1/9/96 - copyright (c)1995, 1996, 1997 Joel McNamara (joelm@eskimo.com)
What it does
Private Idaho makes private e-mail easier. It simplifies using PGP, various anonymous remailers and nym servers. You can send e-mail messages with it (if you have access to a SMTP mail server) or you can use it in conjunction with many Windows e-mail applications. You can also download and decrypt PGP e-mail messages if your Internet provider is using a POP3 mail server (most are).
PGP is fairly well known. Remailers and nym servers are getting increased exposure, but are still not widely used. If you use PGP, they are worth knowing and learning about. For a good introduction, refer to:
http://www.cs.berkeley.edu/~raph/remailer-list.html
What it doesn't do
Private Idaho isn't full featured e-mail software (and likely never will be). It doesn't support many options a package like Eudora or Pegasus does. It is meant to be a simple, easy to use tool for sending secure e-mail. (The latest version of Pegasus does have hooks for a PGP drop-in module and it appears as if Eudora will have similar capabilities in the future.)
Private Idaho isn't a "complete" PGP shell. It's designed to make sending private e-mail easier and incorporates the basic PGP features for doing so.
Why it's free
I'm a strong believer in privacy, especially electronic privacy. Electronic privacy on the Internet is extremely fragile and can easily be abused. That's why I wrote Private Idaho. To provide people with an easy to use tool that enhances their on-line privacy. Private Idaho is free because I want to make it available to as many people as possible. No strings attached (aside from those included in the GNU General Public License).
Sometimes I get asked if I'll accept donations to support continued development. In the past, I've declined, but after giving it some thought, if you want to support Private Idaho, please send a check to the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) and include a note that you're doing so because of Private Idaho. I personally feel this organization is doing some great things, standing up for a variety of rights that are critical to the continued growth and success of the Internet. Check out their Web page (http://www.epic.org), and I think you'll agree. And as a bonus, since they're a non-profit organization, your donation is tax deductible. Reduce your taxes and support strong crypto and electronic privacy. What a deal!
The source code is available
Due to a variety of projects and other directions, I've had to considerably
cut back the amount of time I devote to Private Idaho. Because of this,
I've decided to make the Visual Basic source code available under the terms
of the GNU General Public License agreement. If you're a developer, you
might be interested. Here's
the details.
Although it may look the same, version 2.8 has a lot of new features. Including:
Microsoft Windows 3.x, Windows 95
Some users have reported success with Windows NT, but at this time, it is unsupported.
A Windows e-mail package
(Eudora, Pegasus, etc.) - optional
PGP
(Pretty Good Privacy - 2.6.2 is the latest MIT version, or use the latest "I" version out of the United States - if you're using the commercial ViaCrypt Windows version, see the section on Using ViaCrypt PGP.)
VBRUN300.DLL (Visual Basic runtime)
Most people seem to have a copy of this file. It isn't included with
Private Idaho because of the size. If you need it, get it here.
Then move it to the \WINDOWS\SYSTEM directory.
Latest releases of Private Idaho are available from the main distribution point:
FTP - ftp.eskimo.com /u/j/joelm
World Wide Web - http://www.eskimo.com/~joelm/pi.html
Mirror sites include:
These sites may not have up-to-date releases:
Or, try an FTP search for Private Idaho or PIDAHO.EXE (lots of European sites).
Private Idaho is distributed in a self-extracting .ZIP file (PI28b3.ZIP). Create a directory, move the distribution file to it, and run it to uncompress all required files. You can delete these files after you've installed Private Idaho. The PI-Setup program will automatically install Private Idaho and all required support files for you. The files copied to the PIDAHO directory include:
Files copied to the \WINDOWS\SYSTEM directory include:
You can also choose to run PGP QuickStart from Setup . This utility will help you download and configure PGP.
If you're updating a previous previous of Private Idaho, Setup will only replace older files. You'll be prompted to replace each existing file.
If for some reason you have problems with the installation, you can manually copy the files.
When you run Private Idaho for the first time, it will prompt you for
configuration information (to be saved in the PIDAHO.INI file). You will
only need to go through this process once. The steps are fairly self-explanatory.
PIDAHO.INI is written to the C:\WINDOWS directory.
Remailers and USENET mail gateways come and go and vary in reliability. You'll want to make sure you have the most up-to-date information before using a remailer.
The best source of information is Raph Levien's automatic pinging service. Raph publishes statistics on remailers, including their response time. Private Idaho uses this data. It's all contained in the REMAILER.HTM file. This is the HTML file found at: http://www.cs.berkeley.edu/~raph/remailer-list.html
You can update the contents of this file in realtime by choosing the Update remailer info command in the Remailers menu. If you have a Net connection, Private Idaho will attempt to make a connection to the Web server and download the current information to your hard drive. The date and time of the last update is shown beneath the remailer list. The previous version of the file is stored as REMAILER.OLD. If you have problems downloading a new version, rename REMAILER.OLD to REMAILER.HTM.
Note: Remailers that are in operation but are no longer displayed in Raph's pinging list may be listed in a text file named PRIVATE.TXT in the PI directory. Each line should contain only the remailer address. These remailers will be appended to remailers shown in Raph's list.
In addition, Private Idaho also updates the following Mixmaster-related files:
To get the latest Mixmaster infomation, make sure Mixmaster is checked in the Remailers menu. Then choose the Update remailer info command in the Remailers menu.
(File information comes from the following respective sources: http://kiwi.cs.berkeley.edu/mixmaster-list.html, http://kiwi.cs.berkeley.edu/pubring.mix, http://kiwi.cs.berkeley.edu/type2.list . In addition, http://www.jpunix.com is a good source of Mixmaster information.)
Note: If a remailer is listed without any statistics, there's a good chance it currently isn't running. Unless you know for sure, don't use it.
Automatic updates of USENET gateways currently aren't supported (you'll need to update the USENET.TXT file by hand). You can get the most current USENET gateway information (as well as additional remailer info such as PGP keys) by:
E-mailing mg5n+remailers@andrew.cmu.edu (no subject or text in the message body required)
or
Look at the file contents before you replace it. Copy the information
you need and paste it to the updated file.
You can send and receive e-mail messages over the Internet directly from Private Idaho, as well as check a variety of remailer and key information sources. To do so:
Once you are connected to the Internet, run Private Idaho. You now can send and receive mail and access remailer and key information sources.
Note: Older versions of Private Idaho required you to choose the Connect command from the File menu to establish a Net connection. This is no longer required.
Which mail servers you use depends on the information in the Options dialog box in the File menu. For example:
Note: If you have problems connecting, try using the IP numeric
address instead of the server name.
When Private Idaho is initially installed, it asks you whether you are an experienced user. If you are, it instructs the user interface to display Expert mode. Expert mode contains all of the Private Idaho menu commands. If you're new to PGP and anonymous remailers, you should specify User mode. This mode only displays the most commonly used Private Idaho commands.
You can switch between Expert and User mode in the File menu. That way,
once you're experienced with Private Idaho, you can access the complete
set of features.
You can store commonly used e-mail addresses in a user-editable address book. Choose the "Address book" command from the File menu. This displays the Addresses text edit window where you can add e-mail addresses. These addresses appear in the To: combo list.
Each line should contain a unique address. E-mail addresses appear in the To: combo list in the order they appear in the Addresses window.
Addresses are stored in the ADDRESS.TXT file in the Private Idaho directory.
Another option in the Options dialog box is the "Use OS/2 delay" checkbox. Some versions of OS/2 may run the shelled DOS PGP process and Private Idaho simultaneously, causing errors (for example, PGP isn't through encrypting a file, but Private Idaho decides to display it). If this box is checked, Private Idaho will pause and display a dialog box. When PGP has completed its processing, click the "Resume" button to continue.
If you are running OS/2, you may (or may not) need to check this option.
