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1991-09-20
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PASSWP 3.0
(formerly WPPASS 2.0)
A Wordperfect 5.x File Decryption Utility
This program will, in many cases, identify WordPerfect 5.x
"protected" file passwords, hopefully making life easier for some
WordPerfect users. The horror of forgetting a password is a
situation not unknown to me (though I tend to restrict my absent-
mindedness to mainframe-access passwords, which can usually be
reclaimed by sufficient groveling to the appropriate administra-
tors), and WordPerfect, through its password protection options,
offers ample opportunity for problems of this variety. Fortu-
nately (for the forgetful among us), WordPerfect's encryption
scheme is sloppy enough to allow relatively easy access to files
with "forgotten" passwords but still adequate to keep the casual
observer (or at least those without access to this program or
something similar) from viewing sensitive documents.
PASSWP version 3.0 is a small but significant improvement of
WPPASS version 2.0. In addition to the name change (there's
supposedly a commercial program called WPPASS that does much the
same thing as mine, so I'm changing the name to avoid any con-
flicts), PASSWP now supports wildcards in its input file specifi-
cations and offers slightly friendlier decryption options than
WPPASS 2.0.
INSTALLATION
There isn't any. Just decompress the files from whatever
archive format you find them in. The executables should be
called PASSWP.EXE, and this file should be PASSWP.DOC.
USE
The syntax of the PASSWP command line is quite straightfor-
ward. From the DOS command line (assuming PASSWP is in a direc-
tory in your current path), just type:
PASSWP infile /Rreffile /D
infile = specification for encrypted file
(wildcards OK, default is *.*)
reffile = name of reference file (wildcards
NOT OK, default is no reference
file)
/D = turns on decryption option (default is off)
All parameters are optional; their default values are shown
above. The `infile' specification may include a path name and /
or wildcard characters (* and ?). Files that match this file
spec but are not WordPerfect 5.x documents, of course, will not
be analyzed. `/D' enables decryption mode, which allows immedi-
ate decryption (outside of WordPerfect) of files for which
passwords are identified.
REFERENCE FILES
The reference file is simply a WP 5.x document (anything NOT
encrypted that you've written before or a few characters [or
perhaps even an empty file] saved in WP 5.x format) used for
comparison to the encrypted file. The only SERIOUS restriction
on the reference file is that it MUST have been saved from the
SAME COPY of WordPerfect on the SAME COMPUTER used to create the
encrypted file being analyzed. Using a reference file produced
on a different machine or with a different copy / version of
WordPerfect probably won't give you any better results than
omitting the reference file altogether. My best suggestion: try
with a file (or several) created on the same equipment and around
the same time as the file to be decrypted.
SAMPLE OUTPUT (command line: PASSWP *.wp? /Runcool.ref )
-----------------------------------------------------------------
PASSWP 3.0 WordPerfect 5.x password decryption utility
Copyright 1991 Daniel W. Emmer
Using reference file UNCOOL.REF
WPPASS.WPC: *** not encrypted ***
UNCOOL1.WPD: encrypted, password = FREDDY
WPTEST1.WPD: encrypted, password = QWERTYUIOP
MELCIR.WP: encrypted, no password verified.
Best guess: |}~[12]&ABCD
UNCOOL2.WPD: encrypted, password = FREDDYANDME
WPTEST2.WPD: encrypted, password = ASDFGHJKLZXC
WPTEST3.WPD: encrypted, password = ZXCVBNMASDFGHJKLQWERTY
7 matching files, 7 WP 5.x documents, 6 encrypted
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The program output is fairly self-explanatory. Possible
passwords are usually reported as ASCII strings, but any charac-
ter(s) that are outside the normal "typable" range are reported
as decimal ASCII codes enclosed in boldface brackets (as in
MELCIR.WP above - you'll have to imagine the boldface...) With
no reference file, the longest password that can be determined is
10 characters. With the proper reference file (and the blessings
of the many arcane spirits of personal computing), PASSWP can
identify passwords up to 28 characters long. Output can be
redirected to a DOS file by appending "> filename" to the end of
the PASSWP command line, though the resulting file won't be very
nicely formatted.
