confidential information from being accessed by unauthorized users. Once the information is protected, it becomes totally unavailable to the user(s) even using powerful disk utilities or booting from a DOS diskette. DATA PROTECTOR includes the following features : o A very simple call to start or end a user working session with our login/logout program. o A sophisticated protection scheme to hide all the data you selected. o The possibility to define an unlimited number of users, each one with a unique password. o Complete reports about any authorized/unauthorized activity in the system. o A fast hide/open operation. o An easy-to-use configuration program allowing you to select all the files and/or directories you want to hide. o Full keyboard and mouse support. 14 DATA PROTECTOR v1.03 User Manual About our manual ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Our DATA PROTECTOR manual contains the following chapters : o Installation o How to protect files/directories o Suggested protection strategy o Improving your directories/files protection o Potential conflicts with other utilities o Useful tips o Commonly asked questions o Computer Security You can also choose, if you want, to have this manual printed. Simply print the file "MANUAL.DOC", located on your diskette, using the standard DOS command PRINT. 15 DATA PROTECTOR v1.03 User Manual 3. INSTALLATION ════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════ 3.1 Hardware requirements ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── DATA PROTECTOR is designed to work with most IBM-compatible computers. Your computer should have at least 512K of memory and 1Mb of free space available. You should be able to boot your computer with, at least, version 3.0 of DOS. While DATA PROTECTOR works well with the keyboard, it is also designed to work with a mouse. Should you decide to use it, please refer to your mouse documentation for its installation. Note : DATA PROTECTOR is non resident. 3.2 Installing DATA PROTECTOR on a hard disk ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Before installing DATA PROTECTOR on your PC, insert the diskette in drive A and type the DOS command DIR to check that the following files are present : - README 1ST - INSTALL EXE - MANUAL DOC - DEMO DOC - PIGAS 01 - PIGAS 02 - PIGAS 03 - PIGAS 04 - PIGAS 05 - PIGAS 06 - PIGAS 07 - PIGAS 08 - PIGAS 09 - PIGAS 10 Important! DATA PROTECTOR has been tested very 16 DATA PROTECTOR v1.03 User Manual extensively in order to be error-free. However, as a precautionary measure, we recommend that you execute the following steps, prior to installing DATA PROTECTOR : 1. Do a backup of your data. First of all, it is a good habit to do it regularly, and, secondly, your data is far too valuable to be lost should anything happen during the installation procedure. 2. Run the DOS CHKDSK command to verify your disk. The following installation procedure assumes that you are installing DATA PROTECTOR from drive A. 1. Insert your diskette in drive A. 2. At the A> prompt, type : INSTALL and press Enter. 3. Follow the screen instructions. Once the installation is complete, you should have the following files and directories on your hard disk : C:\PIGASTST C:\PIGASTST\MY_DATA C:\PIGASTST\MY_DATA\SECRET C:\PIGASTST\MY_DATA\LETTERS C:\PIGASTST\SMITH C:\PIGASTST\JONES C:\PIGASTST\PUBLIC These directories contain demo files. 17 DATA PROTECTOR v1.03 User Manual You can delete them whenever you like, but remember to move the files "LOGIN.EXE", "LOGOUT.EXE", and "PSP.EXE" to some other directory before deleting. C:\PIGASTST\LOGIN.EXE C:\PIGASTST\LOGOUT.EXE All users will use these programs. You can move these programs to any other directory but DO NOT DELETE THEM FROM THE DISK AS LONG AS YOU ARE USING DATA PROTECTOR. C:\PIGASTST\PSP.EXE The master user will use this program. You can move this program to any other directory but DO NOT DELETE IT FROM THE DISK AS LONG AS YOU ARE USING DATA PROTECTOR. C:\PIGAS C:\PIGAS\INFO These directories are for internal use. DO NOT ALTER THEIR NAME AND THEIR CONTENTS. 3.3 Removing DATA PROTECTOR from the hard disk ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── In order to remove DATA PROTECTOR from you hard disk , simply log in as a master user. All the files and directories will then become unprotected again and you can delete all the DATA PROTECTOR files and directories: C:\PIGAS and C:\PIGASTST, just as you would do ordinarily with common files. 