If you are running Windows (by itself), make sure this option is not checked.
With Private Idaho you can easily send encrypted mail to certain remailers, using their public keys. The ciphertext is decrypted when received, and then sent on to the next destination. In addition, if you use a nym server, messages sent to the server must first be encrypted with the server's key.
The file RMKEYS.TXT contains copies of remailer PGP keys. Use the "Import message" command in Private Idaho's File menu to read the file into the message area. Then use the "Add key from message" command in the PGP menu. All of the keys will be added to your key ring. If you already have some of these keys installed, PGP will skip them and only install new ones.
The file NYMKEYS.TXT contains copies of nym server PGP keys. Use the same procedure as listed above to install these keys.
You can also get a current list of remailer keys by using the Get remailer
keys command in the Remailers menu. This makes a Net connection and downloads
a list of current keys to the Message box.
If you use an Internet provider that supports sending e-mail through a SMTP (Simple Mail Transport Protocol) mail server, the most commonly used type, you can send messages directly from Private Idaho without using another e-mail application. If your Internet provider supports receiving messages through POP3, you can have Private Idaho check your mailbox for PGP encrypted messages.
To do so, you need to enter some setup information when Private Idaho is first run. This includes:
You can get these settings from the current e-mail software you are running. These settings can be changed with the Options command in Private Idaho's File menu.
The Save Settings command in the File menu writes all of your current settings (such as remailer type, whether to minimize PGP, encrypt to self, latent time setting, etc.) to the PIDAHO.INI file. These settings will be "remembered" the next time you run Private Idaho, with the various options activated. Private Idaho automatically saves the current settings when you exit.
Private Idaho stores a variety of information in the PIDAHO.INI, NYMS.TXT, ADDRESS.TXT, and PUBKEYS.OUT files. Some people are concerned about the privacy aspects of leaving information about who they are communicating with or clues as to their nym identities on their hard drives.
If you start Private Idaho with the path containg PIDAHO.INI (i.e. C:\WINDOWS\PIDAHO.INI) as the command line, it will automatically decrypt the PIDAHO.INI, NYMS.TXT, ADDRESS.TXT, and PUBKEYS.OUT files on start-up (you'll be prompted to supply a passphrase) and encrypt them with your primary public key when you exit. Encryption/decryption is performed on the files using the primary public key you specified in Private Idaho. You can set a command line in either the Program Manager or Explorer.
If you enter an incorrect password during start-up, Private Idaho will exit (no three strikes you're out). This process may take awhile, depending on the size of your files.
Warning: It would be wise to back-up these files.
Security Alert: Since you're entering your secret key within a Windows program and not the DOS box, there's a chance the passphrase may be written to the Windows swap file. If you have a high threat model, be sure to wipe the swap file before you shut down your computer.
You can have Private Idaho automatically encrypt your public and secret key rings when you exit and decrypt them when you run Private Idaho. This is a useful feature if there's a chance your key rings might be compromised.
To auto-encrypt/decrypt:
1. In the PGP menu, choose the Options command.
2. Check the Auto encrypt/decrypt key rings box.
When Private Idaho exits, you'll be asked to enter a passphrase (this can be any passphrase you'd like). Private Idaho will then go the PGP directory specified in the Options dialog (this should be the same as the PGPPATH environmental variable in AUTOEXEC.BAT), and conventionally encrypt the SECRING.PGP and PUBRING.PGP files.
The next time Private Idaho runs, you'll be prompted for a passphrase to decrypt the files. Remember it. It may or may not be the same as your secret key passphrase.
To turn this option off, uncheck the box in the Options dialog and click OK.
Note: If you use other PGP shells, this option is likely not a good idea unless you manually decrypt the key rings before using with another shell.
Warning: If you forget the passphrase used to encrypt the key rings, you're going to be out of luck. That's a 128 bit IDEA key which will roughly take 5.4 x 1018 years to brute force based on 106 encryptions per microsecond. Otherwise, be sure you've got a back-up of your key rings.
Security Alert: If you use the same passphrase as your secret
key's to conventionally encrypt the files: Since you're entering your secret
key within a Windows program and not the DOS box, there's a chance the
passphrase may be written to the Windows swap file. If you have a high
threat model, be sure to wipe the swap file before you shut down your computer.
Choose the "Send feedback" command from the Help menu. Text in the message box will be erased, and a new message will be addressed to me, ready for your comments.
If you find a bug, be sure to check the "Add system info item" in the Help menu, then choose "Send feedback." This adds information about your system and Private Idaho configuration.
Due to a variety of other projects, I've had to drastically cut back on the amount of e-mail support I provide for Private Idaho. Bug reports will be logged and suggestions will be noted, but at this point, don't hold your breath waiting for an e-mail reply from me. If Private Idaho doesn't seem to work right, check the Troubleshooting section in the on-line documentation. I'll try to keep this current with common problems.
Another excellent source of information is the alt.security.pgp
USENET newsgroup. There's quite a few Private Idaho users there, and often
they'll answer posted questions.
1. Enter the e-mail address of the person you want to send the encrypted message to. (Since most people will use their e-mail address as part of their PGP user ID, Private Idaho will search through the public key ring looking for a match. If it finds a match, it will encrypt off of that key. If it can't find a match, user IDs in the public key ring are displayed, and you select one.)
2. Compose the message you want to encrypt in the message box.
3. Choose the "Encrypt message" command from the PGP menu.
Private Idaho will create a temporary file containing the message, shell out to PGP and encrypt the file with ASCII armor, copy the encrypted text to the message box, and delete the temporary file with the PGP wipe command (yes, wipe only performs a single pass at overwriting the data before deleting, if you need more security, try a shareware memory resident app called Real Delete).
Note: Clicking the cursor on To: will display a dialog box listing
the contents of your PGP public key ring. Since most user IDs correspond
to e-mail addresses, this is a quick way to enter an address.
Same as encrypting a message (only you choose the "Encrypt and sign message" command from the PGP menu).
If Multiple User IDs are specified in the PGP Options dialog box, you'll
be prompted for which key to use to sign the message.
Same steps as encrypting a message (only you choose the "Clear sign message" command from the PGP menu). This adds your signature to the text contained in the message box. The text is not encrypted.
If more than one user ID is specified in the PGP Options dialog box, you'll be prompted for which secret key to use to sign the message.
Important Note: Some e-mail packages (notably Eudora), hard code
carriage return/line feeds when mail is sent and Word Wrap is turned on.
This means if you sign and message, the signature will be invalid when
the receiver gets it, because CR/LFs have been added. I've found most e-mail
software is pretty smart these days, and will automatically wrap lines
without CR/LFs. Consider turning Word Wrap off if you have this problem
with clear signing.
You might have several keys on your secret key ring, and want to select one of them to sign a message with. A good example might be if you have multiple nyms and want to associate a key with each nym.
Private Idaho supports up to 8 PGP keys that can be used for clear signing a message. You need to enter the user ID of each key. To do this:
1. Choose "Options" from the PGP menu.
2. Click the "User IDs" button.
3. Enter the user ID from your secret key ring.
4. Click "OK."
Now check the "Prompt for user ID on signing" checkbox and click "OK."
When you choose the "Clear sign message" command from the
PGP menu, a dialog box is displayed containing the user IDs of the keys.
Select the key you wish to sign the message with.
1. Paste the encrypted message you received to the message box.
2. Choose the "Decrypt message" command from the PGP menu. You will be prompted for your passphrase.
Private Idaho will create a temporary file containing the message, shell
out to PGP and decrypt the file, copy the decrypted text to the message
box, and delete the temporary file with the PGP wipe command.
The "Import message" command in the File menu reads a text file from disk into the message box.
The "Export message" command saves the contents of the message
box to a text file on disk.
You can store frequently used headers and signatures and insert them directly into messages composed with Private Idaho.
