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BitCrypt Frequently Asked Questions |
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1 Who are the authors of the program? Hagen Reddmann is a German scientist and software developer. He has done extensive work on implementation of cipher algorithms and provided them as freeware in the form of Delphi components. He has also undertaken comprehensive studies of code optimization techniques. This work is mainly written in assembler and has been published through the relevant discussion groups. His Delphi Encryption Compendium Part I-III contains a comprehensive collection of Hash and Cipher algorithm implementations. The modules written by him may be downloaded from the Borland Developer web site, as well as from numerous other Internet locations. He may be contacted at the following address: HaReddmann (at) AOL.COM Moshe Szweizer is a New Zealand software developer who began his scientific career in the field of Theoretical Physics. He studied toward Ph.D. in Theoretical Elementary Particle Physics at The Pennsylvania State University, and later on worked as commercial software developer for one of the New Zealand database developing companies. Currently, he teaches computers at one of Auckland's (New Zealand) schools. If you would like to write to me please send the letter to: moshe_szweizer (at) yahoo.com Note: People keep asking me about my studies at Penn State. My particulars are as follows:
2 Who are you - why should I trust you to implement effective encryption software? The authors of the program strive to implement
scientific approach to the topic of software development. This means
that the objective is not to produce a commercially successful
application but rather to solve all the theoretical and practical
problems associated with the particular problem resolution. In the
case of this application the problem tackled was to find a method of
secure information passing without making such communication
transparent to the third parties. The solution to the problem
required division of the implementation into two parts. The first
one, represents easily verifiable superior encryption techniques
implemented through open source coding. Such approach ensures that
the public is satisfied with the strength of implemented encryption.
The second part requires a close source coding, which is to ensure
the effectiveness of the 'hiding of information' part of the
process. Not only the encrypted text is hidden within the picture
images, but also the particular implementation of the hiding
technique is not made public. In this way the effective encryption
strength is multiplied. 3 What are the system requirements for this program? This is a very small application and should
work properly on any Windows computer. You need at least 200 MHz
processor, with 32 Mb or RAM. The installation takes just 1.5 Mb of
hard drive space. 4 I want to see the source code of the program. How can I do that? The source code for the ciphers can be obtained
through downloading the Delphi Encryption Compendium Part I-III. The source for the BitCrypt is not public and you may not see it. This is to strengthen the overall encryption power. Surely, one may attempt to reverse engineer the program in order to learn how it has been implemented, but this is not as easy as it sounds. Most reverse engineering tools would produce assembler as their output, which, without prior knowledge what the particular part of the program does, is difficult to read. What I tried to do is to combine three approaches to the notion of data hiding:
5 Is there any support provided for the program? If you have any questions about the program
please write to: moshe_szweizer (at) yahoo.com 6 Is there a completely free version of the program that I could use? Yes, a free version, without any nags, is distributed through http://www.geocities.com/moshe_szweizer/ You may also download it from numerous other
sites. Search for "BitCrypt Free" with Google to find other sites
providing the free version of the program. However, please note that
the free version is numbered as 2.1 and as such is definitely
inferior to the version 3.1 distributed from here. Version 2.1 does
not contain any strong ciphers. 7 Why and when would I use this program? You would use it in two general situations.
This program is for people who think that their
personal privacy is invaded. This may be in relation to their work
place or long distance communication. 9 How does your software help me fill my needs? This program is designed in such a manner that
no-one should be able to establish that you encrypt information
while storing it or passing it to others. In other words if you
would like to be seen as "not hiding anything", but at the same time
are tired of being over-controlled then the program would address
your personal needs. At the same time it would allow you to preserve
the image of total openness. 10 Why should I choose your product over a competing one? This is a question of style and feel. Yes,
there are other programs that provide similar functionality. You may
feel that you like them more. However, you may like this particular
attempt to the strong encryption problem. In that case you are most
welcome to use it. |