![]() |
KGrok Database |
Home Menu Card Search Pref Query |
Databases may be encrypted to make them inaccessible to others who do not know the passphrase. Any database can be either encrypted or plaintext. Once encryption is enabled for a database, you must provide a passphrase every time it is loaded. Different databases may have different passphrases.
KGrok uses a 64-bit block cipher called Blowfish, invented by Bruce Schneier. To the best of my knowledge, it is currently unbroken, but please read the caveats for important security information!
Home |
When you have an encrypted database loaded, a little padlock icon appears in the main menu, above the listing, if the arrow in the menu bar points up.
Warning: if you forget the passphrase, you will be unable to load the data later. There is no way to recover a lost passphrase! Data being backed up will be encrypted with the same passphrase.
Home |
If you load an encrypted database, KGrok will prompt you for the passphrase. The padlock icon will appear after loading, and any changes will be saved in encrypted form too. Encryption is not an action that you perform, but a persistent property of the database.
If you switch to another database using the App pulldown, if available, and the new database is encrypted with the same passphrase, KGrok will not prompt again. KGrok will not forget your last passphrase until you quit KGrok. (this behavior can be changed in the Home
You can change the passphrase for the currently loaded database:
This procedure re-encrypts only the currently loaded application, not any other applications or backups performed earlier. When loading this application the next time, KGrok demands the new passphrase.
Home |
As explained below, the data is now stored on your PDA in plaintext. A determined attacker may be able to get access to it even if you later re-encrypt the data! It is best to never keep confidential data unencrypted on your PDA at any time.
Home |
Although the basic encryption algorithm (Blowfish) is secure, KGrok cannot guarantee that your data is really safe from determined crackers for several reasons:
In other words, KGrok is part of a larger system that was not designed for high-security applications, and KGrok itself may very well contain security flaws. It was never reviewed by cryptography professionals. Do not rely on KGrok's encryption to safeguard critical confidential information. The responsibility is entirely yours.
Home |