MC Plugin (Mig's Cipher Plugin)

[Mig]

Hi everybody,
I have created a TotalCmd plugin mcplug that allows users to cipher and decipher a user file. It can encipher only one file at the moment and the plugin is still under development.

Also, there are 6 cipher methods supported and you can also add some extra protection to the cipher file.
Extra protection should be a Windows Product Key (WPK for short), a destination (hard)drive serial number, windows registered user and company, logged on user, computer name and also a network device MAC address.
"Remember password for all archives until CRC error" is the only option for decipher (unpack) - I know this should be used for packing only but this is a good option I think and there were no dialog to implement it elsewhere. It remembers the last input password crossarchive until you get a CRC error - when you get a CRC error, the stored password is cleared and you are prompted for a new password to decipher file.

For the event error occurs in some manner you should enable debug log in packer settings (it's shared for both packing and unpacking) and then send me a log file (which will be located at the destination of plugin's WCX file, except with .log extension) and describe me the steps you've done so it can produce the same error on my computer and allow me to fix it.

Any time you select a file and hit Alt+F5 in TC(Compress) you are prompted for a password immediatelly after setting your destination path and clicking OK.

When decompressing you just click the file ("archive") associated with the plugin and the original file name will be the only file there. When clicking some of file operations on that file you are prompted for a password to decipher it. Also, when using extra protection you have to consider that this is the part dynamically added to the password and becomes the key for data decipher as well so that modifying the ExtraProtection key within file itself is no option.

The last think I would like to talk about is the SFX option. The installer comes with one file of .sfx extension. This file is the main core of SFX module for cipher self-extractor. Unfortunatelly it's about 135kB big itself to implement the extra protection too.

Finally, you can find a plugin on my site.

Installation is simple, you simply download the file and open it in the TC and the installation of WCX plugin will pop-up. You enter the desired extension and click OK and it's done.

You can use this forum to post your recommendations, suggestions, bug reports etc... You can also post me a private message and/or write me an e-mail.

Best regards,
Mig

[pajo]

2miq

nice plugin

[Mig]

pajo: Thank you. Did you experienced any problems while testing the plugin or everything ok?

[pajo]

2mig

No problem, everything worked OK. I tested all options and they worked like charm

[Mig]

Pajo: Thanks.. Did you tried testing it on another computer with some extra protection level enabled (like WPK or drive serial number)?

[ts4242]

2Mig
Thanks for the plugin

Some bugs:
-------------
1- The last line in Protection setting dialog box isn't English
2- Controls in main setting and protection setting dialog boxes hasn't any access keys
3- Tab order for main setting dialog box needs correction

just a question: How it safe to assign extra protection level e.g H.D S/N then for any reason i cannot use my computer for sometime or forever, in this case how can i unpack my files?

[Mig]

2 ts4242:
Hi, thanks for finding bugs in the plugin and your recommendations.

I will comment the bugs:
1) Yeap, it's in Czech, I made a mistake while programming - I accidentally forget to translate this, I'll correct it ASAP. It means that Administrator group rights are required for that.
2) You think that allowing access keys could be useful? You mean some accelerator keys like eg. F5 for setting one of the options or just holding Alt and pressing W (Alt + W) to toggle the WPK protection level at extra protection menu?
3) Yeap, I forget to correct it. Every control of a dialog has been modified or moved sometimes. I will correct ASAP...

Just a question: Do you think that it would be nice to provide you a language file to allow everybody translate plugin to his language?

And finally your question: I've been thinking when somebody ask about that. The answer is that you can't directly but if your remember your H.D. S/N and have it stored somewhere, I can provide you the cipher tools application (it maybe available on my site sometime) and in fact, the cipher key is dynamically joined password with the H.D. S/N...

For example you have password "test" (no quotes) and H.D. S/N is "0F01-FBD0", then the cipher key is appended string, ie. "test0F01-FBD0". Using this cipher key with my cipher tools application should decipher the file correctly.

The question - where can you get your H.D. S/N etc.? You can easily enable the debug option in the settings dialog and then in plugin directory (usually c:\totalcmd\plugins\wcx\mcplug) there should be a file called mcplug.log created... You can see the H.D. S/N, WPK and other extra options' values here.

By the way: Did you test the SFX module as well?

[ts4242]

or just holding Alt and pressing W (Alt + W) to toggle the WPK protection level at extra protection menu?

