Security FAQs - OS 9 Version

Q: What is my Encryption Key?

When you first launch BackJack you will be taken through our Easy Setup process. As part of this process, you will generate an Encryption key that BackJack will use to encrypt and decrypt files on your computer. Once your files are encrypted, the only way to decrypt them is using this key. Therefore, you must never lose this key once it is generated for you!! If your key is lost, so are your files - we cannot help you since we will never know what your key is.

Q: How is the Encryption Key generated?

BackJack offers two ways to generate your encryption key - a Standard or an Advanced method. BackJack defaults to the Standard method; however, you may choose to use the Advanced method if you have the ability to get the key off of your hard drive and keep it in a safe, off-site location.

If you choose the Standard method to generate your encryption key, the pass phrase that you use is the key that you will use to decrypt files on your computer.

If you choose the Advanced method, you would first enter a pass phrase. Once you have done this and click on 'Generate Unique Key', the computer will randomly generate an encryption key for you. This document must be copied to a floppy disk and stored off-site. In the event of a disaster, you would require both the pass phrase and the encryption key document in order to decrypt your files.

We never know or have access to your encryption key - if your key is lost, so are your files!

Q: I know that the passphrase is the most important piece of information that I must have - what if I don't know what it is? Is there a way to confirm it?

If you are not 100% sure that you know what your passphrase is, contact us right away! There is a way to confirm the accuracy of your passphrase is correct; however, it does require that we guide you through a series of steps as follows:

• quit BackJack if it's running
• navigate to your BackJack folder; Plugin Additions folder; Engine folder; within this folder, there is a file called BackJack Data (this file contains all of your current BackJack settings including scheduled backup sets, etc.)
• Take that file and drag it onto your desktop (DO NOT TRASH IT - you will need it later)
• close the Engine and Plugin Additions folders
• relaunch the BackJack application

When you do this, you are back to the Easy Setup process

• click on the re-installing button from the first screen.
• Next screen - enter your account ID, , password, your computer ID and email address
• Next screen - select Standard or Advanced encryption (99% of our users use Standard)
• Next screen - enter what you think your passphrase is - be careful when entering
• Next screen - it will ask whether you want to Rebuild File list - go ahead and click on that to begin that process

This will rebuild your file list from our servers - once that is done:

• go into the Recover window from BackJack's Main Console
• attempt to recover a single file from that list
• if you receive an error message indicating that the file is corrupted, you will know that the passphrase you used was incorrect - contact us immediately
• If the file is successfully recovered and you can open it, you know the passphrase is correct.

If you confirm the passphrase is correct, then all you need to do is reverse the original process with the BackJack data file - therefore

• Quit BackJack
• navigate to your BackJack folder; Plugin Additions folder; Engine folder, trash the old BackJack data file
• Take your 'good' BackJack data file that you had previously dragged to the desktop and put it back into the Engine folder
• launch BackJack and you will be back to your original configuration

Q: We have multiple computers at our location. Do we have to have a separate encryption key for each computer or can we share one?

Actually, the answer is both. Each computer user can generate his or her own encryption key. However, keep in mind that it is very important for them to remember the pass phrase (if they used the Standard encryption key setup method) or store their encryption key on a floppy disk stored off-site in the event of a disaster (if they used the Advanced encryption key setup method)!

It is also possible for a System Administrator to generate one encryption key and use it for all of the computers at that location. Obviously, this eases in the task of administration.