Private File Top Benefits Powerful Encryption When you select files to encrypt, you are also asked to select a password. Private File takes this password and processes it through an industry standard algorithm called MD5. This process takes the original password and reduces it to a reasonably unique pattern of 16 bytes (128 bits). The encryption key is then taken from this pattern. The international version uses 5 bytes while the domestic version uses all 16. This encryption key is then used by the industry standard RC4 encryption algorithm to encrypt the data. The domestic version of Private File uses 128-bit encryption. The international version uses 40-bit encryption. Secure Deletion Private File securely deletes the original file if you set the preferences to do so. The deletion process is done in accordance with the U.S. Department of Defense standards. These standards consist of a three-pass deletion process. The first pass writes over the old data file using new data consisting of all bits set to zero. The second pass overwrites the file with data consisting of all bits set to one. The third pass is exactly like the first where the file is overwritten using data consisting of all bits set to zero. Once these passes are complete, Private File then directs the operating system to remove all references to the file from the disk. Cross-Platform Private File allows you to easily transfer files to and from the Mac OS and Windows 95/NT platforms. By intelligently handling and storing the appropriate information, decryption of files from either platform is a seamless process. Private File is equipped to handle issues that arise when transferring files cross-platform. For instance, different platforms use a variety of characters to specify the end of a line. Without changing any preferences or options, Private File will transparently handle the different end-of-line characters for the machine on which you are decrypting. Transmitting files that are usable cross-platform, such as pictures, sounds, and plain text files is just a step away. When you encrypt this information with Private File, you have no worries about the decryption on either platform. There is nothing you have to set up for a particular platform. On Windows 95 and Windows NT, all encrypted files generated by Private File are compressed before encryption, and MacBinary-encoded after encryption. MacBinary encoding allows files of the right type to be generated during transfer from Windows to the Mac OS. Compression Compressing data prior to encrypting can have significant benefits. Compression is the process by which a file is made smaller without losing any of its information. A compression program uses an algorithm, or method, for compressing the information in a file in a more efficient manner, thus taking up less disk space. Compression works by minimizing or eliminating redundancy and empty space. A file containing the characters "AAAABBBBBBB" typically would take up ten locations. However, this file could be compressed by one algorithm into "4A6B" and would take up only four locations. Private File utilizes compression to create a smaller file, thus the amount of hard disk spaced used by the encrypted file and the time needed to transmit the file are less than if the file was not compressed.
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