Headers could be:
X-Anon-Password: <whatever>
X-Anon-To: <the addressee>
Such as those used with the anon.penet.fi remailer.
Signatures are text with your name, e-mail address, and other information.
Choose the Options command in the Edit menu to enter a header and signature. These are saved to the HEADER.TXT and SIG.TXT files in the Private Idaho directory.
Once entered, the header/signature can be inserted into the message text box with the Insert header and/or Insert signature commands in the Edit menu.
Note: A header with a password or a signature used in the wrong
place can compromise the security of your e-mail. Please use these features
carefully.
This option encrypts your message with multiple keys. When it is checked, a dialog box will prompt you to enter which keys to encrypt the message with. The List button will display a list of keys in your public ring. Use the List button to specify one key at a time.
You can also manually enter full or partial user IDs, with each ID separated by a space.
Multiple user IDs will be inserted in the To: line. If the creator of
the key has followed standard PGP conventions, these will be "mailable"
e-mail addresses.
This option encrypts the message with your own key in addition to the key of the person you are sending the message to. PGP can encrypt a message with a multiple number of keys. This effectively makes the message decipherable by the person you are sending it to and yourself.
This feature is handy for archiving encrypted messages you have sent.
You will need to provide your secret passphrase in order to decrypt any
messages "encrypted to self."
This option sets a flag in an encrypted message so when it is decrypted, the contents will only be displayed in the DOS box, and not saved to disk. Although there are ways to get around this, the idea is to use this option if you're concerned about someone you send an encrypted message to, leaving the decrypted text file somewhere that could be compromised.
If you use Private Idaho and get an "Eyes only" message, decrypted
text will not be placed in the message box. After it is displayed in the
PGP DOS box, an error message will appear stating a file could not be found
and the decryption couldn't take place. This is normal.
When "Conventional encrypt" is checked, Private Idaho instructs
PGP to use conventional versus public key encryption on a file or a message.
This encryption relies on a single passphrase to encrypt and decrypt the
information.
When PGP encrypts text with ASCII armor on (almost required for sending e-mail), it adds a header that identifies the message as being PGP encrypted. This obviously clues anyone in to the fact that the message is encrypted. There are times when a user might not want a message to be obviously identified as encrypted.
When Obscurity is checked, Private Idaho will strip off the identifying PGP text headers when a message is encrypted. It will also add the headers before it calls PGP to decrypt ciphertext in the message text box.
Obviously, the sender and receiver of the e-mail are both going to need to be using Private Idaho and know they need to have "obscurity" turned on.
Note: The format of a PGP message is very distinctive to a trained
observer. Don't count on the "obscurity" feature fooling a knowledgeable
and suspicious person.
If the "Word wrap on encrypt/sign" menu item is checked, Private Idaho will insert carriage returns at the end of each line in the message text box. This is useful when sending messages to users with mail software that doesn't support automatic word wrap. The actual word-wrapping is performed only before a message is encrypted or signed.
You can also manually word wrap a plaintext message with the "Word wrap message" command in the Message menu.
Word wrap length is set in the Options dialog box in the Edit menu.
When "File as input" is checked, Private Idaho uses a file versus the contents of the message box as the source to encrypt or decrypt. You'll notice the encrypt/decrypt menu items display "file" instead of "message" when this option is checked.
You will be prompted to supply the filename to encrypt/decrypt. File are encrypted with ASCII armor (to allow easy attachment in mail), and tagged with an .ASC extension. The plaintext file is not deleted or wiped after encryption. The file will be encrypted with the key in the To: line. The Encrypt to self, Eyes only, and Obscurity options are not used, even though they may be checked.
This option is useful if you have a message over 32k (Private Idaho's
maximum message box size).
To create a new PGP public and secret key pair, choose the Create key pair command from the Keys menu. This launches PGP. Follow the steps to create a new key.
If the message box contains someone's PGP public key that they mailed
it to you, the "Add key from message" command in the Keys menu
will add any key(s) in the message to your public ring and update the PUBKEYS.OUT
file.
You can delete keys from your public key ring. To do so:
1. Choose the "Delete key" command in the Keys menu.
2. Select which public key to delete from the user ID list.
PGP will remove this key from your key ring and update the PUBKEYS.OUT
file.
There are times when you'll likely want to send someone your public key so you can exchange messages. You can easily do this by:
1. Choosing the "Insert key in message" command in the Keys menu.
2. Selecting the public key (from a list of user IDs) you want to insert.
This extracts a key from your public key ring, and inserts it at the
cursor in the message text box.
When you first run Private Idaho, it copies information from your public key ring to a text file named PUBKEYS.OUT. If you add or delete keys from PGP or another shell, you need to update the file. To do so:
Choose the "Update PUBKEYS.OUT" command from the Keys menu.
The PUBKEYS.OUT file should always be in the same directory as Private Idaho.
You don't need to use this command if you add or delete keys from within
Private Idaho.
You can directly request a key from the MIT key server. This is useful if someone sends you an encrypted message but you don't have their key to reply with.
1. Enter the user ID to search for in the To: box. This is typically an e-mail address. For example, joelm@eskimo.com
2. In the Keys menu, choose the Get key from server command.
Private Idaho will connect with the MIT key server at http://swissnet.ai.mit.edu and make a request to search for a key. If a key is located, it will be displayed in the Message box. If a key isn't in the data base, an error message is displayed.
After you have successfully downloaded a key, you can add it to your public key ring with the Add key from message command in the Keys menu.
Note: Be very specific with the search text. If you enter "john" on the To: line, the server will try to return all of the keys containing "john." Private Idaho won't be able to handle such a request.
You can add your public key to MIT key server. The MIT key server is a central repository for public keys where people can download your key to send you encrypted messages.
1. Insert the public key to submit in the Message box. You can extract a public key from your key ring with the Insert key in message command in the Keys menu.
2. In the Keys menu, choose the Add key to server command.
Private Idaho will send an e-mail message to the server, requesting the key to be added. You'll be notified by e-mail if the key is successfully added. If you aren't connected to the Net, transfer the message to your normal e-mail application for later sending.
When encrypting and decrypting, Private Idaho needs to shell out to the DOS version of PGP. You can control the appearance of the DOS box and its behavior with the "Run PGP minimized" and "Auto-close PGP" commands.
When "Run PGP minimized" is checked, the iconized window is displayed at the bottom of the screen when PGP is run. When this option is not checked, the full-screen, Windows DOS box is displayed.
When "Auto-close PGP" is checked, the PGP DOS box is automatically closed when PGP finishes running. When the option is not checked, you must manually close the window when PGP is done running.
These features are useful for viewing PGP diagnostic messages.
Choose the "Options..." command from the PGP menu.
The PGP path (which is extracted from the PGPPATH environment variable, which you should have set if you followed the PGP installation instructions) is the directory path where the PGP .EXE is located.
Your PGP user ID is just that. You can use the entire user ID (i.e. Joel McNamara <joelm@eskimo.com>) or a portion of it. You are prompted for this when Private Idaho starts.
The User IDs button supports up to 8 PGP secret key ring user IDs. When "Prompt for user ID on signing" is checked, a dialog box is displayed that prompts for the key to use in clear-signing the message.
There is also a temporary file name. This is the file Private Idaho uses when encrypting and decrypting text from the clipboard. PIDAHO is the default, and you should leave that setting unless you have any name conflicts (which you shouldn't). Temporary files are written and deleted/wiped from the PGP directory. Do not add a file extension to the temporary name.
You can specify a full path for the temp file (i.e. e:\temp\pidaho). This is provided for users who want the additional security of having their temp files written to a RAM disk. If a full path is specified, that directory is used.
You can specify to load your PGP passphrase at start-up (see below).
You can also specify to auto-encypt/decrypt your secret and public key rings for additional security.
If you want to use key rings that are located somewhere other than the
default PGP directory, you can specify their location in PGP's CONFIG.TXT
file. See the PGP documentation for details on this.