18 DATA PROTECTOR v1.03 User Manual 4. HOW TO PROTECT FILES AND DIRECTORIES ════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════ As we have seen in the previous chapters, you - the master user - need to define who should get access to your computer and, then, what files and/or directories need to be protected from these users. To create the user's configuration, and to execute it, DATA PROTECTOR uses three different files. They are : - PSP.EXE - LOGIN.EXE - LOGOUT.EXE Let's look, first of all, at the "PSP.EXE" file, which is the configuration program used by DATA PROTECTOR. Note : Files "LOGIN.EXE" and "LOGOUT.EXE" are explained in details in paragraph B. A. Setting up protection for files and directories ────────────────────────────────────────────────── In order to protect files and directories on your PC, you (the MASTER USER) need to define the users who should have a limited access to your computer and, at the same time, define the list of files and/or directories you want to hide from them. This is done using the "PSP" program, which allows the MASTER USER to create, change, or delete the user's configuration. Important! YOU (the MASTER USER) are the only person who can have access to the "PSP" program. Anyone else trying to run it will see an error message being displayed. Since you are the only one able to execute the "PSP" program, make sure that you remember your password ! 19 DATA PROTECTOR v1.03 User Manual Note : See also Chapter 7 "Useful tips" on how to further protect the "PSP" program. 4.1 Starting the "PSP" program ─────────────────────────────── To start the "PSP" program, make sure that you are on the "C:\PIGASTST" directory, and simply type : PSP then press Enter. You are now in the MAIN menu. In order to view some of the options available, press the ALT key followed by the letter S or R. For options A (About) and E (Exit), press <Enter> after to confirm your choice. Notes : If you have selected one option, you can move around to another one by simply using the direction arrows on your keyboard. If you are using a mouse, simply point to the option you like and click on it. Let's look first at the setup menu. 4.2 Setup menu ─────────────── To view the setup menu options, press <ALT S> from the main menu, or click on Setup, if you are using a mouse. The Setup screen will be displayed . The setup menu can be considered the real main menu of the "PSP" program. It is in this menu that you set up your user's configuration, creating, changing or deleting a user, or changing the master password or the encryption method. We will now examine each option in detail. 20 DATA PROTECTOR v1.03 User Manual 4.2.1 Creating the user setup ────────────────────────────── To create a new user setup, press <F3> from the main menu, or <ALT-S> and F3 from the setup menu. If you are using a mouse, simply point and click on the New user setup option. The dialog box appears. By default, you will see two user names already in the List field: SNOOPY ROBERT JONES SMITH These four user names are used for the demo program. You can delete them later on. Important! Every name in the List field is a user name already used. You can have as many names as you want, but you cannot duplicate a user name from that list. In the User name field, type in the new user name (must be between 4 to 8 characters maximum; from a to z, numbers are allowed) and then press <Enter> - or <ALT O> -, or click on OK, to confirm and validate your choice. 4.2.2 User setup ───────────────── After defining a new user name, you must now create a password for that user and define what directories and/or files to hide from that user. Note : To move around from one option to the other, you can either use your mouse, or type <ALT> and the 21 DATA PROTECTOR v1.03 User Manual corresponding letter, or use the <TAB> key (<Shift-TAB> moves backwards). The USER SETUP contains the following elements: 1. User Name - displays the user name and allows you to change it. In order to change the user name, place the cursor on the user name field by pressing <ALT U>. Then type in the new user name (4 to 8 characters maximum, from a to z, numbers can be included). Press <ALT S> to save the new user name. Notes : In case you are changing an old user name to a new one, the program will create a new copy for the new user name. The old user setup will not be deleted. (To delete it, refer to paragraph 4.2.4 "Deleting the user setup".) If you are using a mouse, simply point and click on the field you would like to change. 2. Password - displays the user password and allows you to change it. In order to change the user password, place the cursor on the user password field by pressing <ALT P>. Then type the new user password (6 to 11 printable characters, with case sensitivity). Press <ALT S> to save the new password. 