File Encryption Monday, 30 May, 1994 - 04:24 PM Memorial Day 1994 旼컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴캠 � ATTENTION: � � � � This text file ENCRYPT.TXT, contains the same information as in � � ENCRYPT4.DOT, a WinWord template. If you have WinWord 2.0x, OPEN � � ENCRYPT4.DOT, read it and execute the built-in macros and commands � � contained therein. � � � � ENCRYPT4.TXT is provided an the explanation text for those who do � � NOT have WinWord installed as a Word processor in Windows 3.1. � � � � Please DISREGARD all references to executing macros from this � � text, you can't; you can run either ENCRYPT.EXE or ENCRYPT4.EXE � � from Windows 3.1 by using the appropriate RUN command. � 突袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴暠 This file set includes two (2) executable files: 1. ENCRYPT.EXE a DOS File encryption program and 2. ENCRYPT4.EXE a Visual BASIC for Windows File encryption program with their supporting WinWord macros. The Windows program (ENCRYPT4.EXE) and can be run inside WinWord using the RunEncrypt macro. ENCRYPT4.EXE can also be run as a program from Windows 3.1 or from DOS (sic) on a computer that has Windows 3.1 installed on it. The DOS file encryption program is named ENCRYPT.EXE, obviously can run from DOS or Windows 3.1; and can be run inside WinWord by using the Runner2 macro. Wrote the original file encryption program (ENCRYPT.EXE) in QuickBASIC earlier this year as an exercise in learning the programming command "XOR." Became intrigued by the fact that this one small programming command (Xor or eXclusive Or) was the underpinning of almost all file encryption programming. With ENCRYPT.EXE, you can encrypt "any" file of any kind and size rendering its'contents useless to scrutiny by "anybody." Those are grand and sweeping statements so I have placed "any" and "anybody" in quotes just in case somebody proves me wrong. After you have thus cloaked your file, by running the program a second time using the same password, you can decrypt (un-encrypt or reverse the encryption) your file to exactly what it was before. I found that to be amazing but true.... Tried to find a better (smarter, faster, smaller, etc...) file encryption program than the very simple one that I made. It was an interesting journey into the hyperspace of CompuServe's Forums and libraries. Looked at megabytes of files and programs but found very few file encryption programs. Went outside of CompuServe to some very large BBS's, including two programmer's BBS's, found nothing on decryption. Learned a lot about what was NOT available. I'm sure you've heard the debate about the file and E-Mail encryption "hot" topic that is going on in modern day America. The National Security Agency, an arm of the Department of Defense, is trying to stuff the "Skipjack" code into a "Clipper" chip and put that chip into everyone's telephone. That way they would be the only ones to encrypt electronic messages. Apparently the US Government is the only place you can get industrial strength decryption software. My search for any decryption programs was totally unsuccessful. Which means, these file encryption programs of mine can NOT be unscrambled unless you have an intimate friend in the FBI willing to commit their super-computer to decrypting your spreadsheet or the confidential letter to your boss. ENCRYPT4.EXE the Visual BASIC (Version 2.0) for Windows program, culminates more than a year of head scratching and book reading about "Event Driven, Object Oriented" programming for me. I won't bore you with the details even though I would like to... but will tell you, nay, bet you that you can't find an easier to use and simpler file encryption program than the DOS program ENCRYPT.EXE and this Windows version ENCRYPT4.EXE. Now I didn't say more complicated, more secure, and more confusing as I found several of those. But found no simpler and easier file encryption program. Possibly because the file encryption programs that I found seem to be written by (and the province of) "C" programmers. These guys write terse code, and seem to think that "everyone" understands complicated DOS and batch file commands. If I am incorrect, and you have a simpler file encryption program, please let me have it. Was astonished to find that there were NO file decryption programs that would take an encrypted file, run a gazillion sets of passwords and keys and successfully unscramble an encrypted file. Don't get confused, the programs in this file set will encrypt and decrypt their own files; what I was looking for was a general program that would decrypt any encrypted file. Again, if you've got one of those exotic creatures, let me have it. Especially if it is a file decryption program that is written in QuickBASIC or any other form of BASIC. Both of these programs use the same method of encryption and decryption. That means if you use the same password with either program you can encrypt or decrypt that file. You can use these file encryption programs on any computer that uses DOS or Windows. Put ENCRYPT.EXE