| |
Questions:
Just what is 'Songs of the Universe'?
What is so unique about Songs of the Universe?
How secure is Songs of the Universe?
How big are your encryption keys?
How many keys are in one key file?
Should I keep copies of my key files?
What happens if I lose my key files?
How can I recover a file if I have lost the key?
How do I encrypt a file on my hard drive?
What kinds of files can I encrypt?
How do I distribute key files?
Can I send encrypted messages to just anyone?
What is so different about Songs of the Universe?
Just what is 'Songs of the
Universe'?
Songs of the Universe is what is known as a 'private key' encryption
system. This means that both the sender and the receiver have a
copy of the same key, but no one else does. This is a highly secure
method of encryption, so long as you maintain control of the keys.
What is so unique about Songs of the Universe?
Songs of the Universe uses two methods of encryption. The first
is the password/pass phrase everybody is familiar with. These should
be as long and complex as possible and still be memorable. They
are usually used for long-term storage, usually for your own files
on your computer.
The second is known as a 'One-Time Pad Key Library'. The library
contains keys that are used during the encryption/decryption process
and then destroyed. These keys are usually used for exchanging email,
documents or other sensitive data files, and are used only once.
Songs of the Universe automatically assigns an unknown and complex
key to encrypt a message. No one, including you, knows this key.
It is destroyed immediately after the message is encrypted.
How secure is Songs of the Universe?
Songs of the Universe uses the latest encryption technology to assure
your privacy. Complex authentication algorithms, long and complex
keys and using keys only once assures that even if a totally obsessed
attacker were to spend the huge resources necessary to crack your
latest message, they would have to start all over again with the
next message. Cracking a single key does not compromise your privacy.
It is far easier to just to use bribery or extortion.
As an example of what it takes to crack a typical key, a group of
computer enthusiasts using a specially designed super computer and
assisted by 100,000 PCs was able to break the government's 56 bit
Data Encryption Standard (DES) code in 22 hours 15 minutes. The
DES is considered to be only a marginally protective system.
That was only a 56 bit key, or a 7 letter password. Adding one bit
to a key doubles the complexity, so we recommend using keys of 128
bits or longer for good security and more depending on your security
requirements.
How big are your encryption keys?
Key length is up to you. There is a minimum requirement of 64 bits.
These are used when privacy is important, but not really vital.
For instance if the message says 'Meet me at the place where we
first met in 10 minutes.' it probably won't matter if someone eventually
cracks the message, so you can use a shorter key.
On the other hand, if you are transmitting the war plans for invading
Iraq, you might want to consider something a little more secure.
The US Military uses up to 1344 bits, but you can use up to 2048.
128 bits is the norm for secure financial transactions across the
Internet as of this writing. Each bit of additional length doubles
the time it takes to crack a message.
How many keys are in each key file?
This will vary depending on the size of the files you purchase and
on how big you choose to make the keys. The smallest key file can
hold anywhere from as few as 250 keys to as many as 8,000. Using
128 bit keys, you could encrypt 20 messages every business day for
one year.
As an aside: Using a password or pass phrase does not count as a
key from your key library. Feel free to use as many of those as
you wish.
Should I keep copies of my key libraries?
You can, of course, but it is not well advised. As each key is used
from the library, it is destroyed. So unless a backup is made after
each encryption session, the backup may become outdated. This could
result in re-use of keys, which is a definite security no-no.
What happens if I lose my key library?
This would be the same as forgetting your password. But see the
next question for a possible solution.
Back To Top...
How can I recover a file if I have lost
the key?
If you use password or pass phrase to encrypt the file, you must
use the same one to decipher it. If you have forgotten the magic
words, you can't recover the file. The same is true of Songs of
the Universe encryption keys.
However, there is one way out. You have both an encrypting copy
of the key file and a decrypting copy. After you decrypt a file,
you are given the option to save the key so that you can decrypt
the same file more than once (You may want to keep the file in its
encrypted form on your disk). If you or one of your associates has
a copy of the same key file, then you can recover the file.
If you lost both copies of a random key from Songs of the Universe,
you definitely can't recover the file. The key is destroyed after
use, and the key is too long and random to allow cracking the message.
How do I encrypt a file on my hard drive?
The simplest way is to highlight the file (or multiple files if
you wish) in Windows Explorer and drag it over the Songs of the
Universe logo. Release the mouse button to drop the file and it
will be automatically encrypted. The original file is saved and
a new file with a '.cyp' extension is created.
What kinds of files can I encrypt?
You can encrypt any kind of file. This includes executables, images,
text and anything else you can think of.
How do I distribute key files?
The best and most secure way is to personally hand them to the recipient.
If this is not possible, there are a number of other options. You
may choose to use a certified secure courier, or send by secure
connection across your network, or even FedEx for that matter.
The secure connection method is actually more secure than it appears.
Use the secure connection to agree on a pass phrase to use to encrypt
the key Libraries. Make sure it is long and uses complex characters.
A sentence of some sort is good. Then encrypt the key files using
this key and send them across the secure connection. In this way,
they are doubly encrypted.
Can I send encrypted messages to just
anyone?
Yes, so long as the recipient has a Songs of the Universe decryptor
and a key Library from you. You may make as many copies of the decryptor
as you need, but each recipient should be given a different key
file.
Back to Top...
|
|