3. Dir Tree - displays all the directories of a drive and allows you to add or remove protection for the directories. In order to activate this window, press <ALT T>. Adding or removing a protection to a directory ────────────────────────────────────────────── To protect a directory, or simply remove its protection, use first the <arrow-up> or <arrow-down> key to place the cursor on the selected directory, and then press either : - the "+" key, on the numeric pad, in order to add a protection to that directory, or 22 DATA PROTECTOR v1.03 User Manual - the "-" key, on the numeric pad, in order to remove the protection on that directory. (Note : You can also simply hit <Enter> back and forth in order to protect or unprotect a directory.) Important! A protected directory will always be displayed in parentheses. Once a directory is protected, ALL ITS FILES ARE PROTECTED, including ALL existing SUB-DIRECTORIES. DO NOT PROTECT THE DIRECTORY which contains the files "LOGIN.EXE" or "LOGOUT.EXE". (For more details on these two files, refer to paragraph B.) (See also chapter 8 "Useful Tips" for more recommendations and suggestions on how to protect your files and directories.) Changing the current drive displayed in the user setup menu ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── In order to change the current drive, press <ALT D> then select from the list the new drive by placing the cursor on it. Press <ALT D> again. 4. File list - displays the files list and allows you to add or remove protection for the files. In order to activate this window, press <ALT L>. Adding or removing a protection to a file ───────────────────────────────────────── To protect a file or simply remove its protection, use first the <arrow-up> or <arrow-down> key to place the cursor on the selected file, and then press either : - the "+" key, on the numeric pad, in order to add a protection to that directory, or 23 DATA PROTECTOR v1.03 User Manual - the "-" key, on the numeric pad, in order to remove the protection on that directory. Important! A protected file will always be displayed in parentheses. Hitting the <Enter> key will return you to the corresponding directory. It WILL NOT HIDE OR PROTECT YOUR FILE(S) like it does for directories. To hide or unprotect a file, you can only use the "+" or "-" key. DO NOT PROTECT THE FILES "LOGIN.EXE" or "LOGOUT.EXE". (For more details on these two files, refer to paragraph B.) 5. Dir name - displays the current directory name and allows you to change it. In order to change the current directory, press <ALT N> then type the new directory name and press <Enter> or <ALT S>. Note : If you do not type in a full path name, the first directory that matches the dir name field will become the current directory. 6. File name - selects the file name to be displayed. In order to change the file name to be displayed, press <ALT F> then type the new file name and press <Enter> or <ALT S>. Note : If you would like to display all the ".doc" files, for example, you can do it by simply typing *.doc. 7. OK - saves all your changes and quit. Press <ALT O> in order to save all the changes and return to the main menu. 8. Cancel - cancels all changes. In order to quit this menu without saving the last changes, press <Esc> or 24 DATA PROTECTOR v1.03 User Manual <ALT C> to return to the main menu. 9. Select Drive - is used to change the default drive for the directory tree menu as described above for element #3. 10. Show - is used after changing the dir name field or the file name field as described above for elements #5 and #6. 4.2.3 Changing the user setup ────────────────────────────── To change a user setup, press <F4> from the main menu, or <ALT-S> and F4 from the setup menu. If you are using a mouse, simply point and click on the Change user setup option. The CHANGE USER SETUP screen is displayed. To change a user setup, simply select the user name by placing the cursor on a name from the list in the dialog box and press <Enter>. The USER SETUP appears for you to make all the changes you want. (See section 4.2.2 "User Setup", to change a particular field.) 4.2.4 Deleting the user setup ────────────────────────────── To delete the user setup, press <F5> from the main menu, or <ALT-S> and F5 from the setup menu. If you are using a mouse, simply point and click on the Delete user setup option. The DELETE USER SETUP screen is displayed. To delete a user setup, simply select its name in the List field by placing the cursor on it, and press <Enter>. A confirmation message appears . 