dumb question? (Palm desktop)

[J_F]

How secure is the password/encription of the Palm Desktop appl? (and by extension, the default password protection on the device?)

[zackepceo]

The security on the palm is pretty much security through inaccesibility. There is pretty much no way to get to something on your palm if it is locked unless they get the password. Palm Desktop is probably not that secure.

[Jim Cooke]

There is software readily available on the net that will easily defeat the Palm password scheme, both on the Palm and the desktop. If you have information you want to be secure, it should be in a program that's protected by a real encryption system like Blowfish. The average lunk on the street won't know how to defeat the password but someone who's knowledgeable could do so in about a minute.

[zackepceo]

There is software readily available on the net that will easily defeat the Palm password scheme, both on the Palm and the desktop. If you have information you want to be secure, it should be in a program that's protected by a real encryption system like Blowfish. The average lunk on the street won't know how to defeat the password but someone who's knowledgeable could do so in about a minute.
If you're that peranoid about your passwords, you should be using 1024-bit private hardware+software key encryption with biometrics and stuff. Or there are programs that will store information nicely encrypted.

[J_F]

Thank you guys

[Edlin]

Palm desktop is about a secure as a sieve. Or about 5 minutes on google and half a brain.
The PDA unit itself is slighty better. Say 20 minutes on google, less if you have backuped up to card.
There are many freeware and commerical programs that allow you encrpyt memos to 448 bit which is more than enough for even most parnoid. Mostly only the commerical ones will have desktop support though nearly all of then back up the encrpyted dbs onto the desktop machine. You`ll just need a pda to read them again which can be a royal pain. Only the commerical ones (afaik) allow more than securing memo/text.
PDAdefence seems about the best but it sure does co$t.
Also bear in mind that the actual password has a lot to do with it. If you pick palmzrulez as a password, not matter what encryption, its going to get hacked quick.

[Edlin]

Also the palm one support site has easy to use instructions on how to read your locked files if you have lost/forgotten your password.... :rolleyes:

[J_F]

Txs Edlin

I went to PDA Defense site - the appl is not designed to protect the desktop data (as per FAQ). Will look around and if I stumble on a good solution I will post back