JavaPad in a nutshell Chapter 1, Introduction
The collection of programs known as JavaPad is everything you need to encrypt data with
the famous "one time pad" algorithm wich is very secure.
Javapad Can be used either as a standalone encryption program, or you can used JavaPad to
add "one time pad" encryption to your java programs.
When you encrypt a file with JavaPad you must first have a key to encrypt it with.
The key can be created with the MakeKey program, and is made up of random bytes,
the random bytes are generated with java's SecureRandom class, using Suns SHA1PRNG algorithm.
JavaPad is symmetric witch means that you only have one key, unlike encryption usually used for email (amoung other things)
wich usualy has a pair of keys known as public and private keys, one for encryption and one for decryption.
having two keys makes it easier to exchange keys. But does not improve encryption strength
In JavaPad if you plan to exchange data betwen two computers, both of them must have the key used
to encrypt the file to decrypt it. This means that JavaPad is best suited for these uses:
* Encrypt files on your own disk.
* Encrypt traffic that is sent over your local network.
But can also be used to send files to your friends, without compromising the key.
NOTE: the last part of the next chapter is a trick wich makes it easier to "exchange" keys.
It's also possible to encrypt the keyfile itself with a given string
using the PassPhrase program.
using JavaPad is a 3 step process:
* make a key
* encrypt a file with the key
* decrypt a file with the key
* you can also use a passphrase (see chapter 4) on the keyfile before encrypting
or on the encrypted file
The next chapter will teach you how to make keys.
-End of chapter 1
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