25 DATA PROTECTOR v1.03 User Manual Press <Enter> to confirm the delete operation or <TAB> and <Enter> in order to cancel it. Note : You can also use the <ESC> key to cancel the operation and go back to the main menu. 4.2.5 Master Password ────────────────────── The master password is the key to you, the master user. WITHOUT IT, YOU CAN NO LONGER HAVE ACCESS TO THE "PSP" PROGRAM and you can no longer control who gets on your PC. AND YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO ACCESS YOUR OWN FILES IF YOU HAVE ALREADY DEFINED SOME OF THEM AS HIDDEN TO EVERYONE ELSE ! This is why it is very important for you to define a master password that is both unique and a little bit unusual. Important! For the MASTER USER, the configuration is already set, so all you need to do is change the password. To have access to the master password, press <F6> from the main menu, or <ALT-S> and F6 from the setup menu. If you are using a mouse, simply point and click on the Change master password option. The CHANGE MASTER PASSWORD is displayed. By default, the master password is set to "masterp" (not very original, we know !). Simply type in the new master password (6 to 11 printable characters (WITH case sensitivity), and press <Enter>. The message "ENTER MASTER PASSWORD AGAIN " appears. Type the new master password again and press <Enter>. (Note : Entering the new password again is done in order to 26 DATA PROTECTOR v1.03 User Manual make sure that no mistake was made the first time around while typing in the password. If we did not include this protection, you could have entered your password incorrectly (without noticing it) and log out. The next time you would have tried to log in, your password would not have been recognized, and, as a result, you would not have been able to access your own data as a master user ! Important! Change the original password ! In choosing a new password, try to avoid using names referring to your family, friends or... referring to protection (such as "pass", "enter", "pw", etc.). Think about changing your master password every now and then. You never know... And most important of all, REMEMBER YOUR NEW PASSWORD ! 4.2.6 Encryption method ──────────────────────── To select the encryption method, press <ALT S> then <e> from the main menu. The ENCRYPTION METHOD screen is displayed : By default, the encryption method is set to Fast. With the Secure option, you have an even better security in terms of encryption during the Login program, but it is at the expense of speed. It is up to you to decide which encryption method you prefer. Press <ALT F> if you prefer the Fast encryption method. Press <ALT S> if you prefer the Secure encryption method. 27 DATA PROTECTOR v1.03 User Manual Note : Use the <ESC> key to cancel the operation and go back to the main menu. After selecting the encryption method, press <Enter> to go back to the main menu. 4.3 Report menu ──────────────── To view the report menu options, press <ALT R> from the main menu, or click on Report, if you are using a mouse. The Report screen will be displayed : Once you have set up your user's configuration in the setup menu, you also have the possibility of consulting various reports. You can look at a general report, a user report, a hidden list report, or you can even obtain a log report about all the activities on your computer while you were away. You can print any of these reports by pressing the <Shift> <Prtscreen> keys. We will now examine each one of these reports. 4.3.1 General report ───────────────────── The general report is a report about all the users you have defined. It contains all the information about them : their user name, password, and the list of all hidden files and directories. To produce a general report, press <F7> from the main menu, or <ALT-R> and F7 from the report menu. If you are using a mouse, simply point and click on the General Report option. The GENERAL REPORT screen is displayed : To view this general report, you can either press the <arrow-up> or <arrow-down> key to read the report, or print it using the <Shift> <Prtscreen> keys. 28 DATA PROTECTOR v1.03 User Manual From our demo program, you can consult the reports, above, for our two defined users : Smith and Jones. Once you have finished looking at the report, press <Esc> to exit from the report and return to the main menu. 4.3.2 User report ────────────────── The user report, as its name indicates, is a report for a particular user. Since you can have an unlimited number of users, you may not want to produce a general report with all the users, in order just to look at one particular user. To produce a user report, press <F8> from the main menu, or <ALT-R> and F8 from the report menu. If you are using a mouse, simply point and click on the User Report option. The USER REPORT screen is displayed . Use the <arrow-up> or <arrow-down> key to select the user from the List field, then press <Enter> to confirm, or point and click on the user name if you are using a mouse. Press <Esc> to exit from the report, once you have finished, to return to the main menu. 4.3.3 Hidden Files/Directories report ────────────────────────────────────── The hidden Files/Directories report lists all the files and directories which are hidden every time someone logs out. This is like a "most restricted user" report, and it should not be confused with the general report, which lists only the hidden data for each specific user. To obtain such a report, press <F9> from the main menu, or <ALT-R> and F9 from the report menu. If you are using a mouse, simply point and click on the Hidden List option. 