Fritz: All Fritz/All Fritz.zip/All Fritz/FILES/UTILFILE/LOCKOUT.LZH/LOCKOUT.DOC

Text File | 1989-03-10 | 8KB | 201 lines

                  LOCKOUT -- Enhanced System Security

WHAT IS LOCKOUT?
----------------

LOCKOUT is an easy-to-use system for password protection for your PC.
It is not designed to be absolute protection against malicious or
snoopy people, but will keep all but the most sophisticated user out
of your computer.


SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
-------------------

LOCKOUT requires 128K of RAM and a hard disk drive. It will run on any
display adapter.


HOW SECURE IS LOCKOUT?
----------------------

While LOCKOUT is running, <Ctrl>-C, <Ctrl>-<Break>, and
<Ctrl>-<Alt>-<Del> are all inactive.  The only possible way to exit
LOCKOUT is by entering the password or shutting the computer off!


INSTALLATION
------------

Before going any further.....MAKE BACKUP COPIES OF LOCKOUT.EXE,
LOCKOUT.DOC, AND SETUP.EXE!!  Store these copies AWAY from your
computer!

Start by copying LOCKOUT.EXE and SETUP.EXE into the ROOT directory of
your hard disk.  ALL LOCKOUT FILES MUST BE IN THE ROOT DIRECTORY!

Give the command: CD\ <Enter> to move to the root directory.

Give the command SETUP <Enter>.

Now you will see a blank screen with the prompt, ENTRY: on it.  Enter
a password of your choice.  It can be up to 254 characters long,
although most users will select a somewhat shorter password.  When
you've finished typing your password, press <Enter>.

Next, you'll see the prompt, AGAIN:.  Re-enter your password to make
sure the program has recorded it correctly.  Press <Enter> once more
to make it permanent.

You can change your password at any time by running SETUP again.

REMEMBER your password!

Now, DELETE the file, SETUP.EXE from your hard disk!!  This is
important.  If you leave the file on the disk, anyone could run it
and change the password.  Bad idea!

At this point, LOCKOUT is installed correctly.  To test it, give the
command, LOCKOUT <Enter>.  When prompted, type your new password.
When you reach the last character, LOCKOUT automatically looks at the
password.  There's no need to press <Enter> If you enter it
correctly, the computer will return to your normal prompt.  Get it
wrong, and LOCKOUT will give you two more tries.  If you miss on all
three tries, LOCKOUT will sound an alarm which will last for about
one minute, then display the opening screen again, waiting for the
password.  Very few people will sit around and wait while an alarm is
sounding.

During password entry, LOCKOUT displays an X for each character in
your password.  This prevents snoopers from looking over your
shoulder while you enter the password.

Go ahead and enter an incorrect password three times, just to hear
what the alarm sounds like.

IMPORTANT NOTE:  LOCKOUT's passwords are case-sensitive.  You must
enter the password EXACTLY as you typed it in the SETUP program! Use
a combination of upper and lower case letters to further confuse
potential abusers.  You may use non-keyboard characters in your
password.  To do this, hold down the <Alt> key while you type a
number between 129 and 255 on the NUMERIC KEYPAD. Use caution with
these, since they are hard to remember.


HOW TO USE LOCKOUT EFFECTIVELY
------------------------------

To begin with, no security system works correctly unless you use it.
LOCKOUT works very well, but you have to use it to be safe.  Here are
two ways to use the program:

1. Run LOCKOUT from your AUTOEXEC.BAT file.  Place the command
LOCKOUT as the first command in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file.  If you do
this, the first thing you'll see when your system boots up is the
LOCKOUT screen.  This way, nobody can simply turn your computer on
and expect to access your programs and data.  Remember, to minimize
the risk of someone breaking out of your AUTOEXEC.BAT file is
minimized if you use LOCKOUT as the first command.

As soon as you enter the correct password, the remaining commands in
your AUTOEXEC.BAT file will be carried out, just as did before
LOCKOUT.

2. Run LOCKOUT whenever you leave your desk, to further protect your
files.  To do this, you MUST use the CD command to change back to
your root directory!  The typical commands would be:

CD\ <Enter>
LOCKOUT <Enter>

When you return to your desk, just enter the correct password, and
you're back in business.


ADDITIONAL SECURITY TIPS
------------------------

To make LOCKOUT even more effective, try some or all of these ideas:

1. Change the name of LOCKOUT.EXE to something more cryptic.  Use the
REN command to make the change, then change your AUTOEXEC.BAT file to
reflect the new filename.

2. Use a file utility to set the HIDDEN attribute ON for LOCKOUT.EXE.
That way, someone using the DIR command simply won't see LOCKOUT.EXE.

3. No software can prevent someone from booting your PC with a floppy
disk.  It's impossible!  The best protection is to keep bootable
floppy disks away from your computer.  If you want to keep a floppy
boot disk at your desk, Install LOCKOUT on all your bootable
diskettes, and use the LOCKOUT command in an AUTOEXEC.BAT on each
bootable disketter

4. Again, store the diskettes containing SETUP.EXE AWAY from your PC.
This will help keep someone from scrambling your password.

5. Choose a password that nobody can figure out.  Don't use your name
in your password, or common things like your social security number.
Choose a password that's easy for you to remember, but impossible for
someone else to guess.

LOCKOUT'S PASSWORD FILE
-----------------------
LOCKOUT stores your password in a special file.  If you do a
directory of your root directory, you'll see a blank space which
still shows a file size and date.  This file is named with special
characters, and is almost impossible to access using normal DOS
commands.

I will not disclose the secret filename under any circumstances.  If
I saw such a file in a directory, I would be able to access it
eventually, but the process would probably take at least half an
hour. You're unlikely to encounter anyone who can get at the file.

SHAREWARE NOTICE
----------------

LOCKOUT is a shareware program.  If you use it regularly for computer
security, you should become a registered user.  The registration fee
for LOCKOUT is only $15, which is a very low-cost way to secure your
data.  You are welcome to try the program out, but please register if
you install it permanently on your system.

Registration entitles you to use the program on one computer.  Each
computer using LOCKOUT should have its own registered copy.

You may give this program to others for trial purposes, but be
careful not to give it to those who might use it to break into your
system.

Operators of BBS systems may distribute the program on-line, but only
as an archived file containing LOCKOUT.EXE, SETUP.EXE, and
LOCKOUT.DOC.

Distributors of shareware software are welcome to include LOCKOUT in
their catalogs, as long as all three files are included and no more
than $10 is charged for a disk containing the program.

FINALLY....if you become a registered user by paying the $15
registration fee, I will send you a new version of the program which
encrypts your password as it is stored in the secret file.  This
feature of the registered version adds even more security.

I will also add the service for registered users ONLY which will
allow a phone call to me in the case of a lost password.

Send registration fees to:

George Campbell
1472 Sixth St.
Los Osos, CA  93402

The latest version of LOCKOUT, along with other shareware programs by
George Campbell, is available on the SLO BYTES BBS.  You may call it
at [phone].  Use 300-2400 baud with 8-bits, No parity, and 1
stop bit.

Thanks for your support.