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wanna write a Secret Disk program - [PIC inside ]

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bratok
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PostPosted: Fri Nov 01, 2002 4:23 pm    Post subject: wanna write a Secret Disk program - [PIC inside ] Reply with quote

Hi,
I'm looking foreward to create a program that could create scecret ( hidden & encrypted ) logical disks.
I've already make the interface, but still know too little of VB or Pascal to be able to perform this task on my own.



Here's how I suppose the program should work like:
To be truly secret, it should not be floating on the desctop, but instead could be hidden as one of the Windows accessories - calculator, for example. When the user runs this program a simple windows calculator appears, unless ne hols down a certain key combination ( Ctrl+Tab+Shift, for example ), then the program window opens.

By clicking on "NEW" the user can create a new secret disk. In the "disk location" he should set a file name where the date would be stored, unlike PGP's *.pgd this could be any file name with any ending. For example, if the user has lots of MP3s, he can camuflage the disk as one of them. In "key location" he should specify the place he wants the key to be stored ( on a USB Flash drive, for example ) and set a long enough passphrase in the passphrase window. He could also set a "forced passphrase" that he would enter in case someone forces him to do so - then the program would start throwing errors and erase the secret disk.

When the user opens a secret disk using "OPEN" the disk appears as another logical disk ( E: for example ) so he could open and save data from it. When he closes the program, the disk hides again.

I'm not very familiar with date encrypting, so a few links would be very appreshiates. As well as if someone wants to take part in this project, please let me know.



Thanx Idea
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Jason
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PostPosted: Fri Nov 01, 2002 6:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Nice Idea, and i would be interested to see how it turns out.

Do you want to hide the disks from windows? eg, a user opens my computer but cannot see the new disk or its information?

Another method of hiding file in 2000 systems is "file streams". you can put some files in the stream of others using a Reskit utility, i think it is called cp.exe or something. Pretty effective method which few people know about.

Could do the job your after?

if anyone knows more about this please post.

J
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ShaolinTiger
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PostPosted: Fri Nov 01, 2002 6:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'd consider using a file system that is non native to Windows OS's such as ext2 or ext3, then you just have to create the functionality to re-partition some unused space, format it ext2 then encrypt it, as it's not a FS that the OS can understand it won't be able to see it and even if someone runs PM and boot's into it they wont be able to read it as it's encrypted.
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b4rtm4n
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PostPosted: Fri Nov 01, 2002 7:00 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Or use a ramdisk and save state to an encrypted file on closing the disk?

You might want to think about how your encrypted/unencypted files would be handled by virtual memory. Not much point having a super secret stash if as soon as you decrypt it windows(or other) pages the unencrypted file or a copy of the pass key to swap. Laughing
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bratok
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PostPosted: Fri Nov 01, 2002 7:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I though that the content of the disk would be hidden as good as possible ( called something like "track15.mp3" in a catalog with MP3s or, for example, some "tetris.bat" in DOSGAMES catalog ), but when it is opened in this programm it appears as a logical disk ( like any other HDD, CD-ROM, etc. ) so it is seen in MyComputer and everywhere else, untill the program is closed and it hides again.

Thanks, I'll do some search on "file streams" & Reskit.

By the way, do you know wheather this could be acheaved in VB6 or Pascal? How hard could it possibly be to make a program like that?


Thanx
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bratok
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PostPosted: Fri Nov 01, 2002 7:07 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

ShaolinTiger, also very interesting though... gonna study on it.
b4rtm4n, guess the program should also disable the SWAP or atleast clear it when the program is exited...
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b4rtm4n
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PostPosted: Fri Nov 01, 2002 9:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I don't know if this is possible but encrypted ramdisk filesystem.

Bypasses the bulk of vm problems.

ST are you suggesting using a diff partition or something similar to the one of the "new 2 linux" distros which install as a file?
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ShaolinTiger
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PostPosted: Fri Nov 01, 2002 9:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Well from what I understand our friend wishes to create new partitions actual logical drives that the OS can't see and can only be accessed using a dummy program which enables the OS to view/read/write to the hidden and preferably encrypted file system.
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b4rtm4n
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PostPosted: Fri Nov 01, 2002 9:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I was reading it as creating an encypted file and then mounting that as a filesystem. eg PGP disks

My next thought was to suggest steganography as an option but that would eliminate the possiblity of mounting an fs.
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browolf
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PostPosted: Sat Nov 02, 2002 1:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

ShaolinTiger wrote:
Well from what I understand our friend wishes to create new partitions actual logical drives that the OS can't see and can only be accessed using a dummy program which enables the OS to view/read/write to the hidden and preferably encrypted file system.


that seems jolly complicated for someone who doesnt know vb too well.
it's like writing a custom version of partition magic. cant see VB being able to do that somehow.

on a more positive note i've had a quick scan of the net, these links might help u. knowing what to do, b4 knowing how to do it is the way forward i think:

accessing FAT32 partitions
http://www.experts-exchange.com/Programming/Programming_Languages/Cplusplus/Q_20304582.html

Hard Disk Partitioning
http://oakroadsystems.com/tech/hd-partn.htm

Turbo C port of pfdisk, an excellent disk partitioning tool, recognizes all types of partitions: dos, os/2, aix, mach, minix, amoeba, xenix, etc., very versatile, w/C source code.
http://www.filelibrary.com:8080/cgi-bin/freedownload/DOS/h/75/pfdisktc.zip

Partition Image is an utility to save partitions (ext2fs, reiserfs, fat16, fat32, hpfs, ntfs) into an image file.
http://sourceforge.net/projects/partimage

there isnt much stuff about partitioning in c++, it's too high level. maybe u need to use assembler instead.

(DOS based :O( ) utility with tons of information
like this called "helppc". Has (intel) assembler, bios calls and other
good stuff.
ftp://ftp.simtel.net/pub/simtelnet/msdos/info/helppc21.zip

Programming a boot-manager
http://www.mghansen.de/dosstuff/bootman.html

sourceforge is a good place to find sourcecode

Beeblebrox is a GUI partition/disk editor for Windows and Linux.
http://sourceforge.net/projects/beeblebrox/

Kddgz is aimed to be a KDE application to make(backup) and to restore hard disk partition images. It uses the Linux command-line utility "dd" and zlib
http://sourceforge.net/projects/kddgz/

Ara is aimed to allow batch data transformation tasks, including (but not limited to) (de)compressing data, storing/loading HDD [partition] data, providing data format conversions etc.
http://sourceforge.net/projects/ara/

there's tonnes more things if u search sourceforge for "partition"


sure you can't think of something easier?

~Andy
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b4rtm4n
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PostPosted: Sat Nov 02, 2002 6:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

If you go down Linux street then there is

http://www.kerneli.org/index.php

Kernel patches to allow encrypted filesystems.

Gonna look at this myself Smile
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