This is an awesome encryptor: It will really keep your precious files safe from any intruder, hacker or not.
Approximate Download Time:2 1/2 minutes
DataGuard(R) is a program that allows secure and rapid enciphering (coding) of files and directories. Data encrypted in this way can be sent using standard E-mail programs via public networks (e.g. the Internet) guaranteeing secure data transmission. The use of efficient, optimized algorithms reduces high performance losses in the system due to the encryption and decryption process, without endangering security.
Password Management
An outstanding quality of the program is the finely tuned access authorization of your choice via passwords. Various classes are formed out of different user groups that can consist of an indefinite number of members. In order to be able to decode a file, all members belonging to a group must enter their password. Each member can belong to various groups at the same time (using the same password). There is also the possibility that for example, any two members of a group, which may consist of eight users, can decode a file together (Four Eyes Principle).
The passwords can be entered on the keyboard or via data carrier (e.g. diskette). There is no need for the password on the diskette to be recognized as such, as any file can operate as a password such as a picture data file (e.g. scanned-in photograph), a sound data file (e.g. voice recording) or a text data file (e.g. letter).
Algorithms Used
As the algorithm IDEA(TM) has been developed in Switzerland, import and export are not restricted, as is the export of DES from America.
Professor Massey and Dr. X. Lai of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology ETH in Zurich developed the algorithm IDEA(TM). This algorithm is one of the most widely spread algorithms at the time and is being used for PGP (patent holder: Ascom AG). IDEA(TM) was awarded the ISO certificate (ISO/IEC 9979) and operates with a fixed key length of 128 bits.
The mentioned algorithms are all block ciphers, therefore, the data to be encoded is encrypted blocks of 64 bits.
The stream cipher SEAL(TM) encrypts every bit separately building 1-bit-blocks. Mr. P. Rogaway and Mr. D. Coppersmith developed this algorithm for IBM. The key length is 160 bits. This algorithm has also been optimized for 32 bit processors and is actually believed to be the fastest and safest software algorithm available on the market granting a very high performance during the encoding and decoding procedure. This proves wrong the argument that software encryption is considerably slower than hardware encryption.
The disadvantage of the stream cipher SEAL(TM) lies within the fact that contrary to block ciphers the stream cipher requires an initialization phase before starting the encoding or decoding procedure of a file. This is why the operation procedure, up to a certain computer-related performance amount of data of block ciphers (e.g. IDEA(TM)), is faster than SEAL(TM). Therefore, DataGuard(R) has been provided with a switch off optimization function that selects the best-suited algorithm for the actual encoding procedure. While decoding, DataGuard(R) will automatically recognize the utilized algorithm. According to clients' request, an indefinite number of other safe algorithms can easily be integrated into DataGuard(R).
Algorithm Type Encryption length Used for IDEA Block cipher 128 Bit Data encryption SEAL Stream cipher 160 Bit Data encryption
The current release of DataGuard(R) is version 1.3 and can be purchased either by contacting the company or electronically through our website at http://www.sls.ns.ca/dataguard/dataguard.html (file size: 540 K).
