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To: zeugma

Still doesn't answer my question...how can these programs "handle" your passwords when they are as hackable as anything else?


48 posted on 06/23/2005 10:46:13 PM PDT by paulat
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To: paulat
They are only hackable in the sense that any file can be brute forced. A file encrypted with 3des and a good key is as good a safe as anything you can imagine. To date there are no known attacks against 3des, blowfish, or the current AES standard. From what I've seen of the academic attacks, AES may well fall to cryptonalysis within 10 years, at least I wouldn't be suprised as some current lines of attack look promising.

I could send you a copy of my password database and it wouldn't do you any good at all. Now, if someone were to hack my system and install a keylogger, they could capture my passphrase and my data, but that is something that you can do nothing about. Sure, you run a hardware firewall, and don't open unneccesary ports, and check for trojans and the like, but someone could come up with a zero-day exploit that allows them to root your box and you are toast no matter what you do.

The most important thing IMO is to backup as often as you can, and be as careful as is reasonable. Don't log in as root or a user with "administrator" privileges. And never ever use IE to browse the internet. Windows users have a lot more stuff they need to have a box be reasonably safe like an additional software firewall, virus scanners and stuff.

My advise, if you're concerned about safety and security is to use Linux or get a MAC. You can never be completely safe and secure, but nothing else is either, so why should computers be any different?

50 posted on 06/24/2005 8:42:57 AM PDT by zeugma (Democrats and muslims are varelse...)
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