Yes that is what i means, just add ampersand & before the character you want to use as mnemonic.

Just a question: Do you think that it would be nice to provide you a language file to allow everybody translate plugin to his language?

Yes, most plugin developer do that.

And finally your question: I've been thinking when somebody ask about that. The answer is that you can't directly but if your remember your H.D. S/N and have it stored somewhere, I can provide you the cipher tools application (it maybe available on my site sometime) and in fact, the cipher key is dynamically joined password with the H.D. S/N...

For example you have password "test" (no quotes) and H.D. S/N is "0F01-FBD0", then the cipher key is appended string, ie. "test0F01-FBD0". Using this cipher key with my cipher tools application should decipher the file correctly.

The question - where can you get your H.D. S/N etc.? You can easily enable the debug option in the settings dialog and then in plugin directory (usually c:\totalcmd\plugins\wcx\mcplug) there should be a file called mcplug.log created... You can see the H.D. S/N, WPK and other extra options' values here.

Thanks for this info!

By the way: Did you test the SFX module as well?

Yes, but the interface is vague, each field must has description e.g. "Destination folder" and "Password"
beside that i cannot use keyboard with it, Enter to start unpacking and Tab to switch between fields

[Mig]

Yeap, I will add this possibility for Alt + key ASAP. Thanks.
Translation: Thanks for info, I will do that as well.
SFX: I know, it's strongly in development yet. But it works already... I am working on it at my free time now.

[Mig]

A new version has been released now and it can be downloaded from the same location like the other one.

There are some bugfixes like:
1) Corrected strings while switching language
2) Corrected tab order
3) Modified SFX dialog to show editbox caption
4) Ability to stop decipher in SFX module has been fixed

[ts4242]

Thanks for updating it is now much better
Another notes:
1: Cipher method label hasn't mnemonic
2: Alt+L doesn't activate language dropdown list (to do this, change "Language" label tab order to come just before dropdown list. e.g let it 3 and dropdown list 4)
3: SFX: still doesn't accept Tab or Enter!
4: SFX: press start while password field is empty, create zero length file then freez.

cheers

[Mig]

For ts4242:
I know, there has been some minor bugfixes but not entirely all you recommended yet as well as there are some problems I have encountered.
1) Thanks for info, I have been tired yesterday... I just fixed something and wrote a memo about it.
2) Thanks for recommendation how to do this. I'll try. Honestly I have almost no experience with using hotkeys within my applications.

You mean to specify tab order 3 for language caption (the "Language" string) and 4 for dropdown list of languages and Alt + L will focus the dropdown list?

3) I know, I had no time to do that yet. I've been tired after my work as a programmer because this week I am working overtime all the week and also honestly this is one of my first raw WinAPI application using no designed forms. I make mostly applications using designed forms (Delphi forms, Dev-C++ wxWidgets etc) or libraries (DLL in Delphi or Dev-C++) but I rarely use WinAPI only for that - the advantage is the size of SFX module.

4) Thanks for notice. I haven't tested it yet. I will correct it ASAP as well

Mig

[ts4242]

You mean to specify tab order 3 for language caption (the "Language" string) and 4 for dropdown list of languages and Alt + L will focus the dropdown list?

Yes, the reason is that, pressing Alt+L will set the focus to language label but because Label control cannot got the focus so the focus goes to the next control according to the tab order

[Mig]

Oh, I understand Thanks a lot for info

[Mig]

Sorry for delay but I had many things at work so I had almost no time for my plugin but I fixed it tonight

The new version of the plugin has been released and it can be downloaded at the very same location like the previous version - from my site (link is at the upper post in this thread but I think I can't do anything bad by posting it again, here it goes: http://www.migsoft.net/programy/plugins/mcplug.zip )

There has been many bugfixes, mostly for the SFX (.exe) module - it now supports Tab and Enter keys as well as F1 key for turning on/off the debug mode... It also accepts 2 command line parameters:
/DEBUG - switches the debug log creation option
/ADDPASS - adds password to the debug log, only applicable as the second parameter when the first parameter is defined as '/DEBUG'

Also, I have found a practical usage not only for ciphering files but also to sending it via my Gmail account. Gmail doesn't accept my favourite ZIP type archive containing any EXE file, so I ciphered the file and sent it then. Gmail was not able to find the evidence of EXE files there so it sent the e-mail like it was a text file

Test it and write me your comments again please,
Mig