You can optionally enter your PGP passphrase when Private Idaho starts. In the PGP Options dialog, check the Load passphrase into memory at start-up box. The next time you use Private Idaho, a dialog will prompt you for your passphrase. The passphrase will automatically be used each time you decrypt and/or sign a message (you won't be prmpted for it in the DOS box).
Security Alert: There are obvious risks with this feature (the passphrase potentially written to the Windows swap file, someone accessing your messages if you leave the machine unattended, etc.). You need to judge the trade-offs of security versus convenience.
Note: This feature is disabled if you choose to use multiple keys for signing and encrypting.
Previous versions of Private Idaho supported ViaCrypt's PGP for Windows version 2.7.1. Unfortunately, the latest 4.0 release has been changed significantly so Private Idaho can't support it. Because of this, and the relatively small number of users, Private Idaho 2.8 no longer supports ViaCrypt.
If you're using ViaCrypt, place a copy of the DOS version of PGP
in your ViaCrypt directory and use Private Idaho to interact with it.
If your Internet provider uses a SMTP mail server, you can send e-mail directly from Private Idaho. Before running Private Idaho, you should have a PPP or SLIP connection to your Internet provider.
To send a message, make sure the proper "to:" mail address is specified and either click the Send button above the message text or use the "Send message" command in the Message menu.
As Private Idaho communicates with the mail server, you'll see parts of the conversation displayed above the message box.
Mail sent directly from Private Idaho is currently limited to the size of the text box (roughly 32K). There are no limitations on attachment sizes.
If you use Private Idaho with a non-SMTP mail server or wish to use
a full-featured e-mailer, you can use the Transfer commands in the Message
menu to transfer a composed message back to your primary e-mailer for sending.
You can include attachments with e-mail messages you send directly from Private Idaho. Attachments are Base64 encoded and are MIME compliant.
To send an attachment:
1. Compose the message and enter the recpient's e-mail address on the To: line.
2. In the drop-down list box below the Attachment check box, select the whether not to encrypt the attachment, encrypt the attachment with the key belonging to the person on the To line:, or encrypt the attachment using PGP conventional encryption.
3. Check the attachment box. A file dialog will prompt you to select the file you'd like to attach. The file's name will appear next to the Attachment check box after it's been selected.
4. Send the message. The file will first be encrypted (if specified), then Base64 encoded.
If you decide not to attach a file to a message, uncheck the Attachment box.
Note: Private Idaho currently does not support sending uuencoded attachments. Sending attachments through anonymous remailers is also not supported.
Some mail systems process messages based on special headers (frequently called X-Headers). This is optional information that accompanies the required To, From, Date, etc. headers. You can add your own defined headers to messages with the X-Headers command in the Message menu.
When X-Headers is checked, the user-defined X-Headers are inserted into the message headers. When X-Headers isn't checked, no additional headers are inserted into the message.
You have a choice of different types of remailers to use. They include:
Note: Anon.penet.fi is no longer in operation as of September 1996. If it appears again, Private Idaho will support it at that time.
I really don't want to get into the differences between the various types or make suggestions on which to use. See: http://www.cs.berkeley.edu/~raph/remailer-list.html for some good information sources on remailers.
The appropriate remailer instructions are added to the contents of the message box.
If you are using a SMTP mail server, you can click the Send button or use the "Send message" command in the Message menu.
If you are using another e-mailer, the "Transfer to app" command
in the Message menu moves the message to your e-mailer. The "Append
and Send/Transfer" commands appends and sends/transfers in one menu
selection.
This option currently only works with Cypherpunk and Mixmaster type remailers (although you could chain to anon.penet.fi as your final destination if its address is specified in the To: line).
1. Follow the same steps as with a single remailer, but choose "chain" from the Remailer: combo list box.
2. Choose the "Append info to message" command from the Transfer menu.
3. A list of remailers is displayed. Select the ones you wish to chain. You can choose the order you wish to chain the remailers.
The appropriate remailer instructions are added to the contents of the
message box.
If the Append on send item in the Message window is checked, the message is automatically formatted for sending through a remailer when you send the message directly from Private Idaho (you don't need to choose the Append info command). Keep in mind you still need to encrypt the message with the recipient's key, if you plan on sending an encrypted message.
1. Encrypt the message first.
2. Select the appropriate remailer(s) and choose the "Append info" command from the Message menu.
If you don't follow this order, you'll end up encrypting the remailer
instructions. The remailers are smart, but not that smart.
The Cypherpunk remailers offer some advanced features to enhance e-mail privacy. When the "Cypherpunk" option is checked in the Remailers menu, the "Advanced Cypherpunk" cascading menu item is available.
By checking one of the options, it filters the remailers in Remailer list box. For example, if you check the "Use latent time" option, only Cypherpunk remailers that support the latent time option will be displayed in the list box. If no options are checked, all Cypherpunk remailers are displayed.
Select advanced options, then select which remailers to use. (Each time
an option is checked or unchecked, the list is reset, and the default value
is "none.")
These remailers have PGP public keys. If you send mail encrypted with their key to them, they will automatically decrypt the mail and pass the decrypted message to the next destination. This is a fairly secure form of communication, since there is no plaintext transmitted to the remailer.
When this option is checked, the text in the message box will be encrypted with the selected remailer(s)' key.
You must first add the remailer keys to your public key ring. See the installation instructions.
You can also chain remailers with this option. Each text block will be encrypted with the appropriate remailer's key. This was a fairly tedious task to do by hand, but Private Idaho completely automates the process.
Keep in mind this level of encryption is totally separate from you encrypting
a message to an individual.
The "Replace subject" option removes the subject on the Subject: line, and adds a user-selected subject to final mail destination. This is useful if you really don't want someone to guess the contents of the mail by the subject line.
A dialog box will prompt you for the subject title.
The "Use latent time" option instructs the remailer to delay sending the message after some set period of time. This is useful if you suspect traffic analysis is taking place (watching the flow of messages to and from you).
A dialog box will prompt you for the amount of delay.
You can either specify a local time for the mail to be sent (in 24 hour clock format). For example, entering 18:00 would instruct the remailer to send the message at 6:00 PM, the local time of the remailer. (Don't add AM or PM.)
You can also specify a set number of hours and minutes after the mail is received. For example, entering +10:30, would delay sending the message 10 hours, 30 minutes after it was received by remailer. You can enter values of up to 24 hours.
If you are chaining remailers and use the latent time option, the same
value will be used for all remailers. A future version will allow you to
enter unique time values for each remailer.
Some e-mail packages automatically attach a signature (sig) to the bottom of each sent message. This obviously reduces the anonymous nature of using a remailer.
When the "Use cutmarks" option is checked, the remailer will search for a line beginning with a certain character string. It will remove that line, and all subsequent lines. For example, if you specify the cutmarks to be "--", the line containing "-----------------------" and any lines after it, would be stripped from the message.
You specify the cutmarks string in a dialog box.
If you are chaining remailers, cutmarks will only be removed from the message received by the first remailer. This is because a message composed in Private Idaho will not have any sigs attached to it.
Note: Be careful of using cutmarks with encrypted messages. PGP
encrypted messages start with "-----BEGIN PGP MESSAGE-----",
so if you used "---" as the cutmark, your message would be removed.
Some remailers can post anonymously to USENET newsgroups. When this
option is selected, a list of remailers that support this feature is displayed
in the remailer list. Read the Posting anonymously to a USENET newsgroup
section for details.
Mixmaster (or Type II) remailers offer a high level of security (see http://www.obscura.com/~loki for complete details). Up until now, Mixmaster has only been available to UNIX users. Mixmaster's author, Lance Cottrell, has recently released a DOS client version of the application that works with Private Idaho 2.7b (and later).
