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Old 02-23-2007, 04:10 AM   #1
xrtc
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Registered: Sep 2005
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Question wipe file data when open it


Hello guys,

I wanna ask u if there is a way to wipe file data when a user or some1 else try to open with pico or any other editor.

I want this file can be accessed only by a specific custom made aplication.
If some1 try to open it with pico or vi or something else then the file by it self destroy data in it.
 
Old 02-23-2007, 09:35 AM   #2
wjevans_7d1@yahoo.co
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Sounds like heavy duty stuff. You'd also have to cover cases like this:

Code:
#!/bin/sh

cat > file_to_be_sabotaged <<EOD
This data wants to overwrite the sensitive data.
EOD
I can't think of any way of doing what you want reliably without messing with the code of the kernel itself.
 
Old 02-24-2007, 01:33 AM   #3
xrtc
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hmmmm so its impossible to do something like that..
So the only way is to encrypt the file?
 
Old 02-26-2007, 11:58 AM   #4
wjevans_7d1@yahoo.co
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Wait, I'm confused.

I thought that if someone opened the file with vi or something, then you wanted the data in the file itself to be destroyed. But I guess that's not what you want. It looks like what you want is vi's view of the file (rather than the file itself) to be destroyed.

Encryption looks like the quickest solution.
 
Old 03-04-2007, 03:25 AM   #5
xrtc
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i want the first one mate
the file by itself destroy data into it when open it with external viewer.
 
Old 03-04-2007, 05:34 PM   #6
Cliffster
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Simple answer. No.

What you are asking is beyond the realm of what a file can do, without help from the operating system.

You are talking about a filesystem secured at the binary IO level and supported by complex hardware to key data to specific machines, apps and users. although broadly similar systems do exist, using a variety of methods, they are non-public and will remain so.

The only route you have is to encrypt the data strongly in the app, 512bit RSA at the very least, perhaps alongside some biometric dongle like a fingerprint scanner.

And then you sit back and hope your encryption can stand up to attack, which is actually more likely than your autodeletion of your clear-data would stand up to forensic disk examination anyway.
 
  


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