News Rover Password Protection and Encryption

• SSL (encrypted) connections to Usenet news servers.
• Password controlled access to the program.
• Password controlled access to selected newsgroups.
• Encryption of downloaded files.

In a world where it is increasingly important to protect your privacy, wouldn't you rather use a Usenet newsreader that provides password controlled access and file encryption?

SSL secure, encrypted connections to Usenet news servers

If your news server offers SSL connections, you can tell News Rover to use encrypted connections while downloading messages and files:

"Privileged Mode" and "Protected Mode"

In privileged mode you have full access to all newsgroups, and you can select which groups are to be password protected and encrypted.

In protected mode, newsgroups that are password protected are hidden, and password control options are not available.

Entering Privileged Mode

When News Rover starts, it always initially enters protected mode. To enter privileged mode click "Control" and select the option:

News Rover will prompt you to enter your password. If you enter the correct password, it will switch to privileged mode.

When you "subscribe" to newsgroups you can specify if they are to be password protected and encrypted. You also can change the properties later if you are running in privileged mode.

While running in privileged mode, password protected newsgroups are visible, and you can view messages and files.

You can switch to protected mode at any time.

If News Rover is in protected mode, password protected newsgroups are completly hidden.

Additional password control functions

If you wish, you can set News Rover so that your password must be entered to run the program. You also can configure it so that it will switch into protected mode automatically after it has been idle for a specified time.

Is the password option a separate program? No, the password option is part of News Rover and does not involve installing any additional programs or components.

I've already registered News Rover, how can I get the password option? If you've already registered News Rover, you can enable the password option for a cost of only $9.90. All you have to do is order the password protection option.

What can be protected with the password option? You can mark as password protected any newsgroup, interest group, filing folder, Global Usenet search as well as your e-mail Inbox and Outbox. Password protected items are completely hidden when running in protected mode.

Can News Rover scan restricted newsgroups and interest groups while running in protected mode? Yes, News Rover can scan restricted newsgroups and interest groups while running in protected mode. However, the name of the newsgroup being scanned is not displayed and the subject of the message being downloaded is not shown.

What else is restricted when running in protected mode? In addition to hiding restricted newsgroups, protected mode also prohibits display of the duplicate file name list, the list of pending multi-part files and the event log. The names of restricted newsgroups are not shown while Autoscan is running and the subjects of messages in restricted newsgroups are hidden while they are being downloaded. The options to password protect newsgroups and encrypt files are not displayed when running in protected mode.

Can I protected my personal E-mail? Yes, you can password protect your e-mail Inbox and/or Outbox.

Can I allow access to some newsgroups while protecting others? Yes, you can turn on password protection for some newsgroups and leave others unprotected. When running in protected mode only subscribed newsgroups, interest groups and filing folders that are not password protected will be shown. In addition, when in protected mode restricted newsgroups are not shown in list of newsgroups avilable on the news server, and messages may not be posted to them. You can password protect newsgroups without subscribing to them.

Is it easy to switch between privileged and protected modes? Yes, just click the "Control" option on the main menu and select which mode you want to run in. Of course, you must enter your password when switching into privileged mode. News Rover always starts in protected mode.

What happens if I forget and leave News Rover running in privileged mode? If you wish, you can engage an option that will cause News Rover to switch automatically into protected mode if there is no activity at your computer for a specified amount of time. So if you leave your desk while News Rover is running in privileged mode, you can relax because your sensitive information will be protected after a short while.

What happens when attachment encryption is engaged? News Rover automatically encrypts both messages and the contents and the names of files as they are downloaded and stored on disk. Thus a file whose real name is "mary.jpg" might be stored with a name such as "aqrz.wyt". Even if the file is renamed using an external program, its contents are scrambled and cannot be viewed. Thus your files are protected and cannot be viewed or played using external programs. If you engage encryption for a group that already has files, News Rover sweeps through the files and encrypts each one. If you decide later to turn off encryption for the group, News Rover sweeps through the files and decrypts them. Thumbnail picture images are encrypted as well as the full-size image files.

How do I decrypt my files? News Rover does this for you automatically. When you click on the name of an attachment in a message (the unencrypted name is shown), or view the thumbnail image in the picture gallery, or access the file in any other way from within News Rover, it is automatically decrypted on-the-fly. When you use the 'Save' or 'Save as' options to move the file from within News Rover to an external directory, it is decrypted as it is moved.

Can encryption be used with any type of file? Yes, any type of file -- jpg, gif, mpg, avi, wav, etc. -- can be encrypted and decrypted by News Rover.

Can I use an external program to view or play encrypted files? When you click on the name of a file within News Rover, and it is of a type that News Rover cannot display itself (e.g., avi, mpg, etc.), News Rover makes a temporary unencrypted copy of the file and invokes the appropriate program to play or view the unencrypted file. The temporary file is automatically deleted by News Rover when it is no longer needed.

News Rover home page

Download free 30-day evaluation copy of News Rover

Download free 30-day evaluation copy of News Rover

Order the password protection option