Since the Mixmaster client uses export-controlled cryptography, it is not included with Private Idaho. Refer to http://www.obscura.com/~loki for information on how to get a copy of MIXMASTE.ZIP (the compressed version of Mixmaster and its support files).
Note: Although Lance and I have taken every reasonable precaution to assure that DOS Mixmaster was not exported, it appears that one or more persons unknown to us have exported the DOS version of Mixmaster (in violation of US law). We intend to continue to abide by the letter of US law in this matter, however I will list non-US ftp sites from which Mixmaster can be obtained as a public service:
ftp://utopia.hacktic.nl/pub/replay/pub/remailer/mixmaste.zip
To be able to send messages through Mixmaster remailers you need several files:
These files are included in the MIXMASTE.ZIP file. Uncompress the files and move them to the directory containing Private Idaho.
After you've installed these files, in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file add the following line:
SET MIXPATH=C:\PIDAHO
with the directory path specifying the Private Idaho directory. Reboot your computer and run Private Idaho.
Note: If you have problems getting Mixmaster to run correctly, set the working directory path in the MIX.PIF file to the the directory containing Mixmaster and Private Idaho.
Using Mixmaster remailers
Using Mixmaster remailers is no different than using Cypherpunk style remailers. Select "Mixmaster" from the Remailers menu, compose and address your message, select the remailer(s) from the drop-down list box to use, and choose "Append info" from the Message menu.
Private Idaho will shell out to the DOS version of Mixmaster, and prepare the message for sending.
You'll need to update information about Mixmaster remailers, just like Cypherpunk remailers. Specifically the PUBRING.MIX, TYPE2.LIS, and MIXMSTR.TXT files.
Updated Mixmaster information can be found at:
http://www.cs.berkeley.edu/~raph/remailer-list.html
and
Notes: Mixmaster remailers chain differently than Type I Cypherpunk remailers. All of the remailer formatting information is encapsulated into a single message. This is unlike the Type I remailers, which you watch go through seperate formatting passes as each link in the chain is encrypted and formatted.
Because Mixmaster creates a fixed size message, text in the message
box is currently limited to approximately 8 to 10k. This will be addressed
in a future release.
You can prepare a message for anonymous posting to a USENET newsgroup.
1. Enter the name of the newsgroup you want to post to in the To: combo box (i.e. alt.2600).
2. Enter the subject and message.
3. If you are posting through the Anon.penet.fi or Eric remailers, you'll need to make sure the remailer is checked in the Newsgroup menu.
If you are using a Cypherpunk remailer, select the "Post to USENET" option in the "Advanced Cypherpunk" cascading menu. (You can also choose the Encrypt and Subject options to further enhance privacy.)
4. Select the remailer you want to send the message through.
5. Choose the "Append info to message" command from the "E-mail" menu.
6. If you'd like to chain your post, select which Cypherpunk style remailers to use and choose "Append info to message" again.
Note: I frequently get e-mail from people who are having difficulties posting to a USENET newsgroups. If you follow the instructions, this usually isn't a problem with Private Idaho. The most common reasons why people don't see there anonymous messages posted include:
The bottom-line is you get what you pay for. The remailer services are
free. It's only when some Internet providers start charging for their privacy
services, will you see a higher level of reliability when posting anonymous
USENET articles. Until then, be prepared to experiment to find the right
remailer that is the most reliable for you.
USENET gateways are mail servers that support posting to USENET groups through e-mail messages. To post through a gateway with a Cypherpunk style remailer:
1. Enter the name of the newsgroup you want to post to in the To: combo box (i.e. alt.2600). Note: Don't use someone's address. A gateway isn't a remailer.
2. Enter the subject and message.
3. Select the "E-mail gateway" option in the Newsgroups menu. If you select None, specific information needed to create a newsgroup posting will not be added.
4. Select a remailer (or "chain") from Remailer: combo box.
5. Choose the "Append info to message" command from the "E-mail" menu.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Sending a message to one of the USENET gateways will not anonymize the mail. You must send it through a remailer first. Please test by sending mail to someplace like alt.anonymous before doing it for real.
USENET gateways are getting increasingly harder to find. Many have shut down due to abuses. Others don't support all newsgroups. You may have to try several before finding one that works for you.
Wil Ussery has put together some pretty good FAQs
on how to use Private Idaho to post anonymously to USENET newsgroups and
how to use it with nym servers. Thanks Wil!
Some e-mail to USENET gateways require a "newsgroups" header (for example, mail2news@anon.lcs.mit.edu).
To use these gateways with Private Idaho, compose your message, then:
1. Enter the gateway address on the To: line.
2. Make sure Replace subject is checked in the Advanced Cypherpunk remailer menu (Encrypt to remailers can optionally be checked for more security).
3. Check the Remailer newsgroup header item in the Newsgroups menu.
4. Specify the remailer to send the message through, and choose "Append info" from the Message menu. (Note: Do not select "chain." If you want to send the message through multiple remailers for additional security, it is a two step process. AFTER the message has been formatted, select "chain" in the remailer list and choose "Append info" again from the Message menu.)
You'll will be prompted for the subject and newsgroup name. Private Idaho will then enter these in the body of the message. If you're cross-posting to a series of newsgroups, seperate them with commas. This is better than sending many different individual messages.
Note: You don't need to go through these steps with gateways that are listed in Private Idaho's Newsgroup menu. See http://students.cs.byu.edu/~don/mail2news.html for a complete list of gateways that require a newsgroup header.
1. Make sure the e-mail software (Eudora, Pegasus, etc.) is running, a blank, new message in the e-mail software is in front, and the cursor is on the To: line. Do not minimize/iconize the e-mail application.
2. In the Private Idaho "E-mail" menu, choose the "Transfer to e-mail app" command. If you've specified multiple applications, a cascading menu with the application names is displayed. Select the application you'd like to transfer to.
This transfers the address information and message contents you entered in Private Idaho to your e-mail software.
If you don't have the new message window open or the cursor is somewhere
other than the To: line, Private Idaho will happily try to paste the data
in whatever e-mailer window is active.
The Transfer Options command in the Message menu contains the settings used to transfer a message from Private Idaho to the e-mail software you are using. This information must be correct for a valid transfer to take place.
The information in the dialog is fairly self-explanatory. Make sure your e-mail application is running before you run Private Idaho. You may need to experiment with which window to transfer to. Use your common sense in selecting a window name from the list.
Private Idaho supports up to 4 applications to transfer messages to. Click the "Multiple" button at the bottom of the dialog. Then fill in the application's name, window name, and the script to use.
The script language has the following commands:
Each of the commands instructs Private Idaho what information or key should be sent to the e-mail application. (Header lines are automatically sent with a following Tab.)
Each command (with the exception of the last entered command), should be followed by a comma.
Run your e-mail application and list the key sequences required to transfer the information. Usually, the cursor should always start on the first line/item of the new message window. However, if you like, you could write a script to execute a variety of menu commands to open a new message window.
For example, if you were using Free Agent, the following script would correctly transfer your e-mail from Private Idaho:
The EMAIL.TXT file contains specifications for a variety of e-mail packages. Up to 12 e-mail apps will be displayed in the dialog box when you choose Options from the Transfer menu.
The file is a text file, with each line representing e-mail information. The file format is simple. A record consists of:
Private Idaho reads 3 lines in at a time and associates it with a button.
When you press the button, the information is filled in.
If you are connected to the Internet, and your Internet provider uses a POP3 mail server (the most frequently used), Private Idaho can check your mailbox for any messages that have been encrypted with PGP. If a PGP message is in your mailbox, Private Idaho will download and store it on your hard drive. Messages are displayed with the Show PGP messages command and you can decrypt the message immediately or wait until later.
While this makes accessing encrypted messages easy, there is one hitch. Private Idaho only processes PGP encrypted messages, and leaves all other messages on the server. This means you'll need to use a full-featured e-mail application such as Eudora or Pegasus to access any messages that aren't encrypted.
