SafeData, for Amiga

SafeData for Amiga.
It uses XPK encryption libraries to save protect data.

Current version is SafeData v0.6.

WARNING: This document is very techy and brief. If you are not familiar with terms like xpkmaster.library, IDEA, encyption, configuration scripts etc. you better look somewhere else.

ATTENTION: This software is beta. It has not been tested under all conditions. Generally I do not release softwares when I am not sure that they work without causing problems for the user.

Use this software at your own risk.

I am releasing SafeData as it is to get some feedbacks from you. Please read the "FUTURE" part of this document for additional information.

Do you value your privacy?

Back in 1992 I needed to protect a few of my private data files from some curious eyes. Soon I found that I could keep the encrypted copies of these files in my harddrive and use the decrypted versions of them through a recoverable ram disk when I needed to access them.

The apparent advantage of this method was that the decrypted versions of the files disappeared as soon as I turned off my computer. To automate the process of decrypting these files to the recoverable ram drive and encrypting them back to the harddrive, I wrote the first version of SafeData.

SafeData is an AmigaDOS program that uses XPK share libraries to read an encrypted configuration script and execute it.

Here comes the summary of the available options in this version:

Usage: SafeData ?/S,ConfigurationFile/M

?, lists the possible arguments and program's version information

ConfigurationFile, multiple numbers of configuration scripts.
If this argument is omitted, SafeData will try to load its default configuration file, S:private-startup.
SafeData is able to read encrypted configuration scripts, thus you can and are advised to encrypt even these files.

A few switches and commands allow you to communicate with SafeData via its configuration scripts. You can use multiple numbers of switches and commands in a single configuration file.

Any line that begins with a colon (;) is considered a comment line and will be left alone. Blank lines will also be ignored.
The configuration file must be in pure ASCII format.

Summary of available switches:

ProcessIndicator  Yes/No              (Default is Yes)
ShowFileName      Yes/No              (Default is Yes)
ReAskPassword     Yes/No              (Default is No)
OverWrite         Yes/No              (Default is Yes)

Summary of available commands:
Encrypter "4 characters word" (Default is IDEA)

Execute           "CMD"               (AmigaDOS executable file/script
                                       to execute)
Echo              "String"            (String to display)

Encrypt FROM TO
Encrypt encrypts the file specified with the FROM argument to the file specified by the TO argument.
Code, Update and Pack are aliases for the Encrypt command.

Decrypt FROM TO
Decrypt decrypts the file specified with the FROM argument to the file specified by the TO argument.
DeCode, Restore and Unpack are aliases for the Decrypt command.

Included in the SafeData's archive is the file private-startip which is a simple configuration script for SafeData. private-startup will hopefully answers most of your questions about how you can write your own configuration files for the program.

Have a look at the local copy of it.

FUTURE: I am releasing this program to the public with hope that some users will find it useful.

I have been thinking of rewriting SafeData to include a GUI and be able to automagically decrypt files that it encrypts through AmigaOS file notification mechanism.
Now these additions should make SafeData a real killer program.

If more than 15 users ask me for the above improvements, the next version of SafeData won't be that far ;)

Download latest version of SafeData, v0.6 (11 KB) here.

Follow the development history of DeskTopToilet:

961201 - version 0.6
First version released to the public 8^).
This version was finished 4 years ago (19920824) but I did not manage to write a readme file for it until now. ;)

All program names mentioned in this document are either Copyright or Trademark of their respective owner(s).

SafeData is freely distributable.
Use it at your own risk.
Unlimited non-commercial use and distribution is encouraged.