If a unique password is identified and the `/D' option was
specified on the command line, PASSWP asks if you want to try
decrypting the file immediately. This is generally a good idea
if PASSWP has reported any unusual characters (bracketed decimal
codes) in the password, since passwords containing these codes
often don't work when used inside WordPerfect (though they work
fine from PASSWP). If you choose to decrypt, PASSWP will ask for
a target file name, which MUST differ from the original file name
(no wildcards allowed). If the reported password is all "normal"
ASCII characters, it can also be used to access the file in
question from within WordPerfect. If the program can only manage
a list of several possibilities, all are reported (though this is
extremely rare since version 1.0). If the program can't verify a
possible password, it tells you so and offers its best guess; if
you specified /D and used a reference file, you can try decrypting
with this guess, but the quality of the results may vary....
USING DECRYPT.EXE
DECRYPT 2.1 is a simple utility program that produces a
decoded WordPerfect 5.x file from a password-protected WP 5.x file,
IF you specify the correct password (my sincerest thanks to Guerri
Stevens, CIS WPSGA forum sysop, for pointing out problems in the
earlier version). If you give the wrong password, an output file
will still be produced, but the output will probably be garbage.
It uses the same decryption algorithm as PASSWP, but DECRYPT gives
you the option of making your own guesses at the correct password
(or trying variations on PASSWP's guesses).
Syntax: DECRYPT infile password outfile
where `infile' is the encrypted file, `password' is the correct
password, and `outfile' is the desired name for the output file.
The password is not case sensitive; WordPerfect forces passwords to
upper case, so DECRYPT does the same in interpreting what you type in.
Parameters must be specified in this order, and if you don't supply
all three the program will prompt you for whatever it thinks is
missing. DECRYPT 2.1 will return an error if the `outfile' you
specify already exists or if `infile' is not a WordPerfect 5.x
document.
ADMINISTRATIVE NONSENSE
This is hardly a "professional-quality" program, with all
the proverbial "bells and whistles" that accompany expensive
software packages. The ideas on which the program is based are,
of course, stolen, but the code (such as it is) is entirely my
own. Source code is neither included nor available, since my
programming skills leave much to be desired and I, like many
others, prefer to avoid public ridicule. I also take NO respon-
sibility for the results of any use (or misuse) of the program.
PASSWP modifies no files on your system (unless you choose to
decrypt...), so it should cause no DIRECT damage, though it does
have obvious potential for invading supposedly "secure" files (I
suggest keeping a copy on floppy disk ONLY, in a safe place, to
restrict unauthorized use). WordPerfect, as you might expect, is
a trademark of WordPerfect Corporation, Inc.
If you find these programs useful, I'd be thrilled beyond
belief if you'd send a donation of $15 (or whatever you feel is
appropriate) to the address below (I'm a miserably poor
graduate student; I could use both the cash AND the encourage-
ment). If you're a student in any accredited (or unaccredited,
for that matter) academic program, I hereby officially exempt you
from any fee if you use this program in conjunction with your
course of study (however, if you use it to save someone else's
files [your advisor's, for example], I implore you to point out
to that individual that some financial compensation SHOULD be
made to the author...). If you haven't found it useful yet, feel
free to keep a copy lying around in case the need should arise.
I any case, I'd appreciate E-mail at any of the addresses below
if you have any comments or complaints about the program.
Send comments and $$$ to:
Daniel W. Emmer
University at Buffalo
Department of Anthropology
380 MFAC
Buffalo, NY 14261
BITNET: V393VLQR@UBVMS.BITNET
Internet: v393vlqr@ubvms.cc.buffalo.edu
CIS: [73520,3206]