Security Improvement

ozone_freeze · Unread post by **ozone_freeze** » Thu Jul 24, 2003 3:41 pm

I often wondering if help and manual would be able to upgrade their security to even more complicated and easy to set.

I would like to request for a better security for all format in help & manual.

This is how I wish that it would be.

Having a security options with some heavy settings to stop people from:

Highlightning the text, able to set a password text with a lot of password to key into, able to set expiry date, able to set time limit for each password to be retry, able to create my very own password logon screen that able to set at any dimension without limitation, able to hardware to login into application, able to lock help and manual for unauthorised user by adding a password lock onto the application and many others strong features.

I think there is not enough security for help and manual as you see most people who use it for personal use will intend to have a security on his/her manual with a much better security like 448 bits or even more.

Unread post by **Tim Green** » Thu Jul 24, 2003 5:42 pm

Erm...why do you want security settings on help documents at all? I mean, there's nothing to protect really -- all the content is there to read, and if you're using WinHelp or HTML Help the users can't change the documents anyway.

Or are you talking about user access to the H&M Program?

John Smith · Unread post by **John Smith** » Fri Jul 25, 2003 3:34 am

H&M could be protected by User login on the computer.

If its not H&M you are talking about, then you are probably using it for something other than Help files.

Also - H&M exports formats that are not proprietary to H&M, and therefore could be opened/decompiled, and edited by other applications. For example .CHM (HTML Help) could be decomplied by MS HTML Help Workshop.

Even if you could stop people from printing or highlighting text, you could never stop them from takig a screen capture of the text.

Regards
John

Fri Jul 25, 2003 9:25 am

Do you mean that Help & Manual (or the source files) should be protected or are you referring to the output files? If the latter, use either PDF or the MultiMedia help output format. Both have a password option and offer a fairly good protection. HTML Help, Winhelp and browser based help are standard formats that don't offer any protection mechanism.

ozone_freeze · Sat Jul 26, 2003 11:40 am

I would like to have a better restriction through all the format that Help & manual can compile with.

Maybe have a security that can reach up to 448bits of protection.

Since the Multimedia is able to add password to protect and with an additional protection with 'Copy protect viewer' which is normally least ineffective for a person who uses a a cd writer to burn his manual into disc.

Further more, there will be no harm by adding a function that is able to adjust restriction to prevent others from highlighting infromation then copy to another source for his own use from the multimedia or other format.

Unread post by **Tim Green** » Sat Jul 26, 2003 11:52 am

There is currently no way that H&M or any other program can stop users from copying from the "standard" systems like HTML Help, browser-based HTML and WinHelp. These standards are not defined by H&M but by Microsoft and the HTML standards committee. Making these changes would mean making changes in all the Windows installations and browsers in the world, which would be a little difficult for us.

In PDF you can already disable text copying and apply 128-bit encryption, which should be more than enough for any security needs. It would theoretically be possible to implement something like this in MM Help as well, but personally I really don't see why. If you are publishing the information why stop users from copying it for private use??? Improper public use is already protected by international copyright, so where is the problem?

If you really must stop people from copying text the most effective way would be to create the text in Word and then insert it in your topic as an OLE object. This will convert the text to a graphic image, which can only be copied as a graphic. However, you may find that this makes your users rather angry with you, because it prevents them from making use of the text in the documentation in legitimate ways.

BTW: There is no way at all to prevent people from copying graphics -- you can't stop them from creating screenshots.

John Smith · Unread post by **John Smith** » Mon Jul 28, 2003 1:59 am

or stop them capturing text as an image, and using OCR software to turn it back to text.

ozone_freeze · Unread post by **ozone_freeze** » Tue Oct 07, 2003 6:24 am

Would it be possible that Help & manual add a security password to prevent unauthorised people from entering all the projects........ you see its very easy for a person to enter into the projects u doing and sabotaging it and left u expecting it to happened.

John Smith · Unread post by **John Smith** » Wed Oct 08, 2003 2:12 am

Maybe, but -

I can see the help requests now to support - we need to change something in the help file and an employee that has since left locked the project with a password.

I would also think twice about working for a company where workmates sabotage the company help file project

Are you sure its not computer gremlins

All a bit strange - why not protect it by login to computer - Do you share the computer? if so here is some freeware that allows you to lock files - X-Defender 1.0.2
http://www.softnews.ro/public/cat/14/7/14-7-49.shtml

ozone_freeze · Unread post by **ozone_freeze** » Wed Oct 08, 2003 9:05 am

This one I not sure, I tried adding a login password and normally I put very long ones around 17 to 20 so that i ensure myself that no one would be able to figure the password out.But often I will forget the password to login, hence i gotta to give up all my data and backup the old manual that had not been updated for around 1 week and during the 1 week many datas are all updated in the manual so I will be like seraching for various ways to recover that new manual.

http://www.softnews.ro/public/cat/14/7/14-7-49.shtml

Cannot be downloaded, file error....

will you people be able to add new security features or maybe give me some other softwares that might help me to keep out of reach from authorised people

John Smith · Unread post by **John Smith** » Thu Oct 09, 2003 1:21 am

try this one Cryptainer LE 3.1.3

http://www.tucows.com/preview/261303.html

if problems do your own search for "Lock File"

ozone_freeze · Unread post by **ozone_freeze** » Tue Nov 18, 2003 9:54 am

Thanks for the download link.........

But just one more question !!

Will help and manual future version enables user to password their projects........??

dun say that it would be captured on some tools and other sources I mean just protect the project tools with a password security and only those with help and manual be able to open using the password they had set...... ??

Thanks you very much for your help
Ozone Freeze

David Griffith · Sat Nov 22, 2003 12:47 am

Ozone,

If all you want is to protect your project from unauthorized changes, you can do it from the operating system, provided that you are using any of NT 4.0, 2000 or XP. If you are on a network, make sure the directory where your source files are is not shared. If the problem is that other people are using your computer, you can lock it when you are not using it, requiring someone else to log in if they want to use it. Since they cannot log in as you, they will not have access to your source files.

If your operating system is Windows 95 or one of its descendents, you should upgrade to a one of the above systems anyway, for improved reliablity and security.

David

Andy · Unread post by **Andy** » Mon Sep 13, 2004 11:50 am

I think a password protection would be useful for example if you use H&M for your personal knowledgebase you allways carry on your usb-stick.
I would like to protect projects like that from unauthorized views.