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2009.02.21: We've just added a simple way to find out what
you need - it's organized, indexed, and searchable too. Just
go here for
answers.
(2008.11.02) VaultletSuite
Updater and Launcher (UnL):The Updater tells me that it can't
finish updating or launching the VaultletSuite 2 Go (Take II).
The majority of Updater and Launcher (UnL) problems have been
addressed by the release of v2.7.5.1. Just uninstall and then
re-install v2.7.5.1 (or higher), and that should solve your problems.
Also, as of v2.7.5.1 on Windows, the new installers add a "VaultletSuite2Go
(QuickStart)" menu entry. Use this if you want to skip the
automatic update process.
(2008.10.08) VaultletSuite
Updater and Launcher (UnL):The Updater tells me that it can't
finish updating or launching the VaultletSuite 2 Go. How do I
start the VaultletSuite 2 Go without it?
Note 2008.11.02: Please see the "Take II"
solution above for a simple and more satisfactory long-term solution.
It's easy to start the VaultletSuite 2 Go without the Updater
and Launcher: Just click on the "VaultletSuite2Go"
file contained in the installation directory's "bin"
directory.
Note: The only downside to this shortcut
is that you may end up running an out of date version of the VaultletSuite
2 Go.
Here's what the shortcut looks like and where you can find it
on Windows:
Click
to see larger screenshot
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VaultletMail: What do the ScopeControl
and HalfLife controls do, and what's the difference between them?
Here's the problem:
with regular email, you the sender have a complete lack of control
over where the messages you send can end up or how long they may
live. ScopeControl (SC) and HalfLife (HL) both were designed to
address this lack of control by granting certain propagation rights
to the sender of a given message.
Quick summary: ScopeControl,
when activated, disables the recipient's ability to print, copy,
archive and forward a given message. HalfLife, when activated,
places limits upon how long a message can live, in addition to
how many times it can be viewed.
ScopeControl and HalfLife then, are
two complementary levels of propagation control: the former, ScopeControl,
is the first level, while HalfLife is the second level and builds
upon the first.
Bottom line: HalfLife
implicitly invokes ScopeControl if it is not already enabled.
Why is that? It would be impossible to enforce time and/or view
constraints without also limiting where a msg contents
can end up. ScopeControl is implicitly a part of, and a precursor
for, HalfLife, because once you give somebody the actual file
to do with as they please, it's "game over", so to speak.
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I hear that Java has multiple
security vulnerabilities. How does this affect the VaultletSuite
2 Go and the security of my computer?
Indeed, it
does. In the case of the version of Java bundled with the
VS2Go, your exposure to these vulnerabilities are mitigated by
the fact that the Java Runtime installed with the VS2Go is for
use exclusively by our software.
This installation strategy means that
it is not automatically available for use by other applications,
such as your browsers, which are the main path for exploiting
these vulnerabilities.
Just the same, v2.6 of the VaultletSuite
2 Go will include the version of the Java Runtime that remedies
these vulnerabilities.
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What does "Statistics bean
service unavailable: Unable to query for getUncachedMailCount:
Duplicate key or integrity constraint violation, message from
server: Duplicate entry '210476-2087' for key 1" mean?
Our VaultletSuite 2 Go database infrequently
caches (hangs on to) old requests to send you copies of the messages
that you don't currently have cached on your hard drive or USB
device.
If you ever see this, just hit the
VaultletMail's "Get mail" button again. If that doesn't
work, then clear your local message cache by choosing "Flush
cache" option from the VM's "Tools" menu. Then
try "Get mail" again.
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What does "The authentication
server doesn't like your current timestamp. Please try again"
message mean?
Our VaultletSuite 2 Go authentication
system has built in "Replay
Attack" detection, something that no other secure messaging
vendors offers individual software users like you (to our knowledge).
One trivial downside of this protection
in this case is that it very infrequently detects false
positives and thinks that somebody else is attempting to hijack
your session. When the system "thinks" that something's
amiss, it summarily dismisses your request.
Solution? The simplest way around this
is to repeat your request again.
We're currently logging and watching
these false positives and formulating a strategy to reduce the
system's "twitchiness" w/o actually reducing the effectiveness
of the unprecedented protection that it brings to users of the
VaultletSuite 2 Go.
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What does "Unable to
create folders [...] please create manually" mean?
Wow, this isn't at all common, but
since you took the time ask us, we'll answer: Basically it means
that the VS2Go is being denied permission to create the directory
structure necessary to use your USB device.
The new error message now asks you
to manually create the folders you need.
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The updater utility that the VS2Go
Launcher just downloaded for me (on Windows) says that "The
install4j wizard could not find a Java Runtime Environment on
your system. Please locate a suitable JRE" What's that
mean?
That means that you've just found a
subtle, but easily remedied bug in the installation software that
we license from install4j.
Please take a look at this visual
"how-to" that shows you how you can easily finish
updating (and get back to using!) the VS2Go in just a few quick
clicks.
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Why is the VaultletSuite 2 Go
(currently) an online service only?