For people who periodicially log-on to their Internet provider to check mail, this isn't a problem. Simply run Private Idaho first to check for any PGP messages, then run your normal e-mail application to access the other messages.
For people who leave their e-mail application running in the background, this presents a sequencing problem. Currently, with Private Idaho, you can only manually check for PGP messages. There isn't a timer option to periodically check for messages at some set interval. Viewing this, it's very possible your regular e-mail application will download a PGP message before Private Idaho can.
The only solution to this problem would be to turn Private Idaho into
a fully functional e-mail application, so you could send, receive, and
manage your encrypted and regular mail. Unfortunately, I don't have the
time to do this. However, if someone (or a group) is interested in taking
this on as a project, I'd be glad to share the source code.
The Scan for PGP messages command in the Message menu connects to your POP3 mail server and scans the message headers for any PGP messages. If an encrypted message is found, it is downloaded, added to a file on your hard disk, and then deleted from the server.
The first time you scan for messages, you'll be prompted to supply your password to access the mail server. Private Idaho remembers this password for subsequent scanning, but "forgets" it when you exit the program.
Status about the scanning process is displayed above the message text
box.
The Show PGP messages command in the Message menu displays a list of all of the PGP messages that Private Idaho has downloaded. A list containing message status, who the message is from, when it was sent, and the message subject is displayed.
Unread messages have an "n" to the left of the message.
There are several actions you can perform to a selected message with the command buttons at the bottom of the dialog box.
Note: The encrypted PGP messages are stored in a file named PGPMSG.PID.
The MSGIDX.PID file is an index to the messages.
Nym is simply another term for an alias or pseudonym. Various people offer a no-charge service that allows you to create a nym account (where e-mail can securely be forwarded to you).
This is similar to setting up an old anon.penet.fi account, only much more secure. Instead of using a data base of users associated with account names (like penet.fi), the service works by rerouting through remailers and conventionally encrypting messages forwarded to you with PGP. There are currently two types of nym servers that Private Idaho supports. The first generation alpha type and the more secure newnym (alias.net) type.
Briefly, you supply the nym server with a chain of remailers (PGP encrypted being the most secure), you'd like to use to have any messages forwarded to you. You also provide a nym account name and a PGP passphrase to encrypt the forwarded message.
For example, if you used a nym server and selected "casper" as a nym, you could send anonymous e-mail or post anonymously to a USENET newsgroup and have people reply to casper@nymserver.com. When someone sends a message to that address, it is PGP encrypted, then sent through a series of remailers you specified. It is eventually forwarded to you through the remailers. You'd then use Private Idaho to decrypt the message.
Once you have an account, you can also send mail or post articles from the nym server. In such cases, your nym account name would appear in the From: line of the message/article.
Private Idaho made it easy to use nym servers. Most of the nym server code has been written by UNIX programmers, without a lot of thought given to making easy to use interfaces for novice to moderately skilled Net users.
Unfortunately, due to quite a bit of abuse (spamming, mail-bombing, etc.), many nym servers have shut down. This is a case of a few individuals ruining a valuable privacy enabling tool for many Internet users. I really don't want to get on a soap-box, but when people start abusing free, privacy services, they will disappear faster than through any lawsuit or government regulation.
Private Idaho determines which nym servers and remailers are available from Raph's remailer info. This info is stored in the REMAILER.HTM file in the Private Idaho directory. Nym servers are either identified by "alpha" or "newnym" in their description.
For example, alpha.c2.org's entries looked like this:
$remailer{'alpha'} = '<alias@alpha.c2.org> alpha pgp';
and later in the file:
alpha alias@alpha.c2.org +++*++**-+ 1:08:55 82.67%
If a new nym server comes online, and isn't in Raph's list yet, you can easily add it to the REMAILER.HTM file with a text editor. Just individually add lines that follow the above respective formats. Once you've modified the file, run Private Idaho. It will recognize the nym server when you create a new nym.
Note: Nym server information relies on Raph's remailer list.
If a new nym server comes on line, be sure to add its PGP key to your public
ring before using Private Idaho to create a nym on it. The Add Keys button
in the step-by-step creation dialog only adds keys of those nym servers
listed in the NYMKEYS.TXT file.
Creating a nym account was a bit complex, but Private Idaho has simplified the process. Just select "Create nym" from the Nym menu and follow the instructions in the dialog boxes. (If you don't already have the nym server's public key in your ring, Private Idaho will install it for you during the nym setup.)
Private Idaho will step you through the entire account request process, and when you're through, you can send the message to the nym server.
If you were successful, you'll receive an encrypted confirmation message back.
After you receive confirmation, send mail to your new nym account to test it. Remember, response time may vary.
Notes: Make sure "Encrypt to self" is unchecked before you create a new nym.
You must supply a "full nym" for Private Idaho to work correctly.
If you're not feeling creative, just use the nym account name.
If you already have a nym account(s), you can add it to the NYMS.TXT file instead of using Private Idaho's step-by-step procedure. Just create a text file named NYMS.TXT and put it in the same directory as Private Idaho. The file format is simple. The first line is the nym account (followed by a carriage return), the second line is the full nym name (followed by a carriage return), the third line is the nym server (followed by a carriage return). The format looks like this:
Add as many nym accounts (following this format) as you have.
Note: You must include a full nym name. Don't leave this line blank.
To delete an unwanted nym, choose the Delete nym command from the Nym menu. A list of nyms are displayed.
The nym will be deleted from the NYMS.TXT file. A message will also be prepared to send to the nym server to remove the nym from the server itself. Send the message to the server to remove it.
You can change your nym account reply block with this menu item. You may need to do this if a remailer you originally specified in your reply block no longer is operating. To change your reply block.
1. Enter the final destination e-mail address in the To: text box.
2. Specify the new remailer or chain in the Remailer drop-down list.
3. From the Nym menu, choose the "Change reply block" command.
4. Select the nym you want to change.
If you are changing an alpha type nym:
(These steps aren't required if you are changing a newnym type nym.)
Send the encrypted message. If you want to be real secure, send it through
a chained series of remailers.
You can change your nym account password with this menu item. If you're changing an alpha type nym password, the command pastes a template in the message window. Simply enter your current password and a new password in the message. Encrypt the message and send to the nym server. If you don't provide a value for New-Password, the account will be deleted. You can also change mail routing with this command. First specify the remailer routing (put your e-mail address on the To: line, select a chain of remailers, and use the "Append info to message" menu item), then select Change nym password to append the password change information to the routing message.
If you want to change an alias.net (newnym) password, use the Change
nym reply block command in the Nym menu.
All messages sent to nym servers must be encrypted with the nym server key. Any plaintext messages will not be processed and be deleted. As a reminder, whenever you prepare a message to send to the nym server, Private Idaho displays a red encryption reminder above the message window. After you encrypt the message, the message disappears (you can also click on the reminder message to make it disappear).
Note: If you're preparing a newnym type message, you don't need
to encrypt it. This is automatically done for you.
To send a message through a nym server, first compose your message in Private Idaho's message window. If you are sending e-mail, put the address on the To: line. If you are posting to a newsgroup, enter the USENET gateway on the To: line. Select the "Prepare nym message" item from the Nym menu. If you're using an alpha type nym server, fill in your nym password and the Subject: lines and select the "Encrypt nym message" menu item and send the message.
After the message is prepared, send it through a series of remailers
if you'd like a high level of security.
To check latency and uptime statistics for a nym server, choose the Show nym server stats command in the Nym menu.
As with remailer stats, if a nym server doesn't have any information associated with it, it may not be operational. Otherwise, don't use the nym server unless you're sure it's running.
Alias.net (newnym) type nym servers offer a variety of secure features. Use the "Edit existing alias.net nym" command in the Nym menu to configure a nym you've already created.
Send e-mail to help@nym.alias.net for complete documentation.
