Steganos Security Suite 2006

One thing is for sure… e-mail is not ultimately secure. One of the most popular ways to encrypt e-mail has been by using PGP, but here is a great alternative. To put it simply, you open up the tool and type out your e-mail. Once you are finished, you have the option to send it now or to save the necessary file so that you can do it later.

Once you choose your route, you have to input the password. You would obviously have to inform the recipient of what the password would be before they receive the e-mail. It would be foolish to send the password in the same e-mail, but it would be alright to say it over the phone, in person, or even IM. Once the person receives the e-mail, they must download the .cab file and run the executable inside. Once they type in the password, they can view the e-mail and any attachments that you have included. It’s a very simple process, but just like the Portable Safe, this can work only one way unless the person you are sending the e-mail to also has the Security Suite.

File Manager is similar to Safe in that it protects your files, but it does it in a very different way. One option is that you can save all your data to a file that you can move around, unlike Safe where it created another drive. The second option is far cooler because it allows you to hide files in a legit file, such as a WAV or BMP picture. This would be effective if you really, really wanted to keep your file in a non-discreet location but did not want people to have a slight clue about data that resides there.

I tested this feature with a BMP picture; a screenshot from a game. I hid a couple files in there and then set a password. The process took a few minutes, and will take a lot longer depending on the file sizes. The program has to take it’s time so that it does not destroy the original file so that it’s still usable. In the end, it worked perfectly but is time consuming. If it sounds like a solution that you are interested in though, then you will be pleased.

This is one feature of the suite that I am unable to test, because I do not have Windows installed on my laptop. However, this is one feature that has to be mentioned because it does have the ability to save your laptop. Personally, when I am out and about with my laptop, especially in large public areas, I hate to even turn my head because these things are not inexpensive. If one get’s stolen, they are ridiculously hard to locate, and chances are it would be gone forever.

Anti-Theft is one extra layer of protection that may help give you a better piece of mind. After you first install the program, your notebook will be assigned an ID that you will want to keep care of. When the notebook is connected to the internet, that ID will be sent to the Steganos servers at regular intervals and will include information such as the IP address. In the instance that your laptop is actually stolen, and the thief simply logs onto the internet, then Steganos will have the IP address and info you need in order to contact the proper authorities. You will have the ability to log onto the Steganos website and gather all of this info.

This is a very light level of protection, because smart thieves would know how to get around it easily. But since we have so many stupid thieves in the world, it certainly does not hurt to have such a system in place. It’s not a memory hog either, so when you are using your PC during everyday use, you will not even notice it running.