
                            File Encryption

                   Monday,  30  May, 1994 - 04:24 PM
                           Memorial Day 1994


    ķ
                              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.             
    ͼ

      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.

      ͻ
        You can't decrypt an encrypted program unless you have the   
        password                                                     
                                                                     
      ͼ

      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
     
     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.