Private Idaho stores the nym and expanded nym of the last nym account created in the NYMS.TXT file. The password is not stored for security reasons.
Your nym passphrase should be different than your everyday PGP passphrase. You are compromising your security if they are the same.
Make sure the nym passphrase does not have any spaces in it. The server will truncate the passphrase at the space.
If you don't get an encrypted reply back in a few days, it's likely someone else already has a nym account with the name you requested or one of the remailers specified in the reply chain is down. Try submitting a request with a different nym or changing the remailer chain. You can get a list of nyms by e-mailing used@ the nym server address.
If you have questions/comments about the Private Idaho interface to nym servers send e-mail to joelm@eskimo.com. If you have comments or questions about the nym server, send e-mail to admin@ the nym server address. You can get additional information about the nym server by sending mail to: help@ the nym server address.
One of the main purposes of Private Idaho is to provide an easy environment that encourages people to use PGP and remailers with their e-mail. The more people that use these tools, the less likely it is governments will be able to take them away.
The Worldwide Web is becoming an increasingly important means of distributing information around the world. There are a number of free, important electronic information sources and services that reside on the Web.
If you use a Web browser, Private Idaho can interact with your browser to provide links to sources where you can access tools and information to increase your electronic privacy.
Using the Web menu
The Web menu comes with a series of menu items I feel are important if you use Private Idaho. Each menu item corresponds to a Web link (or technically a URL - universal resource locator). When you select the menu item, Private Idaho will load (if necessary) and activate your Web browser. It will then pass commands on to your browser to go to that particular URL.
Private Idaho's default settings assume you use Netscape as a browser (located in c:/netscape/netscape.exe). If you don't use Netscape, or if you do and it's located in a different path, see the "Configuring Private Idaho for your Web browser" section below.
Obviously, you must be connected to the Internet for a browser to display a Web page.
If your browser is not running, Private Idaho will inform you and then load it. Once the browser is running, select the menu item again, so the information will be passed on the the browser.
Default menu items
Here are the default menu items that come with Private Idaho. I encourage you to spend some time exploring them, particularly the sites for the EFF, EPIC, and CPSR organizations. They contain a wealth of information on cryptography, privacy, and government issues.
Get the latest PGP (US residents) - accesses MIT's PGP distribution page. You must be a US resident to download PGP from this source.
Get the latest PGP (rest of world) - accesses a page of links with sites outside of the US where PGP can be downloaded.
Access the MIT key server - accesses a page where you can store your PGP public key in a database as well as search for other people's. This is a free central database that get's global use.
Read the official PGP FAQ - accesses the official PGP Frequently Asked Question list. Most of your questions can be answered here.
Get the short PGP FAQ - accesses a shorter version of the PGP FAQ, with information on the latest version, where to get PGP, and different types of shells to use.
Learn about crypto and privacy - accesses the privacy and cryptography section of the WWW Virtual Library. Excellent information on PGP, crypto, and electronic privacy issues.
Browse alt.security.pgp - accesses the USENET alt.security.pgp newsgroup. This is the place for breaking information, answers to easy and hard questions, and interesting political discussion.
Get remailer information - accesses remailer information you can use to update the RMINFO, CPMAILER, and Mixmaster files Private Idaho uses. Also provides links to other remailer information sources.
Go to EFF - accesses the Electronic Frontier Foundation's home page. An excellent source of information on electronic privacy issues.
Go to EPIC - accesses the Electronic Privacy Information Center's home page. An excellent source of information on electronic privacy issues.
Go to CPSR - accesses the Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility home page. An excellent source of information on electronic privacy issues.
Get the latest Private Idaho - accesses the central page for Private Idaho distribution. You can check for any updates and download them.
You can also add your own menu items and links. See the "Adding your own links to the Web menu" section below.
Configuring Private Idaho for your Web browser
As previously stated, Private Idaho's default Web browser configuration is Netscape. To configure to your own browser, choose the Options command from the Web menu.
This dialog box may look complex, but really isn't. First, a little background on what happens when you select a menu item from the Web menu.
Private Idaho interacts with a browser by sending a key sequence to it, much in the same way it works when you transfer information to your e-mail software. While some browsers like Netscape support DDE, I wanted to provide more flexibility for use with other browsers that didn't.
When you select a menu item, it looks to see if the browser is running by seeing if a window exists in the Windows task list. (If the browser isn't running, it will attempt to load it, and ask you to select the menu item again after the browser has loaded.)
If a window is present, it sends a series of keys that tells the browser to provide some form of input for specifying a URL. For example in Netscape, the CTRL+L key opens a dialog box for a URL to be entered. Next, Private Idaho sends the actual URL that corresponds to the menu item to the browser, plus a key sequence that tells it to go to the URL (in Netscape's case, the return/enter key).
With that in mind, here's information on the parameters in the Web Options dialog box.
Web browser path - Enter the full path of the Web browser you use, for example, c:\netscape\netscape.exe (which is the default). If you're using Windows 95 and have long file names, use the DOS file path. For example, C:\Program Files\Netscape\Navigator\Netscape.exe would be C:\Progra~1\Netscape\Naviga~2\Netscape.exe.
Browser window search string - This is the name of the window that Private Idaho will pass the key sequences to. Depending on the browser, you can just put its name here. (HINT: Run the browser then select the Transfer options command in Private Idaho's Message menu to get a list of all of the current window names. Use the name that corresponds to the browser.)
Here's where things can get a little tricky. Some browsers (such as Netscape) use a parent window and a child window. If you specify the parent window (named "Netscape") to pass the key sequences to, nothing will happen. This is because the child window (that's name contains the current URL) is active, and receives any key messages. The problem with browsers like this, is the window name constantly changes, so you never know which window to send the key sequence to.
The solution is to look for a command pattern that all child window names have. In Netscape's case, child windows names always start with "Netscape - [", so if you specify this as the Browser window search string, Private Idaho will always be able to activate the correct window.
You may need to do some experimenting with this, to find the correct search string to use. The window list in the E-mail, Transfer options dialog can help.
Key sequence to prompt for URL - This is a series of keyboard commands within the browser that allows the user to enter a URL. For example, typing CTRL+L in Netscape brings up a URL dialog box. You will need to enter the key sequence that is appropriate for your browser.
Certain keys must use special characters.
For example, in Netscape a CTRL+L opens the URL dialog box so you'd enter ^l
Key sequence to get URL - This is the key sequence that will tell the browser to go to the URL. In Netscape, pressing the return/enter key after the URL has been entered closes the dialog box and goes to the URL. So, for this parameter you would use a ~
(The corresponding special keys shown above also apply to this parameter.)
All parameters are written to the PIDAHO.INI file when you click the OK button.
Note: The settings for Microsoft's Internet Explorer are:
(You'll need to figure out the correct "short" path name based on your own machine.)
Adding your own links to the Web menu
All items that appear in the Web menu are stored in the URLS.TXT file. You can add to or modify the contents of the file with any text editor, following these rules:
Get the latest Private Idaho,http://www.eskimo.com/~joelm
NOTE: As of mid-November, 1996, this service was no longer being offered.
Community Connexion - http://www.c2.org (a privacy oriented Internet Service Provider) offers a free Web "anonymizing" service. It's relatively easy for someone to track what information you access on the Web. However by using the anonymizer with your browser, the owner of the Web page you accessed won't know your identity.
You should have a connection to the Internet, with your browser running and not minimized.
Enter a URL in Private Idaho's message box, select the text, and choose the "Anonymous jump to URL" command from the Web menu. This will load the URL into your browser and anonymously access the Web page.
Hint: You can store frequently accessed URLs in Private Idaho's address book.
The C2 Web anonymizer port may change in the future. You can reset the
value by choosing the "Options" command in the Web menu.
If you have problems running Private Idaho, try these things first:
If Private Idaho still isn't working correctly, try moving the files in the Private Idaho directory to the directory containing PGP.