29 DATA PROTECTOR v1.03 User Manual The ALL HIDDEN screen is displayed . Use the <arrow-up> or <arrow-down> key to read the report. Press <Esc> to exit from the report, once you have finished, to return to the main menu. 4.3.4 Log report ───────────────── The log report is very useful to keep track of all the activities on your computer. As a master user, you may want to know who worked on your PC and for how long. With the DATA PROTECTOR log report, you can find out exactly the date and the time of every single user logging in and logging out. What the log report does, is record every single call to the "LOGIN.EXE" and "LOGOUT.EXE" programs. (For more details on these two files, refer to paragraph B.) This can be very useful if, for example, a problem occurred on your PC while you were away. You can immediately find out who was the last person working on it. To generate a log report on the screen, press <ALT R> then <l> from the main menu, or simply point and click on the Log report option, if you are using a mouse. Use the <arrow-up> or <arrow-down> key to read the report. Press <Esc> to exit from the report, once you have finished, to return to the main menu. 4.3.5 Delete Log ───────────────── Once you have consulted or printed (with the <Shift> <Prtscreen> keys) the log report, you can delete it by 30 DATA PROTECTOR v1.03 User Manual simply pressing <ALT R> then <d> from the main menu, or pointing and clicking on the Delete Log option, if you are using a mouse. A confirmation message is displayed. Press <Enter> to continue the delete operation or <TAB> and <Enter> in order to cancel it and return to the main menu. Note : You can also use the <ESC> key to cancel the operation and go back to the main menu. 4.4 Program exit ───────────────── Once you have finished using the "PSP" program, press <ALT E> from the main menu, or simply point and click on the Exit option, if you are using a mouse. The exit screen is displayed : Press <Enter> to confirm your exit from the program. Note : You can exit from "PSP" in another way by simply hitting <ALT-X>. B. Running the protection ───────────────────────── After creating the user's configuration with the help of the "PSP" program (see paragraph A. for details), you need to install the protection you have just defined. This is done with the help of two files : - LOGIN.EXE - LOGOUT.EXE The file "LOGIN.EXE" is used to start a user working session. It is used by everyone, from the normal user ("most 31 DATA PROTECTOR v1.03 User Manual restricted user") to the special user and, of course, by you, the master user. In order to log in and start working on a PC, all you need to know is your user name and password. You can execute "LOGIN.EXE" in two different ways : 1. Enter directly the parameters (user name and password) after the prompt : login <username> <password> then press <Enter>, or 2. Call the program without parameters. In that case, the system will prompt you for the user name and password. Login <Enter> Login 1.03, Copyright (c) 1993 by PiGAS Inc. > <username> <Enter> > <password> <Enter> Important! This method is more secure because the password does not appear on the screen while you type it. The other file, "LOGOUT.EXE", is used to end a user working session. It is used also by everyone, just like the file "LOGIN.EXE". "LOGOUT.EXE" protects all the files and/or directories that were defined by the master user in the "PSP" program, by regrouping all users and hiding all the files and directories selected to be protected. Once you have finished working on your PC, all you need to do is log out by simply typing : Logout and pressing <Enter> 32 DATA PROTECTOR v1.03 User Manual Important! The LOGOUT program AUTOMATICALLY HIDES AND PROTECTS ALL the selected files and directories defined by the master user. 33 DATA PROTECTOR v1.03 User Manual C. Summary ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Now that we have seen how to define a user's configuration, and how to install the protection, let's review everything we have covered with a little summary. DATA PROTECTOR allows you to protect your data in three very easy steps : 1. After installing DATA PROTECTOR, you, the MASTER USER, need to define the user's configuration. Simply type : PSP then press <Enter>. Important! You must be in the "C:\PIGASTST" directory. Remember that the first time around, you have access to everything. Any other time, you will need to log in as MASTER USER in order to access "PSP". 2. Then define your user's configuration. Mark the restricted files and directories. 3. Sign off by typing : LOGOUT then press <Enter>. That's all it takes to protect your data ! Anyone logging in now, will not see the selected data you have protected. In this chapter, we have explained in details all the options available in DATA PROTECTOR. In the next chapter, we will discuss how to optimize your directories/files protection. 