As a general rule, we implement the
features that our users need most first. That's why the VaultletSuite
2 Go originally started out as an online-only service.
That said, we recently asked our users
to help us prioritize the new major features that future versions
of the VaultletSuite 2 Go will incorporate. Over 50% of users
responding to the poll said that they need to be able to select
multiple messages within the VaultletMail interface, and over
25% said that they need to be able to access their protected content
while offline.
All other options received the remaining
25% of the votes.
As a result, we have decided to incorporate
multi-message select in v2.5, and offline access in subsequent
releases.
Thanks to all who participated in the
survey!
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What kind of file shredding/cleanup
does VaultletFiler perform?
The VaultletFiler uses a non-deterministic
algorithm that writes random data to files deleted using the interface,
including temp files that are created when compressing and decompressing
content. Encrypted files are only overwritten once, all other
plain text files are overwritten 3 times.
The current version uses this non-deterministic
java-based algorithm as a placeholder for future versions will
use best-of-breed native file shredders for each of the 4 platforms
that we support.
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Both PasswordValet and VaultletFiler
are, well, pretty simplistic. Why are they that way, and when
are you going to add feature _______ to them?
In short, we designed them that way.
At VaultletSoft, we're big fans of simple programs that do a few
things well before they evolve into more complex software.
Since making the VaultletSuite available
to general public, we have realized that VaultletMail is the star
of the suite. The overwhelming majority of the requests for enhancement
pertain to VaultletMail. This is why VaultletMail has evolved
into something much larger and more featureful than it first was.
Although the PasswordValet and the
VaultletFiler now exist in VaultletMail's shadow, they are not
forgotten: we are considering adding new features to both of them
once v2.6 of the VaultletSuite 2 Go is released.
You can help us to prioritize new features
for both PasswordValet and VaultletFiler by participating in the
survey that we will publish after releasing v2.6.
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I can't remember my passphrase(s). Can
you recover it for me?
In a word, no. We can, however, reset it to a temporary
passphrase and cancel your current key pair. Once you login with
the temporary passphrase, you'll need to change it and generate
a new key pair.
Note: if we reset
your account passphrase and keypair, you will lose access to
all the information that has been encrypted using your revoked
keypair and passphrase. Be absolutely certain that you want
us to do this for you before you request this of us!
Drop
us a line if you still want us to reset your passphrase for
you.
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Why can't you recover my passphrase for
me?
There are a number of reasons why we can't,
and shouldn't be able to do this for you:
1) For ethical reasons, system operators (even
those as trustworthy as VaultletSoft) should never
have access to your valuable information, including your passphrases.
That's why we designed the VaultletSuite to provide you with
point-to-point encryption: to remove ourselves as intermediaries.
2) For security reasons we've removed ourselves
as benign intermediaries from the security equation to eliminate
one point of possible failure in the security chain. This lessens
the risk of exposure of your valuable information.
3) For technical reasons, and as a result of the
design decisions that we've stated above, we don't store your
passphrase in our system without hashing it first. In this form,
it's not knowable or accessible by anyone but you.
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My (outdated!) VaultletSuite v2.1 installer
complains that the "bundled JRE is corrupted".
How do I fix this?
As of the end of November 2006, v2.2
of the installer fixes this by including the Java Runtime as a
part of your installation. Not only does this fix this problem,
but it also gives you the distinct advantage of being able to
install VaultletSuite 2 Go to your USB drive.
Go here to get
the latest installer.
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Sun's Java Web Start gives me a "Failure
to Launch" error message. How do I fix this?
Some browsers and Java Web Start cache
(hang on to) outdated Web Start files longer than they're supposed
to.
When we upgraded to version 2.2 of the VaultletSuite,
we updated the Java Web Start file too. In order to get your computer
to use the new configuration file, you're going to have to clear
your cache(s).
Here's how you can clear your cache(s) and get back
to using the VaultletSuite, according to whether you use the VaultletSuite
desktop launchers or your browser to start the VaultletSuite:
For those using an outdated desktop launcher:
1) Clear your Java Web Start cache using these
instructions.
2) Download and install the latest version of
the VaultletSuite launchers
installer.
For those using your browser or email
client to launch the VaultletSuite 2 Go from the footer of a
VaultletMail "tickler" message:
1) Clear your Java Web Start cache using these
instructions.
2) Clear your browser cache using these instructions.
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How do I get Sun's Java Web Start
to work with my browser and/or email client?
Note (2007.07.14): Due to
the numerous patience trying quirks involved in using Sun's
Java Web Start to start the VaultletSuite 2 Go, we no longer
recommend that you use it unless you're prepared to roll up
your sleeves and scratch your head a bit. Our preferred (and
supported!) methods are now: using the VaultletSuite 2 Go Launcher
and Updater installed on your 1) hard drive or 2) USB drive.
While Sun's Java Web Start does work for most people
(~80%), your browser may need a tweak or two to make
it work correctly with Java Web Start.
So, even though the VaultletSuite
2 Go Launcher and Updater is now our preferred method for
starting the VaultletSuite, we still offer browser configuration
help for Internet Explorer and Firefox,
Mozilla and Netscape.
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