Dear All, Thank you for your help on this issue.
Best Regards Hassan Tazi Business Expansion S.A. MapInfo Distributor North Africa Phone + 212 37 67 43 31 / 32 Fax + 212 37 68 32 64 Email [EMAIL PROTECTED] -----Message d'origine----- De : [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]De la part de [EMAIL PROTECTED] Envoy� : jeudi 20 d�cembre 2001 09:03 � : [EMAIL PROTECTED] Cc : [EMAIL PROTECTED] Objet : Vedr.: Re: MI-L Data encryption - wish list wish Hi, I've previously brought up this issue with MapInfo, but without any success. My feeling is too, that some sort of encryption would be beneficial to many MapInfo users. Especially if MapInfo is to become a strategic tool for some organizations. That'll be my wish list Christmas contribution :-) I see two distinct alternatives: - encrypting single alphanumeric columns - encrypting the complete table The first option could be achieved optimally by enabling MI Pro to read "external" field data generated on-the-fly by e.g. a DLL, providing this DLL as 3rd party add-on. The functionality need not be included into MapInfo itself this way. And if the add-on isn't available, or not initialized properly (e.g. no password), the content should just be rendered NULL/unchanged by MI Pro. This would enable all kind of otherwise unsupported behaviour into MI Pro, e.g. encryption or online GPS positions (!), without having to pressure/wait for MapInfo to invent every single thing. The latter option could be achieved by making MI Pro capable of reading e.g. password protected ZIP file containg all 4-5 files in their usual format, extracting the neccessary data on-the-fly, leaving nothing on the disk in any accessible format. MI Pro should just prompt for the neccessary ZIP password when opening the "table". But I fear my ideas face two large obstacles: MapInfo's IMHO uncertain commitment to MI Pro as a stand-alone platform based on the TAB format (re: MI Pro for SQL server & the Oracle involvement), and the upcoming code base shift, which may change the conditions for 3rd party solution development drastically. So it's just my humble wishes for future development. As for other current possibilities, I built a MapBasic program some time back (MapLock), that allowed the user to encrypt/decrypt specific columns based on a symmetric algoritm with a key code saved in a dongle's memory. The rationale was: no dongle, no decryption. The program was never really finalized, and the dongle approach proved to be too costly. But if anyone's interested in such a tool, e.g. with other options, let me know. Of course this program doesn't solve Hassan Tazi's current problem, but it might be suitable for other scenarios. Best regards / Med venlig hilsen Lars Nielsen ********************************************************** Lars Nielsen [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sr. Developer, MapBasic & MapXtreme Specialist Kampsax/MapInfo, Odense http://www.mapinfo.dk Authorized MapInfo Distributor in Denmark & Norway Address: Rugaardsvej 55, DK-5000 Odense C Telephone: +45 6313-5000 Facsimile +45 6313-5090 ********************************************************** "Klik ind p� http://www.kortal.dk og se det hele lidt fra oven!" "Visit http://www.kortal.dk and see Denmark from above!" Bill Thoen <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Til: Business Expansion <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sendt af: cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], Driss Kasimi <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> [EMAIL PROTECTED] Vedr.: Re: MI-L Data encryption onsmag.com 19-12-01 23:34 Besvar venligst til Bill Thoen Please do not send messages to [EMAIL PROTECTED] unless you are having a problem with your MapInfo-L subscription. The correct address for MapInfo-L messages is [EMAIL PROTECTED] As to the problem of efficient data encryption, you could encrypt the first thousand bytes in the .MAP and .DAT headers, and decrypt them before use, but if your data is on CD, that won't work because the file is read-only. In any case, if you want to use MapInfo's data calls, you're going to have to write at least a partial cleartext MapInfo file on the users disk each time you need to use it, thus revealing it to people who know how to use their file explorer tool. My feeling is that if you want efficient data encryption, you have to write your own map control unless your application has some special properties that lend themselves to partial encryption. Bill Huber suggested to me the other day that a better solution would be to go the copyright route, and build in fake and altered records (some that can't be told from real ones and others that just get in the way causing some pains for the would-be thief), but provide an encrypted attribute for each record that told *your* application which records were real. That way if anyone tried to use the data outside your application they would have to figure out which data is real and which is fake because MapInfo would show it all. The fake data would also serve to "fingerprint" your data so that if anyone tried to resell it or use it illegally, you could prove that the data set was yours. There's yet a more subtle technique, which involves embedding copyright and even client-specific registration in files that can't be seen unless you know where to look. That way if your data gets used illegally, you could prove it's yours and you'd know where it came from. I won't say much about that yet, but look for an article coming out in Directions Magazine soon... Business Expansion wrote: > > Dear All, > > I am still looking for an efficient way to encrypt MapInfo data so that our > data can only be read from a MapX application we are developing. > > Environment: > > 1 - We have several layers of data (polygon, points and polylines). > 2 - We are developing a MapX application that will use