34 DATA PROTECTOR v1.03 User Manual 5. SUGGESTED PROTECTION STRATEGY ════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════ This chapter will help you define your own protection strategy. We assume that you have read the chapter HOW TO PROTECT FILES AND DIRECTORIES. To define your own protection strategy you need to decide: 1. From which persons (users) you want to hide the information. 2. Which information (files and directories) you want to hide from each one of the users. When you think about these problems, normally you will come up with three "GROUPS" or "TYPES" of users: 1. "ANY USER" TYPE - These are users whom you do not want to work on your computer. For example: people in your office who pass near your computer and "accidentally" snoop on your data. It is up to you to decide which information these people can, or cannot, see. If you want, you can hide all the directories on the disks, but normally you are only worried about your personal data, and you do not mind if someone has access to other common utilities on the disk. Again it is up to you to decide. 2. "MASTER USER" TYPE - This is you. You have access to all the information in the disk. 3. "SPECIAL USER" TYPE - This refers to other people who can have more access than ANY USER, but less access than the MASTER USER. You can have different users here. Having these three groups in mind, it is quite simple to decide for each group which file(s) and directory(ies) needs to be protected or not. Now you can create the users' configuration. 1. For the "ANY USER" TYPE. 35 DATA PROTECTOR v1.03 User Manual You create a new user (by using the PSP program). For example: user name: ANYUSER and password: DONTCARE. Then you mark the restricted files and directories. From that point on, anytime someone (master user or "special user") types LOGOUT (or logs in with the wrong password), all the files and directories that have been selected as such will be unavailable. 2. For the MASTER USER, the configuration is ready and does not need to be changed (except for the MASTER password, if you want). 3. "SPECIAL USERS" - For each special user, you create a new user setup and select the hidden files and directories for him. If you have many users with the same configuration, you can give to all of them the same name and password so you do not need to copy the configuration. 36 DATA PROTECTOR v1.03 User Manual 6. IMPROVING YOUR DIRECTORIES/FILES PROTECTION ════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════ DATA PROTECTOR is designed to help you hide information quickly and simply. However, sometimes, it is necessary for you to sacrifice speed for better security purposes. By default, DATA PROTECTOR uses the fast encryption method. It is safe, works quickly, and it does not cause any unnecessary overhead. Let's examine, for example, the following user setup : Dir Name File Name User name C:\GAMES *.* BUCKNER └─────────────────────┘ └────────────┘ └─────────────┘ Dir Tree File List C:\ CHECKERS.COM ├─DBASE3 CHECKERS.DOC ├─DOS3 GOLF.DAT ├─GAMES GOLF.DOC │ ├─TENNIS GOLF.EXE │ └─FLIGHT GRAPHICS.EGA ├─LOTUS GWBASIC.EXE ├─NORTON MAJONGG.EXE ├─PCTOOLS MEMORY.BAS └─WORD5.5 If you select the directory "GAMES" to be protected, all the subdirectories and files of "C:\GAMES" will be hidden for the user named "BUCKNER" when he logs in. (Remember that you do not need to select each individual file to protect the directory.) However, sometimes, it might be necessary for you to use a "nested encryption" approach to hide some of your files. For example, imagine the following disk structure defined for user "BUCKNER" : C:\GAMES - a directory C:\GAMES\TENNIS - a directory 37 DATA PROTECTOR v1.03 User Manual C:\GAMES\TENNIS\filinfo - a file Someone may try to use some low-level disk utilities with the hope of finding out some sectors that contain some information in the file "C:\GAMES\TENNIS\filinfo". To avoid this situation, you must also select the file itself ("fileinfo"), in the subdirectory "C:\GAMES\TENNIS", and hide it, and, choose, at the same time, in the encryption method, the secure protection method. Most of the time, however, you will not need to select such protection unless you suspect that someone is going to spend a few hours working on your computer in order to decrypt your data. But if your data is very sensitive, it is recommended to use the "safe" solution of nested encryption. Once again, it is up to you to decide. If low-level utilities can be a cause of concern to you, you should also be warned about some potential conflicts with other utilities. This is the subject of our next chapter. 