WhoIsIt organizes encrypted files by icon, directory (folder), and data set.

Icon

 An icon is a Windows Short Cut or executable file that runs a specific program when selected.

Directory

A directory refers to a Windows directory (folder) or a path which contains the files you wish to encrypt.

Data Set

A data set is a group of directories or icons you wish to encrypt. If you have specific files that you wish to encrypt in the same directory with files you do not want to encrypt, use the Windows Explorer or another suitable program to organize the files into common directories

Selecting directories to protect

Before you can protect your sensitive information, you must select which directories should be protected. WhoIsIt lets you apply protection to a set of directories. Normally you will define only a primary data set of directories.

Primary Data Set

Directories included in this data set will be automatically encrypted and decrypted when you click encrypt or decrypt primary from the WhoIsIt menu. Desktop icons or icons on the start menu may not be included in the Primary data set.

To select directories (folders) to include in the Primary data set, use the navigation buttons in the Protection settings dialog box to find the directory. Highlight the desired directory by clicking on it. If you wish to specify a sub-directory, click on the Expand button to expand the directory tree and click on the appropriate subdirectory.

We recommend that large directories , be assigned to their own separate data set. 

If you want to protect large amounts of data, you probably want to define multiple data sets. This will allow you to encrypt and decrypt only selected sets of your data. It also speeds the decryption/encryption process.  Directories that contain files you use often should be in the primary set. Files you only need occasionally can be in separate sets.

Convenient access to the primary data set
For convenience, you can encrypt and decrypt the primary data set by clicking Encrypt Primary and Decrypt Primary from the system menu of the WhoIsIt icon. (shown above)

Protecting settings

Selecting Protection settings from the WhoIsIt menu (shown above) presents you with a dialog box containing three list boxes: (shown below) The list box to the left lists hard drives and directories on your machine. The list box in the middle lists the currently defined data sets. The list box to the right lists all directories in the data set currently selected in the middle list box. For example the data set Banking contains the Quicken, Tax Records and Work Files directories.  When you select a different set in the middle list box, the contents of the right list box is updated.

To include a directory in the set selected in the middle list box, first click that directory in the leftmost list box. Then click the Include button to include the directory in the list of directories in the rightmost list box. To view subdirectories of a directory in the leftmost list box, double click the parent directory which will then open up to show the subdirectories (if there are any).

If you want to exclude a directory from the currently selected set of protected directories, click the directory in the rightmost list box and press the Exclude button. The next time you select Encrypt this directory will not be encrypted, and the files stored there will remain available to all users.

Adding and deleting data sets

You add a data set by pressing the Add button. This opens the New Data Set dialog (shown below) 

You will be asked to fill in a name for the data set. To delete a selected data set, click the Delete button. The primary data set is predefined, and can not be deleted.

Securing a data set including a directory in a data set does not protect it there and then, it simply registers it for protection at some later time. The actual protection is applied to the data set when you press the Encrypt button. Before you encrypt a data set, close all applications that have sensitive files open.

Gaining access to protected files

When a data set has been secured, (Encrypted) the secured directories will appear to be empty. To make the files reappear, you must decrypt the files of the data set. You decrypt a data set by selecting it in the middle list box and then clicking the Decrypt button. Before decrypting, WhoIsIt will check that you are an authorized user. This normally requires you to place your finger on a fingerprint sensor for fingerprint matching, look into a camera for face matching or speak into the microphone for voice matching.

Security can be tightened even further by configuring the system to use an old fashion typed crypto key. The crypto key can be used in combination with all or any of the biometrics to unlock a data set that has been encrypted. If you choose to use only a crypto key and no biometrics, WhoIsIt will decrypt data sets using the typed crypto key only. .  

Selecting the biometric to use with encryption/decryption. 

You control the authentication method for a data set by clicking the Security button.  This opens the Security options dialog box and positions you at the Authentication tab (shown below)

Authentication tab

This is where you select what biometric will be used to decrypt a specific data set. If you check off more the one biometric as (shown above) decrypting that data set will require that the user submit to all three. Face, voice and fingerprint before WhoIsIt will decrypt the data set.

File protection tab

In the File protection dialog box you can select how WhoIsIt encrypts the data.

• Maximum security means that WhoIsIt will read, write and verify plain text before the data is encrypted.

• Medium security but faster means that WhoIsIt will not read, right and verify just encrypt.

• Low security but extremely fast means the WhoIsIt does not encrypt the data. The data is renamed, moved and hidden.

Icon protection Tab

WhoIsIt can protect any Windows application programs from unauthorized use such as Windows Explorer, Microsoft Word, Power Point and database application programs.  

Protect Icons with gatekeeper 

This selection (shown above) configures WhoIsIt so that when icons included in the current data set are selected from Windows, biometric authentication or crypto key entry (password) as specified by the decryption options, is required to run the program represented by that icon.

Maximum security  

This selection completely restricts access to icons included in the current data set by encrypting the executable file in the selected data set. When an icon with this restriction is selected from windows, a message box informs the user that access is restricted. No attempt is made to perform biometric authentication.