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Re: Pure Python Data Mangling or Encrypting

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On Wed, 24 Jun 2015 13:20:07 -0500, Randall Smith <randall@tnr.cc>
declaimed the following:

>On 06/24/2015 06:36 AM, Steven D'Aprano wrote:
>> I don't understand how mangling the data is supposed to protect the
>> recipient. Don't they have the ability unmangle the data, and thus expose
>> themselves to whatever nasties are in the files?
>
>They never look at the data and wouldn't care to unmangle it.  The 
>purpose is primarily to prevent automated software (file indexers, virus 
>scanners) from doing bad things to the data.
>

	Which leads to the question: what is "doing bad things".

	File indexers and virus scanners just read files. In the case of the
latter, if they detect a virus they tend to quarantine the file (or even
delete it depending upon settings). You want viruses to NOT BE detected?
Indexers read the file looking for strings to incorporate into the index;
they often skip known binary file types (what are the odds of finding
meaningful text in a JPEG file). And encryption isn't going to stop the
scanners from looking at the file anyway.

	If the goal is to avoid an indexer retrieving "classified" string
contents, the main solution is to turn off indexing on that drive.

	I still don't see anything /I/ would call a "recipient" here. "They
never look at the data and wouldn't care to unmangle it" describes junk
tossed into a waste basket -- stuff comes in but is never used again, and
when the basket is full someone has to empty it to make room for more junk.
-- 
	Wulfraed                 Dennis Lee Bieber         AF6VN
    wlfraed@ix.netcom.com    HTTP://wlfraed.home.netcom.com/

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Thread

Pure Python Data Mangling or Encrypting Randall Smith <randall@tnr.cc> - 2015-06-23 14:02 -0500
  Re: Pure Python Data Mangling or Encrypting Steven D'Aprano <steve@pearwood.info> - 2015-06-24 21:36 +1000
    Re: Pure Python Data Mangling or Encrypting Grant Edwards <invalid@invalid.invalid> - 2015-06-24 14:02 +0000
      Re: Pure Python Data Mangling or Encrypting Emile van Sebille <emile@fenx.com> - 2015-06-24 08:52 -0700
        Re: Pure Python Data Mangling or Encrypting Grant Edwards <invalid@invalid.invalid> - 2015-06-24 16:16 +0000
          Re: Pure Python Data Mangling or Encrypting Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2015-06-25 02:23 +1000
            Re: Pure Python Data Mangling or Encrypting Grant Edwards <invalid@invalid.invalid> - 2015-06-24 18:23 +0000
          Re: Pure Python Data Mangling or Encrypting Dennis Lee Bieber <wlfraed@ix.netcom.com> - 2015-06-24 21:24 -0400
      Re: Pure Python Data Mangling or Encrypting Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2015-06-25 01:55 +1000
      Re: Pure Python Data Mangling or Encrypting Emile van Sebille <emile@fenx.com> - 2015-06-24 09:09 -0700
    Re: Pure Python Data Mangling or Encrypting Randall Smith <randall@tnr.cc> - 2015-06-24 13:20 -0500
      Re: Pure Python Data Mangling or Encrypting Grant Edwards <invalid@invalid.invalid> - 2015-06-24 18:29 +0000
        Re: Pure Python Data Mangling or Encrypting Randall Smith <randall@tnr.cc> - 2015-06-24 14:00 -0500
          Re: Pure Python Data Mangling or Encrypting Grant Edwards <invalid@invalid.invalid> - 2015-06-24 21:24 +0000
            Re: Pure Python Data Mangling or Encrypting Randall Smith <randall@tnr.cc> - 2015-06-24 18:13 -0500
    Re: Pure Python Data Mangling or Encrypting Dennis Lee Bieber <wlfraed@ix.netcom.com> - 2015-06-24 21:33 -0400
    Re: Pure Python Data Mangling or Encrypting Randall Smith <randall@tnr.cc> - 2015-06-25 14:41 -0500

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