38 DATA PROTECTOR v1.03 User Manual 7. POTENTIAL CONFLICTS WITH OTHER UTILITIES ════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════ Even though DATA PROTECTOR uses a very safe and quick method to encrypt data, some low-level disk utilities (like "CHKDSK.COM", "NDD.EXE", etc.) might report the hidden information as a disk problem and ask you if you would like to correct these problems. Important! BEFORE LETTING THESE UTILITIES CORRECT THE DISK, YOU MUST BE SURE THAT YOU ARE THE MASTER USER. This can be done by : 1. Logging in as master user, and/or, 2. trying to access the directory "C:\PIGAS", accessible only to the master user. To help you avoid this potential conflict, DATA PROTECTOR automatically hides these low-level disk utilities from the normal user. That way, no one can run these utilities and risk damaging your data. However, you, as a master user, can run these utilities and obtain the correct results as required. What DATA PROTECTOR actually does during the installation is quite simple. A special scanning routine searches and locates on your disk all the known low-level utilities that might create a potential conflict with DATA PROTECTOR. It, then, creates a file called "conflict.dat" and writes, in this internal file, the list of all the utilities that were found. Then each time you (the master user) create or change a user's configuration, all these utilities are added to the list of protected files you have defined for that user. 7.1 Adding files to the automatically hidden list ────────────────────────────────────────────────── There might be some utilities that you would like to include in 39 DATA PROTECTOR v1.03 User Manual the file "conflict.dat" that DATA PROTECTOR did not include (utilities that are not in the list of the INSTALL program). You can add these utilities yourself by simply modifying the file "conflict.dat" (located in the "C:\PIGAS\INFO" directory). With the help of any text editor, just type in the full path of the new utility you would like to include in the list of automatically hidden files, and save the file. Then call the program "PSP" just once, by typing : PSP /u The "PSP" program will update automatically all the users' setup. Important! In order to do this update, you need, of course, to be logged in as the master user. All the internal information of the "PSP" program is kept under the directories "C:\PIGAS" and "C:\PIGAS\INFO". DO NOT ALTER THE NAMES AND CONTENTS OF THESE DIRECTORIES. You have read, by now, all you need to know about DATA PROTECTOR in order to be able to install it and work safely. However, as you will see in the next chapter, we have included for you some useful tips to make DATA PROTECTOR even more user-friendly. 40 DATA PROTECTOR v1.03 User Manual 8. USEFUL TIPS ════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════ With experience, you will find out that you can make DATA PROTECTOR even more secure by observing a few rules of common sense. 1. Add the files "LOGIN.EXE" and "LOGOUT.EXE" in your file "AUTOEXEC.BAT". Why ? Because it is possible that one day you, as master user, or someone else, as special user, may forget to log out. What will happen then ? The next time someone logs in on your computer, he/she will have the same access to the directories and files you had. How about that for security ? How ? This is really up to you. You can do it in three ways: 1. Add "LOGIN.EXE" alone. That way, anybody wishing to use your computer will have to enter the correct user id and password. If not, he/she will be automatically logged out and all the directories and files will be protected. That user will still be able to work, but your data will be safe. (Note : There is, however, one way around. Instead of trying to enter a user id and password, a user may try to reboot the system AT THAT TIME with a DOS diskette. If you have forgotten to log out before, then he/she may be able to access your data. You may want to look at the second solution instead.) 2. Add "LOGOUT.EXE" alone. This solution is safer than the first one. When you add the file "LOGOUT.EXE", you are not prompted for any kind of user id or password, nor do do you see any confirmation message. THIS PROTECTION IS ENTIRELY TRANSPARENT TO THE USER (unless, of course, he/she looks at your file "autoexec.bat"). Your data is not only safer, but you are also sure that, no matter what 41 DATA PROTECTOR v1.03 User Manual happens, your data will be hidden automatically every time someone logs in on your PC. P.S. If a user deletes, on purpose, the "logout" call in your file "autoexec.bat", your files are still protected because "logout" was executed at least once, prior to being deleted. Therefore, deleting "logout" and then rebooting will NOT "recover" the previously protected data. 3. Add both "LOGIN.EXE" and "LOGOUT.EXE". By adding both files, you get the best of both worlds. If you choose this solution, then make sure that the file "LOGOUT.EXE" is executed first. That way, your files will automatically be protected every time, prior to anyone logging in. Note : With this solution, the user knows that he/she has to to enter a password. A "nosy" user may want to find out why. If you do not want him/her to enter a password, then you may want to choose solution number 2. Again, it is up to you to decide. 