our datasets. > 3 - All this will be deployed through a CDROM to the public. > > Problem: We do not want the public to access the MapInfo files from any > other application than the one we are developing, not even from MapInfo > Professional. > > As of today, I got the following answers : > > 1 - From a MapL member : Use another product called cartoX that allows this. > CartoX can read MapInfo file and then translate it to its own format, and > can then encrypt data. > > 2 - From MapInfo tech support : Only point data can be secured by storing > the X,Y coordinates in a table > > Are you aware of any other solutions ? > > Thank you for your support > > Best Regards > > Hassan Tazi > Business Expansion S.A. > MapInfo Distributor North Africa > Phone + 212 37 67 43 31 / 32 > Fax + 212 37 68 32 64 > Email [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > -----Message d'origine----- > De : [EMAIL PROTECTED] > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]De la part de Clifford J > Forbes > Envoy� : mercredi 19 d�cembre 2001 17:32 > � : Mooraby, Rahman Mohamud (Rahman) > Cc : [EMAIL PROTECTED]; > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Objet : Re: MI-L help!! > > No inconvenience > > It helped lighten up our day. Stuff like that happens to all of us. > Some of us just won't admit it. > > Jack > > "Mooraby, Rahman Mohamud > (Rahman)" To: > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> cc: > Sent by: Subject: MI-L > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > onsmag.com > > 12/19/2001 07:44 AM > Please respond to "Mooraby, > Rahman Mohamud (Rahman)" > > Was just trying to get all help commands from the server. Sorry > for > the inconvenience. > > Regards, > Rahman Fa�sal Mooraby > RF Graduate - GSM/UMTS > Work : 01793 89 7696 > Mobile : 077 11 367023 > Lucent Technologies o > > ---------- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > [SMTP:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] <mailto:[SMTP:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]> > Sent: 19 December 2001 13:20 > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Subject: RE: MI-L > > This is the best answer anyone has ever given to anything > Paul Crisp > Syntegra > > Direct: 0191 461 4522 > Mobile: 0776 414 3762 > Fax: (0191) 461 1959 > > Innovation Place Metro Riverside Park > Delta Bank Road Gateshead Tyne & Wear NE11 9DJ > > -----Original Message----- > From: Morten Nielsen [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] > <mailto:[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]> > Sent: 19 December 2001 12:33 > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Subject: Re: MI-L > > > help > > Try installing MapInfo. Does that get you any further ? > :-) > > /Morten > > _______________________________________________________________________ > List hosting provided by Directions Magazine | www.directionsmag.com > <http://www.directionsmag.com> | To unsubscribe, send e-mail to > [EMAIL PROTECTED] < mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > and put "unsubscribe MapInfo-L" in the message body. > > ******************************************************************** > > This email may contain information which is privileged or confidential. If > you are not the intended recipient of this email, please notify the sender > immediately and delete it without reading, copying, storing, forwarding or > disclosing its contents to any other person > Thank you > Check us out at http://www.syntegra.com <http://www.syntegra.com> > > ******************************************************************** > > _______________________________________________________________________ > List hosting provided by Directions Magazine | www.directionsmag.com > <http://www.directionsmag.com> | To unsubscribe, send e-mail to > [EMAIL PROTECTED] < mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > and put "unsubscribe MapInfo-L" in the message body. > > _______________________________________________________________________ > List hosting provided by Directions Magazine | www.directionsmag.com | > To unsubscribe, send e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and > put "unsubscribe MapInfo-L" in the message body. > > _______________________________________________________________________ > List hosting provided by Directions Magazine | www.directionsmag.com | > To unsubscribe, send e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and > put "unsubscribe MapInfo-L" in the message body. > > _______________________________________________________________________ > List hosting provided by Directions Magazine | www.directionsmag.com | > To unsubscribe, send e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and > put "unsubscribe MapInfo-L" in the message body. -- - Bill Thoen ------------------------------------------------------------ GISnet, 1401 Walnut St., Suite C, Boulder, CO 80302 tel: 303-786-9961, fax: 303-443-4856 mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED], http://www.gisnet.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------ _______________________________________________________________________ List hosting provided by Directions Magazine | www.directionsmag.com | To unsubscribe, send e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and put "unsubscribe MapInfo-L" in the message body. _______________________________________________________________________ List hosting provided by Directions Magazine | www.directionsmag.com | To unsubscribe, send e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and put "unsubscribe MapInfo-L" in the message body. _______________________________________________________________________ List hosting provided by Directions Magazine | www.directionsmag.com | To unsubscribe, send e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and put "unsubscribe MapInfo-L" in the message body.