and ENCRYPT4.EXE on a diskette, encrypt files on that diskette and decrypt them on any DOS or Windows based computer. If you use a computer with Windows installed on it, (which is not running Windows at the time) you can RUN the Windows program (ENCRYPT4.EXE) FROM DOS just by typing its name on the DOS command line! Yes you can, ENCRYPT4.EXE will start Windows and then RUN itself! Oh almost forgot, ENCRYPT4.EXE is a Visual BASIC for Windows program that must have the file VBRUN200.DLL in your C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM directory in order for it to work. If you've run any Visual BASIC for Windows programs before, you know that they need this type of "Dynamic Link Library" to run. No, I didn't include VBRUN200.DLL in this file set as it is on the MSWORD Forum as a separate file of some two-hundred (200) compressed Kilobytes. If I did include VBRUN200.DLL the Sysops would have asked me to remov e it. The RunEncrypt macro in this template will try to run ENCRYPT4.EXE. RunEncrypt is a pretty smart macro, but you should help it by putting ENCRYPT4.EXE in your C:\WINWORD (or whatever you have named that directory) directory. Having spent a lot of time looking over the shoulders of many folk trying to learn how to use any program I have come to the momentous conclusion that the simpler the program, the better. If you consider yourself a "PUer" (aka Power User) you may not like ENCRYPT4.EXE as it is very simple and limited in scope. You may wish for more buttons, bows, bells, and whistles. Use it for a while, you may come around to my point of view. Or use ENCRYPT.EXE, its DOS counterpart. With ENCRYPT.EXE you have to do more typing, and it will NOT let you over-write any file that has the same name. Read the text piece ENCRYPT.TXT that describes how to use the DOS program ENCRYPT.EXE. BE WARNED Once you encrypt a file, NO ONE can decrypt it without the correct password. I know, I know, there are all of these young men whose fingers fly across the keyboard and log onto pirate bulletin boards. They brag about making computer viruses and boast they can do "anything" with "code." Great, give them a copy of this program. Tell those beaded-eyed little hackers that this is a "throw the gauntlet down" challenge. That, go ahead, make my day, decrypt files made with these programs if they can. I know that there are guys out there that can "reverse engineer" a program if they have the executable code. But not only does the executable file ENCRYPT.EXE encrypt files, but it itself is encrypted! Don't hold your breath waiting for one of your little programmer friends to get back to you. If you forget your Case Sensitive password, pal you are out of luck. "No one" can recover that file. Caveat Lector, Caveat Emptor, and please be careful. Please don't call me up and ask me to help you, I can't. �袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴敲 � You can't decrypt an encrypted program unless you have the � � password � � � 훤袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴� Having said that and made you uneasy, let me add that ENCRYPT4.EXE will only store encrypted files with the extension *.ENC, which means you can't overwrite a *.DOC file. ENCRYPT4.EXE will only decrypt a file to the extension *.UNE for the same reason. Safety first, safety first.... Ok, if you have copied: 1. ENCRYPT4.EXE to your WinWord directory (usually C:\WINWORD) and... 2. VBRUN200.DLL to your C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM directory then... let's try to run ENCRYPT4.EXE. Click the red "OK" button. {macrobutton RunEncrypt } If you liked ENCRYPT4.EXE and want to copy the RunEncrypt macro into your NORMAL.DOT, click on the "Copy" button below. {macrobutton macrocopy1 } I uploaded ENCRYPT.EXE (in the file set SECRET.EXE) to the CompuServe MSWORD Forum about a month ago. Since this is an "upgrade" to that file set, the original file set is contained in this file set as SECRET2.EXE.FootNote#1 That means you have to expand (RUN) SECRET2.EXE to get to ENCRYPT.EXE and all the other files in that DOS file set (ain't this complicated???). Again, by using the Runner2 macro in this macro set you can also run the DOS version ENCRYPT.EXE inside WinWord. Please read the text file ENCRYPT.TXT. It contains a lot more information about "Case Sensitive" passwords, and some other data on file encryption. Yours for Secret Agent stuff, John De Palma on CompuServe 76076,571 FootNote#1 컴컴컴컴컴컴컴 CompuServe will only allow you to UPLOAD a file with a maximum of a six (6) character file name (plus it's extension). Since the original file name was SECRET.EXE, and I wanted to upload this as an "update" to that file set, I have to use the same name, SECRET.EXE. So I RENAMED the original file set containing the DOS program set to SECRET2.EXE and included it in the "new" SECRET.EXE. DOS allows you to use eight (8) character length names. So knowing what is the most recent file set of any program is NOT confusing for me; the "TrueName" of this archived set (drum roll please) is SECRET4.EXE.