2. Hide the "PSP" program. Why ? Because someone snooping around might find this program and try running it only to find out that a user id and password are required. If that person wants to cause you problems, he/she might simply... delete it ! Why not, then, make it easier for you by moving the "PSP" program to the directory "C:\PIGAS\INFO" which is automatically hidden every time. 3. Create a "most restricted user". You may find out, after a while, that you would like some users to have a very limited access to your PC, maybe just the bare minimum. Then why not create a "most restricted user" by simply defining a list of directories and files you want to hide. Give that user a common or "dummy" name. Then every time someone logs out, all the data is protected and 42 DATA PROTECTOR v1.03 User Manual the "most restricted user" will only have access to the minimum as planned. 43 DATA PROTECTOR v1.03 User Manual 9. COMMONLY ASKED QUESTIONS ════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════ 1. I would like to define a few users and give to each one the same access. Do I need to define a configuration for each one? No. If you have many users with the same configuration, you just need to define one common password and configuration for all of them. (See also Chapter 7 "Useful tips" for defining the "most restricted user".) 2. My disk is almost full. Can I save some disk space by getting rid of some of the files on DATA PROTECTOR ? Yes. First of all, you can get rid of directory C:\PIGASTST BUT: 1. Remember to copy the PSP.EXE to other directory. We strongly suggest the you will copy it to C:\PIGAS directory. 2. Remember to copy the LOGIN.EXE & LOGOUT.EXE to other directory. DO NOT COPY THEM TO A DIRECTORY THAT WILL BE PROTECTED (otherwise you will not have an access to the login/logout program. If this will happened you will need to recover the login.exe program by copying it from the original diskette by typing: copy a:pigas.01 login.exe) You can also save some disk space by deleting... "LOGOUT.EXE". Why ? Because the "LOGIN.EXE" and "LOGOUT.EXE" files are identical. If you do so, then log out by typing instead : LOGIN <Enter> <Enter>. Important! Deleting the file "LOGOUT.EXE" does not affect the the way you log in. 3. Help ! I just can't remember my password ! Is there any 44 DATA PROTECTOR v1.03 User Manual way I can get it back, and can I recover all my hidden data ? No, you cannot recover your password! If you forgot to... remember it, then you have lost all access to your hidden data. If you could, then it would defeat the security purpose of DATA PROTECTOR. This is another reason why we suggest, again, that you do a regular backup of your data while you are logged in as a master user. 4. Is it really necessary to hide/protect the directories "C:\PIGAS" and "C:\PIGAS\INFO" ? Yes. The PIGAS directories are protected by default and are not accessible to all the normal users. You can remove this protection (see paragraph 4.2.2 "User setup") but a USER CANNOT HAVE ANY PROTECTED OBJECT WITHOUT HAVING A PROTECTION on the PIGAS directories. (When that happens, the "PSP" program will automatically add a protection to the user setup on the PIGAS directories.) For that very same reason, DO NOT RENAME THESE DIRECTORIES. 5. How can I remove DATA PROTECTOR from my PC ? If you really need to do so, simply log in as a master user. All the files and directories will then become unprotected again and you can delete all the DATA PROTECTOR files and directories, just as you would do ordinarily with common files. 45 DATA PROTECTOR v1.03 User Manual Computer Security (Registered version only) OMBUDSMAN STATEMENT. ════════════════════ This program is produced by a member of the Association of Shareware Professionals (ASP). ASP wants to make sure that the shareware principle works for you. If you are unable to resolve a shareware-related problem with an ASP member by contacting the member directly, ASP may be able to help. The ASP Ombudsman can help you resolve a dispute or problem with an ASP member, but does not provide technical support for members' products. Please write to the ASP Ombudsman at 545 Grover Road, Muskegon, MI 49442 or send a CompuServe message via CompuServe Mail to ASP Ombudsman 70007,3536. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ════════════════ DATA PROTECTOR (tm) Copyright (c) 1993, PiGAS INC. , New York , NY. Any specific hardware or software names used in this user manual are the (registered) trademarks of specific companies.