> Are you really going to trust a company that staked their future on Windiws 
> RT tablets and Windows phones?

Arguments like that pretty much leave no room for ideas based on Microsoft 
solutions....


One question in regards to your idea. Can gbak run without using the encryption 
key? If not how can I make unattended scheduled backups?


Brian Vraamark

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Fra: James Starkey [mailto:j...@jimstarkey.net] 
Sendt: 23. august 2015 02:20
Til: For discussion among Firebird Developers
Emne: Re: [Firebird-devel] Brainstorming Secure Unattended Start w/ Encrypted 
Files

One of the tenants of moderm cryptology is that algorithms and mechanisms have 
to be published for analysis and review.  The basic idea is that security is 
based on a mathematical impossibility that a cryptosystem cabe be broken within 
the time remaining in the universe.  The once dominant idea was that a system 
sufficiently obscure was good enough.  I dare say that the experiece of the 
third reich demonstrated the weakness of the latter argument.

Microsoft is assuming a position that is theoretically impossible and refuses 
to publish their system's algorithms for legititate analysis.  It is hard to 
argue that their system is anything but garbage top to bottom, waiting only for 
a disgruntled employee to blw the whole thing sky high.

It is well understood that security by obscurity is no security at all.  If 
Microsoft actually believed they had a robus system, they wouldn't hesitate to 
publish -- and patent -- their system.

Possibly it is fairly secure.  More likely, it's bullshit.  If they published 
the details, we would all know.  But they won't.

Once it was belived that nobody could get fired for going IBM (SNA anyone?  
Anyone?).  Then it was Microsoft instead of IBM.  But that was then abd this is 
now.

Are you really going to trust a company that staked their future on Windiws RT 
tablets and Windows phones?

To paraphrase Yoda, break me a frigging give.

On Saturday, August 22, 2015, Brian Vraamark <brian.vraam...@plandent.dk> wrote:
> I have a strong preference for portable, transparent solutions.

That I can understand and would always be the best solution, but not always 
possible.


> There is also the small point that it has been broken (see Wikipedia).

As I read it, it was mostly before Windows XP. Since Windows Server 
2003/Windows 7, a lot of changes in DPAPI has made it more secure. The security 
analysis from Passcape concludes:

"DPAPI deserves such close attention at least for the fact that it's the only 
password-based system that provides appropriate and thoroughly thought out 
protection of user's personal data. None of the operating systems has a more 
viable alternative to DPAPI!

We should, perhaps, mention that the first implementation of DPAPI had a number 
of serious flaws, which could enable a potential malefactor to easily 
compromise user's data protected by DPAPI.

The first pancake is known to be always lumpy. In all the sequel operating 
systems, beginning with Windows XP, those vulnerabilities have not merely been 
eliminated; the entire DPAPI system has undergone a major revision. In 
particular, it has adopted new encryption algorithms; that has made the Master 
Key password lookup speed about 1000 (!) times slower. Master Key encryption 
errors that potentially allowed any user to gain access to any files encrypted 
by EFS were fixed. The local Master Key backup system has been replaced with 
the password reset disk, etc.

Overall, the DPAPI encryption system has become more robust, powerful, meeting 
the stringent requirements of password security."


Brian Vraamark

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