New and emerging threats continually threaten the security of your computer's data and are plaguing companies of all shapes and sizes, be it identity theft, hackers breaching network security or data accessed on laptops that have either been stolen or lost. We all know from much-publicised press articles that critical data which falls into the wrong hands can destroy a company's reputation in a fraction of the time. With DESlock+, small companies and individuals can protect their data without having to worry about administration costs - simply plug the USB device into your computer, log-on, and then secure any files, including e-mails. The solution is affordable (for a few machines), uncomplicated and effective, and is definitely worth a look if your business runs Windows-only systems and you are not looking for a solution to lock-down a machine entirely.

Pros: Easy to use; encrypts files and e-mails; supports admin rights
Cons: Can't lock down entire systems; could get expensive


DESlock+ 3.00 is a hardware and software solution that lets you keep your data safe from prying eyes. Easy to use and transparent in its operations, the product allows you to encrypt e-mails, files, folders and other information on a single Windows 2000/XP computer or server. As well as supporting AES, Triple DES and Blowfish algorithms, it also comes with plug-in support for Microsoft's Outlook (version 98 or later) and Lotus Notes, although other e-mail clients and applications are supported. Where previous versions have required a DESkey USB Token to operate, DESlock+ 3.00 now supports a software Key-File as a low-cost alternative (from £25 ex. VAT, per user).

The package contains two identical 2KB DESkeys, one of which is intended to be the user DESkey for everyday use and the other to be used as a backup, which should be kept safe as a means to backup encryption keys. The provision of a backup key helps to safeguard access to encrypted data, should the user key ever be lost of damaged. Additional DESkeys can be purchased for £40 each if you intend to use the product within a workgroup environment.

The supplied software provides utilities that allow you to manage encrypted keys (generate and transfer keys), access secure memory within the DESkey (useful for making text notes), and install Outlook/Lotus Notes e-mail client plug-ins. The RSA algorithm is used within the DESkey itself to encrypt and decrypt key data, and by using hardware-based public key cryptography, encryption key data is well protected during transmission between users over insecure channels (such as the Internet). Once a DESkey is configured, its permissions are the same on each PC, and unique key propagation controls make it possible to control the range and scope of key sharing within workgroups.

Before a DESkey can be used, it has to be configured (username, password and encryption type). There are two basic configuration methods for single and multiple users. Basically, the single-user setup process allows an individual to take control of their own DESkey, whereas the corporate setup is intended to be run by an administrator who can pre-set various options within the DESkey and can specify the access level of the final user.

There's also a number of advanced setup options. For instance, you can enter the allowed number of user and master password retries and resulting action. So, if the password is entered incorrectly a certain number of times, the DESkey can either erase the key space, enter a time loop algorithm or lock out the user entirely. Incidentally, a locked DESkey can only be unlocked using the correct Master password - not the user password.

You can also set DESkey functionality, limited based upon the password entered, such as the ability to change a user password. Once configured, options are saved to the DESkey, along with the generation of an RSA private and public key pair. Details are also stored in the software's database.

Using the DESkey to encrypt and share files is a snap. In a world where all too often a simple task can easily become frustratingly complex, it is refreshing to find something where the opposite is true. Simply drag and drop a file into a DESlock+ encrypted folder and it becomes encrypted; drag a file out, and it is decrypted; and log-out of DESlock+ for the whole folder to disappear from the computer. Alternatively, you can just encrypt individual files. Best of all, you can create, open, edit and save files directly into an encrypted folder from any application, including Internet Explorer.

You can also protect a local cached copy of a non-encrypted file in a similar manner to the standard Windows offline folder support. This may be useful where network resources are required to be taken off site and the offline copy must remain the same. However, it's worth noting that you can't encrypt system files or other files that would prevent a system from booting.

In addition to encrypting files and folders, DESlock+ can be used to secure incoming and outgoing Outlook (not Outlook Express) and Lotus Notes e-mails and attachments. If you don't use either of these mail clients, e-mail messages and attachments can still be manually encrypted. When installed, DESlock+ ass a new item to the client's menu bar. In addition to the changes to the main client window, each e-mail message window has more toolbar icons and new menu options.

While the set of options depends on whether you are the sender or receiver of an e-mail, you can encrypt and send messages and attachments (each can have a separate key), decrypt and read messages and attachments, as well as force a recipient to use the DESlock+ Message Viewer rather than allow the e-mail to be decrypted in place. DESlock+ provides the type of security demanded by today's risks. It's also really easy to use, flexible, and affordable for a small number of computers.

BIOS, Mar 18, 05 | Print | Send | Comments (0) | Posted In Security