HELP file for The Confidant(tm) - Copyright (C) 1983 by Data Sage



                     The Confidant - General Background

Purpose of The Confidant:
 * ENcryption preserves the confidentiality and integrity of data by
   putting it into a coded form.
 * DEcryption restores the data to its original form so it can be used.

How The Confidant works:
 * The Confidant uses the Data Encryption Standard (DES) algorithm, a 
   U.S. Government standard.  You give a PASSWORD that The Confidant
   combines mathematically with the data for extremely high security.
 * The Confidant also provides a "privacy" code for faster encoding.

How to use The Confidant:
 * Fill in the boxes on the screen.  Move between the boxes with the
   cursor arrows and other movement keys on the keyboard.
 * Type over default entries with file or device names to select new ones.
 * To get the original data back, give the PASSWORD used to encrypt it.
 * Press F1 to begin DES Encipher,   F2 to begin DES Decipher.  
 * Press F3 for both Encryption and Decryption in the "Privacy" code.



    The Confidant -  DES Encipher, DES Decipher, Privacy, and Copy  
                               
Data Encryption Standard Algorithm (DES)
 * The DES was originally developed by IBM Corporation and is now a U.S.
   Government Standard for encryption.
 * It provides a very high level of security.  It is unlikely that even
   a trained cryptologist could break the code.
 * Press F1 to Encipher a SOURCE file.  Press F2 to Decipher one.
                                                                      
Privacy Algorithm
 * The "privacy" code is faster than the DES, but not as secure.  A
   trained cryptologist could probably break it in a few hours.  But
   most people will not be able to do so.
 * Use the "privacy" code for quick protection of private, but not
   necessarily critical, data.
*  Pressing F3 will ENcrypt plain text but DEcrypt encoded data.
                                                              
Copying
 * Pressing F4 will copy the SOURCE file to the DESTINATION.

                       The Confidant - SOURCE File

What the SOURCE is:
 * The data to be encrypted (or decrypted) comes from the SOURCE.
   The SOURCE either already exists as a file on one of your storage 
   devices, such as a diskette, or may be input interactively from the 
   CONSOLE using the keyboard.                                   

Default:
 * The CONSOLE is the default input device.  This name appears in the
   SOURCE file box when you invoke The Confidant.  To change it, type
   over the word CONSOLE with another input device name or filename.
   (Example:  B:PLAN.TXT)
 
If the SOURCE is the CONSOLE:
 * After you have entered the text to be encrypted, press F10 to quit
   and return to the main menu.                                 
 * You can edit a line of text, as long as you are still on that line,
   by using the cursor keys to move backward or forward and then 
   retyping.  After you leave a line, you can no longer edit it.
                                      


                     The Confidant - DESTINATION file

What the DESTINATION is:
 * The place you want to put your encrypted (or decrypted) data is the
   DESTINATION.  The DESTINATION may be a file on one of your storage 
   devices, such as a diskette, or may be the PRINTER, the screen of 
   your CONSOLE, or the auxiliary SERIAL port.

Default:
 * The CONSOLE is the default output device.  This name appears in the
   DESTINATION file box when you invoke The Confidant.  To change it, type 
   over the word CONSOLE with another output device name or file name.
   (Examples:  B:PLAN.CPT,  PRINTER)
 
If the DESTINATION is the PRINTER:
 * Use the device name PRINTER for parallel, SERIAL for serial printers.
 * Before using the SERIAL port (COM1:) as either SOURCE or DESTINATION,
   you should use the DOS MODE command or in some other way set up the
   port to match the requirements of the attached device.       
                                                                       
   


                    The Confidant - PASSWORD and Hide

What is the PASSWORD:
 * The PASSWORD provides a set of characters for The Confidant to combine
   mathematically with the data in the SOURCE.  Each PASSWORD causes a
   different combination, and only that PASSWORD can be used to decrypt
   data that was encrypted with it.

How do you make a PASSWORD:
 * Any combination of characters (letters, numbers, symbols, control 
   characters) that can be entered from the keyboard may be used to
   make a PASSWORD.  Cursor keys and F1 - F10 CANNOT be used.
 * The PASSWORD may be from one to sixteen characters long.  Sixteen 
   characters are recommended because the longer the PASSWORD, the
   more secure the data.

Precautions:
 * To protect the PASSWORD, press F6 to HIDE it.  If you want to check
   for typographical errors, you can press F6 again to reveal it.        
 * Remember your PASSWORD.  If you forget it, you have lost your data.
                         




            


           The Confidant - Directory, Erase SOURCE, and Flip
                                                                      
Directory
 * Press F7 to get a list of files that match a description you type
   into the SOURCE field of the main menu. 
 * If you leave the word CONSOLE in the SOURCE field, or fill the field
   with blanks, you will get a list of all files in the current directory
   of your logged diskette drive.  
                                                       
Erase SOURCE
 * Press F8 to erase all files that match a description you type into
   the SOURCE field of the main menu.
                                                   
Descriptions of Files
 * A file description is the name of a file, using DOS conventions.
 * The "wildcard" characters "?" and "*" can be used to make ambiguous
   file descriptions.  

Flip
 * Press F5 to "flip" or exchange the SOURCE and DESTINATION descriptions.



                                                            


                      The Confidant - An Example

     Suppose you want to enter some text from the keyboard and save it,
in encrypted form, in a file called A:SPECIAL.CRY.  Then you want to look
at it, just to make sure it is okay.  Here is how to do it:

     * You want to enter from the CONSOLE, so leave the SOURCE field as is.
Press the <RETURN> key.  The cursor will move to the DESTINATION field.

     * Type in the name of the file where the encrypted text is to be
saved: A:SPECIAL.CRY.  Then press the <RETURN> key.  The cursor will move
to the PASSWORD field.

     * Make up a PASSWORD, and type it in.  Then press the F1 function key
to begin encryption.  A form for entering text will appear on the screen.

     * Type in the text you want encrypted, pressing the <RETURN> key at
the end of each line.  When finished, press the F10 key twice.

     * To see the encrypted text, press F5 to "flip" DESTINATION and
SOURCE.  Then press F4 (copy).  To see a decrypted version, press F2.
                                                                        
                                                          

