BIOS: Technology Means Business

Your privacy is constantly in danger. Whether you share your computer or are using a laptop, whether you have confidential data on your hard disk drive or you are using a USB stick to transport data, or whether your PC is being repaired or to be sold and you would like to clean up your hard disk drive. Unlike ‘traditional’ security suites which focus on anti-virus and firewall, Steganos Security Suite is a privacy tool designed to protect your data from thieves and snoopers, both online and offline.

The latest generation of Steganos’ encryption suite provides a full range of privacy protection tools accessible through a single, easy-to-use interface. The new version of the software also introduces a number of usability and security enhancements and is compatible with the Windows Vista operating system, as well as with older versions of Windows. Steganos Security Suite 2007 (£34.95 ex. VAT) combines nine powerful tools to protect your privacy. Similar to all Steganos products, Security Suite 2007 uses the 256-bit AES encryption algorithm, which has so far never been cracked. It also sports some very impressive new features.

Of these is the increase in the size of each encrypted safe to 256GB, Outlook e-mails, contacts, calendar entries and tasks can now be encrypted, and PicPass now allows you to use a sequence of pictures instead of letters and numbers as a password. An iPod can now be used to store encrypted data in a portable safe or to store a key for unlocking safes stored on the computer, and you can open and close encrypted safes with hotkey combinations. Passwords can be saved on a Pocket PC with the password list synchronised with your PC, links to image files can be stored in password-protected browser favourites, automatic password entry is now available in Firefox, and complete folders can now be sent in self-decrypting e-mails.

Steganos Security Suite 2007 includes Steganos Safe 2007 (available separately for £24.95 ex. VAT), which enables any number of encrypted safes to be created, each storing up to 256GB. Large volumes of data can be quickly encrypted, including entire film archives, photo albums, multimedia data, diaries, business documents, and tax returns. Thankfully, safes created using previous versions of the software can be opened using this latest release. Another neat touch is the interface enhancements, allowing you to colour-code safes and sort them by colour, size, creation date or name. Safes can be opened quickly using a hotkey combination from within any application.

This latest version of Steganos Safe introduces support for Microsoft’s Outlook, helping to ensure the privacy of e-mails, calendar entries, notes and contacts. Numerous PST files (which contain all your Outlook data, including the archive) can be locked in a safe. Self-decrypting Portable Safes can be created and stored onto CDs, DVDs, storage cards, USB keys and DVD-DL media. These safes can be opened on computers that do not have Steganos software installed, provided that the correct password is entered. New files can also be added to safes on rewriteable media (such as USB sticks) from these machines. When the storage media is removed, the data is automatically encrypted. In this generation of the software, an iPod can be used for the first time to store a Portable Safe.

The encryption key can also be stored on an iPod (although you are advised that storage keys and encrypted data should not be stored together). The key can also be stored on digital cameras, USB keys, and ActiveSync-compatible mobile phones. When the devices are connected to the computer, the data is automatically unlocked. When the key device is removed, the data is once again encrypted.

Steganos Shredder is a particular favourite of ours. The utility destroys data irrevocably, enabling three methods to be used for destroying data: a simple overwriting, the U.S. Department of Defense DoD5220.22-M/NISPOM 8-306 method, or the Gutmann Method using 35 rounds of overwriting. Steganos Shredder can even remove remains of files that were previously deleted using traditional methods, offering piece of mind that even free disk space does not include any remains of data that could be reconstituted.

The integrated Steganos Internet Trace Destructor 2007 destroys traces and surfing and work activity. You can delete browsing history (including Firefox), AIM and other messenger traces, Google toolbar and desktop search traces, media lists from Windows Media Player, search queries on P2P networks and much more. The deletion can be automatic at the end of a surfing session and can even take place unobtrusively in the background. You can store your preferences for which traces you would like to be deleted and which you would like to remain.

Steganos Password Manager can automatically enter access credentials at password-protected Web sites, including Firefox. This release introduces the mobile password manager for Pocket PC, which enables PINs and passwords to be available at all times and protected using strong encryption. The password list can also be synchronised with your PC at any time. Additionally, the Password Manager File can be stored on a USB stick and used on several PCs on which Security Suite is installed (for users who own for example a PC and a laptop and want to use the Password manager on both).

Steganos PicPass is a new addition to the suite and enables a sequence of images to be used in place of a text and number password, a feature that is particularly useful for people with a strong visual memory. It can be combined with a traditional password. You are reminded that without the correct password or PicPass sequence there is no way to access the encrypted data. Sensitive data can also be encrypted and hidden in picture or sound files. The file manager enables individual files or whole folders to be encrypted. E-mails can also be easily encrypted and entire folders can now be e-mailed securely. The recipient does not need any additional software to decrypt the data: the e-mail decrypts itself and any attachments when the correct password is entered.

The last significant feature is Steganos AntiTheft. This useful utility can help you to recover stolen computers. When the program is first activated, your computer is assigned an ID and it begins to regularly send a signal to a Steganos server. If your laptop or desktop is stolen or lost, you can notify Steganos of the ID of the computer and can receive the details of the last 30 days of IP addresses used on that computer to access the Internet. This information can help the authorities to trace the computer’s location and current user.

Steganos Security Suite 2007 is a very comprehensive data protection suite, and it works really well. The downside is that there are a lot of similar (data erasers, password protectors and encryption) applications available as freeware and shareware. The obvious benefits of Steganos Security Suite 2007 is that you have all these useful features rolled into one intuitive package, backed up by Steganos’ support channels. If you handle home or small-business finances, or if you develop intellectual property worth stealing, then this thorough software is your ticket to peace of mind. [8.5]

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