From: anon-remailer@utopia.hacktic.nl (Anonymous)
Date: Tue, 5 Sep 95 17:25:23 PDT
To: A.W.S.Helwig@ET.TUDelft.NL
Subject: Secure Device 1.4 QuestionSecure Device 1.4 Question
Message-ID: <199509060025.CAA05098@utopia.hacktic.nl>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


I just installed Secure Device, v1.4 on a PC at work.  After 
installing it, I looked at the encrypted volume and found the string 
"SECDEV  " starting at the fourth byte of the file.  I'd prefer that 
this file look like some temporary file that got left on the disk by 
a program that didn't clean up properly after itself, and not be 
identifiable as an encrypted volume.

Is there a way to get Secure Device to not leave identifiable 
plaintext like that in the file?  Will I do any harm to the file if 
I replace that string with blanks, or something more innocuous?  If 
it's required to be there, then I'd like to put its removal on the 
"wish list" for the next version.  (I copied the file, replaced the 
string "SECDEV" with blanks using a hex editor, and then mounted the 
copy as an encrypted volume, and it seems to be working OK, but I 
wanted to make sure this won't cause unforseen problems in the 
future.)

As you've probably guessed, I'm not supposed to have any personal 
files on my work computer, and an entire encrypted volume would 
undoubtedly make someone go ballistic if they discovered it.  When I 
want to use my encrypted file system, I reboot off of a floppy, and 
all Secure Device programs and drivers are kept on the floppy.  The 
only thing that has to be left on the hard drive is the encrypted 
volume itself.

Please post a copy of any replies to the Cypherpunks mailing list at 
"cypherpunks@toad.com".  Thanks.