Friday, June 6, 2003
Keeping Your Private Information Private: SoftWinter's Sentry 2020 v2.4 Reviewed
Posted by Doug Rausch in "SOFTWARE" @ 10:00 AM
Been keeping up with the news? December 2002 - A company contracted by the United States Government to provide healthcare to military members had hard drives stolen that contained personal information on more than 500,000 people. March 2003 - Eight computers containing details on companies that use radioactive materials were stolen from the New Mexico State government. Currently the U.S. Justice Department estimates up to 700,000 people are victims of identity theft each year with $1,000 average cost to individuals to fix the damage done.
Did you just unconsciously check to make sure you knew where your PDA was? If your PDA was lost or stolen would you feel secure that your personal and business data was safe? If you used Softwinter's Sentry 2020 v2.4 you would be one step closer to that sigh of relief.
Certainly not a new entry to the field of encryption software (version 2.4 was just released) Softwinter's Sentry 2020 continues to compare well to other data encryption options available for the Pocket PC. Encryption and decryption operations are transparent to the user. There is no need to first decrypt a file, do your work, and then encrypt the file again. You just create a secure volume, place the files you want secured in it and Sentry 2020 does the rest. When you mount a secure volume, its files become visible to all applications and encryption/decryption operations are done on the fly as you open and close the files. An auto-dismount feature automatically dismounts the secured volume after a user-determined timeout, securing all files. The program comes with options to use either 128 or 256 bit key lengths, resulting in very strong security for your data. A solid, simple-to-use program that securely locks down valuable data. A winner in my book.
Getting Started
Once you have installed Sentry 2020, your first step to securing your files is to create a sentry volume. Think of this volume as a secure directory that you will store your encrypted files in. When this volume is locked, it appears as a single file with a .raw extension. Mount the volume by providing the proper password and the secure volume appears in your applications just like another storage card or network mount.
To create a secure volume you must, at a minimum, specify the desired name and location of your secure volume and a password. Clean, simple and to the point. This will give you a secure volume, 1MB in size, using CAST 128bit encryption, a key file located in the same directory as your secure volume and a 30 minute timeout. Interestingly enough Sentry does not provide an option to confirm the password you just entered for your new volume. If you make a mistake with text entry you will need to delete the file and start over. Sentry does confirm your new password when changing the password to an existing volume, so I’m not sure why it's not provided here.
Figure 1: Creating a new secure volume
These default settings will work fine for most users. If you are planning on storing more than 1MB of files in this volume you will need to increase the volume size and if you really want to beef up the encryption use the Twofish 256bit encryption rather than the 128bit provided by the CAST algorithm. Changing the location of the key file provides you some interesting options which I will discuss shortly. The one setting most users should take a look at is the inactivity timeout. This is the amount of time that a volume must be inactive before Sentry will automatically dismount the volume, locking up its contents. Even if your Pocket PC is off, Sentry will wake up your device to close the volume. Be warned though that Sentry will not close open applications. So if you have that important budget open in Pocket Excel and someone walks off with your device, the unopened files will be protected but your spreadsheet will remain open for prying eyes.
Using Sentry 2020
Once a volume is created, Sentry will display it along with your other volumes on its main screen. Tapping on a volume name will prompt you for a password and if correct will return you to the main screen and show a keyring next to the mounted volume.
Figure 2: Two volumes on this device, Business Plan is open
Once unlocked, the volume appears just like a storage card on your Pocket PC. Save, copy, open and any other file operation works just as if you were working with a storage card or network mount. Any file that you place in this volume will be encrypted and hidden (including its file name) when the volume is dismounted.
Figure 3: Mounted Sentry volume (first entry) appears as normal storage card or network mount
When you are done using the files, you can let the inactivity timeout expire and automatically dismount your volume (not my recommendation) or dismount the volume manually. Sentry minimizes to a keyring at the bottom of your Today screen so access is only a tap away.
Beyond the Basics
The ability to specify the location of the key file used by Sentry provides the user with some interesting options. For Sentry to mount an encrypted volume it must be provided with the correct password and the proper key file. When a volume is created using the defaults, the key file is located in the same location as the encrypted Sentry volume. Provide the proper password and you’re good to go.
Separating the encrypted volume and the key file opens up several possibilities. Leave the encrypted file on your device and put the key file on a CF or SD card and your won’t be able to access the encrypted data without first inserting the removable media. Think of it as an additional key to your data. Several devices could be loaded up with identical data but users could only access what their issued card (and key files) allowed. Another option is to reverse the file locations placing the encrypted data on the CF or SD card and the key file on the device. Even if someone knew your password and walked off with your storage cards they couldn't get access without the key file.
Do I Need Sentry?
Several of you are probably already using security solutions such as FlexWallet for your passwords and bank information or RESCOE Explorer 2003 for general file encryption. Do you need Sentry and the almost $50 price tag it comes with? Well, maybe. Sentry doesn’t replace a special purpose program such as FlexWallet, it’s geared more toward general file encryption, the type of thing you would use RESCOE Explorer for. For me, Sentry’s strength comes in its speed and transparency.
Face it, if encryption is inconvenient we don’t use it and how good is an encryption program that you never use?. I’ve found myself foregoing encryption because it took too long to encrypt/decrypt a file or I didn’t want to take the time to switch to another application every time I needed a different file unlocked. With Sentry I created a single volume for all my secure files and found myself protecting my data much more often.
Gotchas
I found Sentry 2020 to be a very solid and easy to use program. However, a few things to keep in mind:
Sentry 2020 can be downloaded from Handango or purchased for $49.95 (affiliate link).
Specifications
Sentry 2020 will work on any Pocket PC or Pocket PC 2002 device. The program has a very small footprint and only requires 170k or RAM on your device. The encryption used with Sentry 2020 for the Pocket PC is compatible with Softwinter's desktop Sentry products for Windows NT, 2000, and XP.
Conclusions
Sentry 2020 is a great addition to your total security solution for your Pocket PC. If an encryption program is inconvenient and slow it won’t stay loaded on your device for very long. I found Sentry to be easy to use and very fast. Sentry is overkill for only occasional use; there are several other solutions such as RESCOE Explorer 2003 for minimum to moderate encryption users. However, if you find a need to access your encrypted files on a day to day basis, Sentry 2020 has my vote.
Did you just unconsciously check to make sure you knew where your PDA was? If your PDA was lost or stolen would you feel secure that your personal and business data was safe? If you used Softwinter's Sentry 2020 v2.4 you would be one step closer to that sigh of relief.
Certainly not a new entry to the field of encryption software (version 2.4 was just released) Softwinter's Sentry 2020 continues to compare well to other data encryption options available for the Pocket PC. Encryption and decryption operations are transparent to the user. There is no need to first decrypt a file, do your work, and then encrypt the file again. You just create a secure volume, place the files you want secured in it and Sentry 2020 does the rest. When you mount a secure volume, its files become visible to all applications and encryption/decryption operations are done on the fly as you open and close the files. An auto-dismount feature automatically dismounts the secured volume after a user-determined timeout, securing all files. The program comes with options to use either 128 or 256 bit key lengths, resulting in very strong security for your data. A solid, simple-to-use program that securely locks down valuable data. A winner in my book.
Getting Started
Once you have installed Sentry 2020, your first step to securing your files is to create a sentry volume. Think of this volume as a secure directory that you will store your encrypted files in. When this volume is locked, it appears as a single file with a .raw extension. Mount the volume by providing the proper password and the secure volume appears in your applications just like another storage card or network mount.
To create a secure volume you must, at a minimum, specify the desired name and location of your secure volume and a password. Clean, simple and to the point. This will give you a secure volume, 1MB in size, using CAST 128bit encryption, a key file located in the same directory as your secure volume and a 30 minute timeout. Interestingly enough Sentry does not provide an option to confirm the password you just entered for your new volume. If you make a mistake with text entry you will need to delete the file and start over. Sentry does confirm your new password when changing the password to an existing volume, so I’m not sure why it's not provided here.
Figure 1: Creating a new secure volume
These default settings will work fine for most users. If you are planning on storing more than 1MB of files in this volume you will need to increase the volume size and if you really want to beef up the encryption use the Twofish 256bit encryption rather than the 128bit provided by the CAST algorithm. Changing the location of the key file provides you some interesting options which I will discuss shortly. The one setting most users should take a look at is the inactivity timeout. This is the amount of time that a volume must be inactive before Sentry will automatically dismount the volume, locking up its contents. Even if your Pocket PC is off, Sentry will wake up your device to close the volume. Be warned though that Sentry will not close open applications. So if you have that important budget open in Pocket Excel and someone walks off with your device, the unopened files will be protected but your spreadsheet will remain open for prying eyes.
Using Sentry 2020
Once a volume is created, Sentry will display it along with your other volumes on its main screen. Tapping on a volume name will prompt you for a password and if correct will return you to the main screen and show a keyring next to the mounted volume.
Figure 2: Two volumes on this device, Business Plan is open
Once unlocked, the volume appears just like a storage card on your Pocket PC. Save, copy, open and any other file operation works just as if you were working with a storage card or network mount. Any file that you place in this volume will be encrypted and hidden (including its file name) when the volume is dismounted.
Figure 3: Mounted Sentry volume (first entry) appears as normal storage card or network mount
When you are done using the files, you can let the inactivity timeout expire and automatically dismount your volume (not my recommendation) or dismount the volume manually. Sentry minimizes to a keyring at the bottom of your Today screen so access is only a tap away.
Beyond the Basics
The ability to specify the location of the key file used by Sentry provides the user with some interesting options. For Sentry to mount an encrypted volume it must be provided with the correct password and the proper key file. When a volume is created using the defaults, the key file is located in the same location as the encrypted Sentry volume. Provide the proper password and you’re good to go.
Separating the encrypted volume and the key file opens up several possibilities. Leave the encrypted file on your device and put the key file on a CF or SD card and your won’t be able to access the encrypted data without first inserting the removable media. Think of it as an additional key to your data. Several devices could be loaded up with identical data but users could only access what their issued card (and key files) allowed. Another option is to reverse the file locations placing the encrypted data on the CF or SD card and the key file on the device. Even if someone knew your password and walked off with your storage cards they couldn't get access without the key file.
Do I Need Sentry?
Several of you are probably already using security solutions such as FlexWallet for your passwords and bank information or RESCOE Explorer 2003 for general file encryption. Do you need Sentry and the almost $50 price tag it comes with? Well, maybe. Sentry doesn’t replace a special purpose program such as FlexWallet, it’s geared more toward general file encryption, the type of thing you would use RESCOE Explorer for. For me, Sentry’s strength comes in its speed and transparency.
Face it, if encryption is inconvenient we don’t use it and how good is an encryption program that you never use?. I’ve found myself foregoing encryption because it took too long to encrypt/decrypt a file or I didn’t want to take the time to switch to another application every time I needed a different file unlocked. With Sentry I created a single volume for all my secure files and found myself protecting my data much more often.
Gotchas
I found Sentry 2020 to be a very solid and easy to use program. However, a few things to keep in mind:
- Sentry should ask for password confirmation when creating a new volume. Deleting the volume and starting over is an inconvenience and it asks for confirmation when changing a password, so why not when creating a new file?
- Volumes don't automatically close and encrypt documents that are still open.
- Cost. Seems like folks really hesitate to buy anything over the magic amount of $19.95. Sentry’s price is comparable to other similar encryption products. You need to be the one that decides how valuable your information is, and what it's worth to protect it.
Sentry 2020 can be downloaded from Handango or purchased for $49.95 (affiliate link).
Specifications
Sentry 2020 will work on any Pocket PC or Pocket PC 2002 device. The program has a very small footprint and only requires 170k or RAM on your device. The encryption used with Sentry 2020 for the Pocket PC is compatible with Softwinter's desktop Sentry products for Windows NT, 2000, and XP.
Conclusions
Sentry 2020 is a great addition to your total security solution for your Pocket PC. If an encryption program is inconvenient and slow it won’t stay loaded on your device for very long. I found Sentry to be easy to use and very fast. Sentry is overkill for only occasional use; there are several other solutions such as RESCOE Explorer 2003 for minimum to moderate encryption users. However, if you find a need to access your encrypted files on a day to day basis, Sentry 2020 has my vote.
