BIOS: Technology Means Business

Steganos' Security Suite 6.0 is a good value package for individuals and small businesses looking for a single, easy-to-use solution for securing files on a hard disk, removable drive or those sent via e-mail. Each of the seven applications deliver exactly what they promise, but aren't the most powerful tools on the market. For example, there's no support for digital signatures and the software doesn't comply with any European legislation regulations, such as UK Data Protection Act, 1998, or EU Directive 95/46/EC (prevents unauthorised use or modification of personal data), so it can't really be used as a value-added service to your customers to assure them that you're taking care of their personal information. Still, it's an effective solution for quickly securing and eliminating unwanted data on your hard disk.

Pros: Good value; effective tools; easy to use
Cons: No support for digital signatures; few updates to version 5.06

Targeted at consumers and small businesses, Steganos' Security Suite is an easy-to-use and relatively comprehensive security package that allows you to encrypt files and e-mails, as well as remove traces of Internet and application activity from your hard disks. A single-box solution for protecting information stored on Windows 9X, ME, NT 4.0, 2000 and XP systems, Security Suite 6.0 comprises a number of applications that are presented from a single interface to make securing and transferring files an intuitive process. The suite contains seven key applications as well as a number of user-definable settings, such as password management, for additional security.

Version 6.0 of the software includes updates to most of the core utilities found in version 5.06, which we gave an Editors' Choice award. For example, Steganos Safe - a utility that lets you create up to four encrypted drives in order to store sensitive data - can now encrypt and store up to 128GB of data, opposed to just 1.2GB in the previous version. Internet Trace Destructor 6.5 now destroys 97 different traces of your PC and Internet activities, including those from Kazaa, Acrobat Reader and Mozilla. It can also be set to automatically remove traces following an Internet session and eliminate fictitious messages that appear in pop-up windows.

Steganos Safe lets you create up to four encrypted drives where you can store sensitive data. Each encrypted drive can be configured independently, once set up. You also get the option to set the amount of space available to the new drive (128GB maximum per drive), which is also determined by the amount of free space on your hard disk. You can then assign a different password to each drive. The same password can be assigned to each drive, should you want to minimise confusion. Once you've typed in a potential password, Steganos Safe provides written feedback on your chosen password detailing how safe it is. Encrypted drives are also assigned individual drive letters and can be set to appear in Windows Explorer once opened. Once a secure drive has been set up it acts in the same way as a regular hard disk, allowing you to drag-and-drop files or save content directly from the Internet.

Portable Safe, a utility introduced with version 5.06, lets you store your sensitive data securely on external media, such as a CD or DVD disc. This is done by creating an encrypted, portable secure drive. Each encrypted Portable Safe drive also contains the data decryption software you need to decrypt a file, so all you have to do is enter the correct password to access the file. This allows you to read your encrypted data files on other systems that do not have Security Suite 6.0 installed, such as a second PC or laptop. It's worth noting that Portable Safe drives created in Windows NT 4.0 cannot be read on any other systems that aren't running Windows NT 4.0.

Businesses will appreciate the way the software lets you encrypt and send e-mails in one of two ways: using the File Manager for files and folders or using data stored in a secure drive. The easiest way is to open the E-mail Encryption application and select 'Send encrypted'. This lets you create a password-encrypted self-executable (.exe) file, which can be opened by recipients regardless of whether or not they have Security Suite 6.0 installed on their PC. Steganos also adds decryption instructions to the bottom of the e-mail. This is a secure method of transferring e-mails securely, but the recipient has to know your e-mail password in advance. They also have to run an executable file, which isn't a particularly favoured approach considering the high level of viruses entering businesses. It's a shame the software doesn't integrate directly (via menus) with any e-mail clients.

File Manager lets you encrypt, password protect and hide individual files and folders (not entire directory trees) if you don't need the space requirements provided by the Steganos Safe application. One of File Manager's key features is its use of steganography technology (the art and science of hiding information), which encrypts information in an image or audio file so you can send sensitive data over the Internet undetected. This is an excellent tool that lets you hide a file in an image or audio file which can only be opened using Steganos File Manager. In fact, snoopers or e-mail interceptors won't even know there's a data file because it isn't visible unless you have Security Suite 5.06 or later installed on your system. Even then you need a password to access the file. Encrypted files are saved as SEF files and can be stored or e-mailed using the Outlook plug-in. SEF files do not contain self-executable files, so have to be opened using the Steganos File Manager application.

Internet Trace Destructor 6.5 removes traces left on your PC after using the Internet. For example, it deletes recently used documents, recently searched files, recently used applications, cookies, history and cache files (Internet Explorer, AOL, Office, Kazaa, Opera, Mozilla, ICQ and more). Windows XP users can also use the XP Privacy tool to ensure that there is no unwanted transfer of data to Microsoft, such as deactivating Windows Media Player data transfers, deactivating error reporting and deactivating time synchronisation, amongst other settings.

A new function of the existing Shredder utility, the Free Space Shredder, helps you to clean your hard disk by removing any remnants of data that were previously deleted by other means. The Shredder now lets you employ the 'Gutmann Method', which overwrites unwanted data 35 times. Unfortunately, this process is very slow and can take hours depending on the size of your hard disk.

Data can be also be encrypted on a portable media device such as a CD or DVD, and you can protect all personal passwords and PINs in an encrypted file, which can be accessed by recalling just one password. There's also a new Automatic Crash Protection feature, which helps to ensure that all data is encrypted during a system breakdown.

Links:
Security Suite 6.0 Web site