Due to a variety of other projects, I've had to drastically cut back on the amount of e-mail support I provide for Private Idaho. Bug reports will be logged and suggestions will be noted, but at this point, don't hold your breath waiting for an e-mail reply from me.
Specific problems:
When Private Idaho is first run, it creates a file called PUBKEYS.OUT and places it in the same directory as the application. This is a required text file that contains the contents of your public key ring. If for some reason the file isn't created, you can usually create it with the Update PUBKEYS.OUT command in Private Idaho's PGP menu. If this still doesn't work, it's possible your system hasn't defined the COMSPEC environment variable. At the DOS prompt, type SET. If the COMSPEC variable isn't displayed, add the following line to AUTOEXEC.BAT: COMSPEC=C:\COMMAND.COM (or where ever the COMMAND.COM file is located).
Another common problem is the PGP directory not being specified in the AUTOEXEC.BAT PATH statement. If it is, try modifying the values of the PIF files that comes with Private Idaho. By default, they point to PGP.EXE, but you might try changing their values to point to the fully qualified PGP path (such as C:\PGP26\PGP.EXE).
The PUBKEYS.OUT file is created by piping the information from the DOS pgp -kv command to a file. Some users running NDOS and 4DOS have reported compatibility problems with this piping procedure.
Some users using PGP language files other than English have reporteded PUBKEYS.OUT problems have been resolved when the English language file is used.
Finally, if nothing seems to work, you can manually create the file by going to the DOS prompt, connecting to Private Idaho directory, and typing:
pgp -kv >pubkeys.out
Move this file into the Private Idaho directory. This will at least get you running until you isolate the problem.
Mail Server and Winsock Connections
First, make sure the WINSOCK.DLL file is in either the \WINDOWS or \WINDOWS\SYSTEM directory. I've heard of some applications renaming the Winsock file.
If you have difficult connecting to a mail server, try using the IP address instead of the actual server name. Also, be sure your account name is correct.
If you still are having problems sending mail, try this test to see if there might be a problem interacting with your server. Temporarily set the SMTP server to mail.eskimo.com and try sending e-mail. If you are successful, there's likely some type of incompatibility with the mail server your ISP is running.
Note: The mail server address shown above is my ISP's. Please don't abuse it.
If you are still having problems with sending e-mail directly from Private Idaho or scanning for PGP messages, add the following line to the [Options] section of the PIDAHO.INI file:
This will create a log file in the directory containing Private Idaho that lists the entire SMTP and POP3 conversation between the mail server and Private Idaho. If you have problems, e-mail me a copy of the log file. It should help in trying to debug what's happening.
If you have problems scanning for PGP messages, it's possible one of the files containing message information may have been corrupted. MSGIDX.PID is an index file. PGPMSG.PID contains the actual messages, and can be accessed with a text editor. Delete MSGIDX.PID and rename PGPMSG.PID (so you can still access the messages).
Users have successfully run Private Idaho under Windows NT, but others have reported problems I haven't been able to replicate. At this point (since I don't have an NT box), Windows NT is an unsupported platform. I am planning a 32-bit version, which I'm hoping will resolve any problems.
PGP doesn't use correct secret key
In certain circumstances, PGP will use the first key found in a secret key ring containing multiple keys. To avoid this, specify the key ID instead of the user ID. For example, 0x123456 instead of mrbill@snl.com. To view the key ID, use the -kv command. There is a hidden command in the About dialog box. If you click the mouse on the first line of text, a dialog box appears that allows you to enter PGP commands.
PGP and Mixmaster icons in Windows 95 taskbar
If the "Run PGP minimized" item in the PGP menu is checked, and you're running Windows 95, when you encrypt a message, the PGP icon will appear in the taskbar at the bottom of the screen. You must click on the icon for PGP to be run (this applies to running Mixmaster also). You can avoid this step by changing the PIF settings in the Win95 Explorer. For example, in the Explorer, select the PIPGP file and right click the mouse button to set properties. Go to the Misc tab. Under Background, make sure "Always suspend" is not checked. Perform the same steps with the PIPGPX and MIX PIF files.
USENET messages don't get posted
I frequently get e-mail from people who are having difficulties posting to USENET newsgroups. If you follow the instructions, this usually isn't a problem with Private Idaho. The most common reasons why people don't see there anonymous messages posted include:
The bottom-line is you get what you pay for. The remailer services are free. It's only when some Internet providers start charging for their privacy services, will you see a higher level of reliability when posting anonymous USENET articles. Until then, be prepared to experiment to find the right remailer and gateway that's the most reliable for you.
Messages or Web links don't transfer correctly
The e-mail application or browser must not be minimized for a message or URL to transfer. If the application is maximized, it's likely the window name specified within Private Idaho is incorrect. With the e-mail application running, go to the Transfer Options command in the Message menu. Look for the correct window name of the application in the dropdown list box. This is a common problem with Eudora. QUALCOMM always seems to change its window name with each update. If you update to a new version of Eudora and transfer stops working, you'll need to update the window name in Private Idaho.
NYMS.TXT not formatted correctly and "File past end of input" in NYMS.TXT
All nyms must have three lines of information. The nym (mrree), the full nym (Mr. Ree), and the nym server (config@nym.alias.net). Each line should be followed by a carriage return. The full nym line must have some information on it, and not be left blank. If you modify the file by hand, too many lines, or two few lines, cause an error.
Private Idaho uses "pidaho" as the default name for its temp file during encryption and decryption operations. If you place Private Idaho in a subdirectory named "pidaho" (for example,C:\PGP\PIDAHO) this can confuse DOS during file operations. Rename the directory or the temp file name to avoid this problem. Also, don't specify the full path name if you want the file to be written to the PGP directory. This is were it will be written to by default.
Mixmaster doesn't run correctly
First, make sure you have all of the files that Mixmaster needs to run. Then try setting the working directory in the MIX.PIF file to the directory path that contains Mixmaster and Private Idaho. Also, make sure MIXPATH is set in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file.
Nym servers only use Cypherpunk style remailers for reply blocks. If you try to specify Mixmaster type remailers, you will get errors.
The Private Idaho interface to Mixmaster is currently limited to plaintext messages approximately 10k in length.
Command line greater than 128 characters
DOS applications have a limit to the size of a command line that can be passed to them. When Private Idaho shells to DOS PGP, it passes commands that identify directory paths, user IDs, etc. In some cases, the command line may surpass the limit, and cause a PGP operation to fail. A dialog box notifies you of this. If this happens, try: (1) reducing the length of your PGP user ID (i.e. use <joelm@eskimo.com> instead of Joel McNamara <joelm@eskimo.com>, or (2) relocating Private Idaho to a directory with a shorter path name (i.e. C:\PGP versus C:\APPS\CRYPTO\WIN\PIDAHO).
Multiple .ASC files for attachments
When PGP encrypts a file and uses ASCII armor, it will split the file up into multiple files, each containing 720 lines. If you have a large attachment, you'll get numerous .ASC files. To force PGP not to split a file, in the PGP config.txt file, set the ArmorLines variable to 0.
I haven't gotten around to fixing these yet. They'll hopefully make the next incremental release.
File
Edit
PGP
Keys
Remailers
Advanced Cypherpunk - more Cypherpunk-remailer options
Newsgroups
Message
Nym
Web
Help
Thanks to Colin Tan for help with the Setup application, John Deters for the NT fix, John Coffman for help with AOL settings and distribution and a mirror site, Ned Brickley and Paul Leyland for mirror sites, Robert Fries for doing the original Windows help, Lance Cottrell for a DOS version of Mixmaster, Jim Ray for many owed beers, Fred Ringel for the PGP Users list and a mirror site, the faithful and brave beta testers from PI_LIST, and everyone that's taken the time to send me feedback.
Other things: