🚀 go-pugleaf

Okay... this data is =really= sensitive.  You could go to court or go to
prison (maybe) if you fumble handling it or disclosing it.  Or maybe
it's just an embarrassing business-loss:  same difference (for us).  You
need to be able to transmit this information, or store it in a file on
the user's hard-drive or server.  Maybe you're using Paradox.  Maybe
you're using the Internet.

Suggestion Numero Uno:  USE STRONG CRYPTO .. A COMMERCIAL ALGORITHM.

You need to encrypt the data.  This means scrambling the data in such a
way that it can only be recovered if you know the 'one and only one' key
that will decrypt it.  Without that key, the information is worthless.

You need to use a STRONG encryption algorithm.  No, you're not keeping
out the NSA or the KGB or MI6 ... but you're keeping out an intruder who
has a Pentium 500mHz or better.  You need a strong algorithm to do that.
Fortunately, plenty of good algorithms exist.  And plenty of good,
debugged implementations of those algorithms can be purchased.  (Many
can also be found as freeware or shareware source code.)

Do NOT "roll your own" algorithm.

Do NOT rely upon the built-in Paradox password-system, or "Zip" file
passwords, to protect truly-sensitive information.  These systems,
useful as they may be for the purposes for which they were intended, are
not adequate to protect truly-sensitive data.

Filesystem-wide strategies such as "ScramDisk" are certainly a
possibility (they encrypt the data on-disk but make the encryption and
decryption process transparent to you) are certainly an option.

Likewise, the Secure Socket Layer (SSL, SSL2) protocols are excellent to
protect Internet transmissions.

THE ACHILLES HEEL of your system, that people will immediately try to
attack, is your handling of the KEY.  So-called "public key" crypto can
be an effective way of concealing the key information.  But, "should you
roll your own key-management solution, or buy one?"  I'd probably
explore the latter strategy first.

Cryptography is a strange and wonderful science.  Spend a lot of time in
the newsgroup "sci.crypt" for an eye-opener on the subject.


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