29 March 2013

MessageExport Add-on for MS Outlook Update Is Released


Encryptomatic LLC has released a maintenance update for MessageExport version (2.2.5.2700).
 
- Resolved an issue relating to export of emails to MBOX format
- Added support for very large PDF files
- Added support for localized versions of Outlook 2003
- Resolved an issue around releasing the license activation during uninstallation on 32-bit platforms.
- Removed an annoying dialog message from the Export Scheduler
- Hotfix for Outlook 2013 x64
- Improved Enterprise Vault support

MessageExport is an add-on for Microsoft Outlook. It can be used to convert convert Outlook emails individually, or in large batches.  Supported email conversion formats include .PDF, .CSV (for import into MS Excel), .EML, .MSG, .JPG, .TXT, .MHT, .GIF, .TIF.

Current customers can update through their software as part of their updates and support program. New customers can download a free trial of MessageExport.

Screen shot of MessageExport running in Outlook 2013.
MessageExport Add-on In Outlook 2013


21 March 2013

Convert Outlook Email to JPG with MessageExport

JPEG is short for the Joint Photographic Experts Group, a group that specializes in developing and maintaining the standards of compressing images.  JPEG is a well know standard for image file compression. It has become very well known and is widely adopted across the World Wide Web.

Sometimes Microsoft Outlook users may need to convert email messages into JPEG files for archiving or other purposes.  This capability (export Outlook email to JPEG) does not exist natively within Microsoft Outlook, but can be added by installing the Message Export add-in for Outlook.
MessageExport integrates directly into Outlook 2003, 2007, or 2010. It becomes part of the Outlook menu system, and it is used from inside Outlook. Once installed, you will find a toolbar with MessageExport's functions within Outlook.
Follow these instructions to export Outlook email to JPG with MessageExport:
  1. Open Microsoft Outlook and click on the "MessageExport" tab.
  2. Next, select the Outlook folder or emails you want to save as a JPG file.
  3. Choose "Export to JPG" from the MessageExport drop down list.
  4. Click Export

MessageExport expands Outlook's ability to export email messages to JPEG and many other formats, including PDF, MSG, EML, HTML, MHT, MBOX, GIF, TIF, PNG, TXT and CSV. For more information and to download a free trial, visit the MessageExport home page.
If you need to export email messages from Outside of Microsoft Outlook (i/e you don't have Outlook installed on your computer) then PstViewer Pro may be a better a choice for you.  PstViewer Pro also can export Outlook email to JPEG, reading messages from either a .PST file or .MSG files.
















10 March 2013

Beat Hackers With Strong Passwords

How secure is your password?
As computing power has strengthened and hacking attacks have become more sophisticated, devising a secure password and keeping it safe has become crucial. Nearly every website that requires signup will require you to invent a password so that you can log in and access your account.
People will try to ease the burden of creating and remembering passwords by using one similar password for all their logins, or typing a short one easy to remember, or that contains personal information.  Research has shown that one of the most widely used passwords is “password,” followed by “12345678.”

By creating passwords that are easy to remember, you expose yourself what is known as a “dictionary attack.”  Hacking software like John the Ripper, improves the hacker’s odds of success by beginning with words in the dictionary. By using a standard verb noun construction (i/e runningwater) you have just played into a hacker’s hands, because that construction will be among the first to be attempted.
Some people believe that so-called “leek speak,” where numbers are substituted for letters (such as “l33k_$p34k” is safe.   Hacking software can easily allow for these kinds of patterned substitutions and with modern computing power, millions of these constructions can be attempted within seconds. Avoid leek-speak only passwords in favor of introducing more randomness to the password construction.

The fact is, having an easy to remember secret pin that consists of common words, name and birthday dates will make it easy to be discovered or bypassed by hackers. In addition, having a short or weak password can also lead to this. Despite websites and other places that request passwords urging their clients to come up with concrete and long enough passwords to increase confidentiality, the advice is usually not followed. It’s good to go an extra mile and create a strong one which you can be assured that nobody is able to guess. To create strong passwords follow these guidelines:

Length: It good to create a password with more than eight characters. Hacking software will take more time to hack a longer password compared to a shorter one. Therefore make it a habit to formulate longer ones. Make it a rule to always use a password that is maximum length that website allows.  Even if your password is just “marbelfool” but the website allows up to 15 characters, you will still be better off if you substitute a single character for the remaining allowed spaces, such as “marbelfool^^^^^”.

Complexity: Be a little creative and use different letters in the keyboard. Include punctuations, alphabets and symbols and figures. The more you are able to use different characters the more your password is safe. Don’t use the usual “12345” or “abcde.”  You are making it much too easy for somebody. A password mixed with both upper and lowercase alphabets mixed with numbers and symbols would take less time to crack compared with a password containing same kind of keyboard letters. However, be aware also some hacking software can detect widely used letter-to-symbol conversions, for instance “to” to “2” or “and” to “&.”  Other ways to create a complex password may include:
  • Using a sentence as a password. This not only makes it complex but also stronger.
  • Intentionally misspell words and avoiding dictionary or grammatically correct words improves strength.
  • For any of these methods, toss in a few random characters like “%^*#@$”, and the strength improves exponentially.
Variation: Change your password often to keep them effective. Always set a timely reminder to change your secret pins on your credit card websites, banking, and email about every three months.
Variety: Have a unique password different from others for each environment. Don’t get irritated when logging into your social networks, email, online retailers and any other website with changed passwords. Never, ever use the same password and login on more than one website.

Use a secret email for password reset: If the website allows it, use a secret email account for resetting your password.  By secret, I mean use an email account that is not used for logging into any other website.  One of the ways that hackers are successful in getting into your account is simply by hacking into your email, and then going to your bank account and asking for a password reset. Your bank sends a reset email to your main email account, and the hacker is in.

How many times have you been asked for “mother’s maiden name” or “city you were born” when resetting a password?  You can probably think of hundreds of people who know this information, so don’t use it. For many of us, familial information can be easily tracked down on websites that track our family trees, or from indexed news articles. Instead of using your mother's maiden name, enter something more random. If the answer to “Mother’s maiden name”  is “n3wy@#$” it will make hacking your account much more difficult.

Guard your passwords closely. Protecting your password is one of the most important things you can do.  Keep it secret from everybody and only store them in a secure, encrypted location. You might have a complex and high strength password but if you don’t protect them, then your accounts are not safe. Try memorizing your most frequently used passwords. Never type passwords over a public computer network, such as cyber café wifi, unless you want to be a victim of cyber-crimes.
Yes, protecting your passwords is hard work. Being safe begins with being aware, and it takes work. Accept this fact, and you are well on your way to being secure on the internet.

This article is brought to you by your friends at Lockbin.com, who care about your privacy and well being. Try Lockbin for free online email encryption, and secure document sharing

04 March 2013

MVCOM Email Parsing Component: What Content/Meta-data Does It Track

MVCOM is a COM component that software developers use to manage email content stored in Outlook .pst, .msg, or .eml files. It's the same technology used in Encryptomatic's email viewers, like Pst Viewer Pro.

Today a customer asked: 
When the component extracts a pst file, does it write to a temporary table in memory?

During the extract, what content/metadata of each file does it track? 


MVCOM component keeps temporary data in memory.
Such temporary data includes:
  • physical structure binary tree, also known as Node Database Layer.
  • logical structure binary tree, also known as Lists, Tables, and Properties (LTP) Layer
  • object structure, such as Messages/Folders objects, etc
  • Temporary data uses lazy initialization tactic of creation.
The temporary data table is empty after opening a PST/OST file, then it is being filled, step by step depending of course which data an application wants to extract.
For each PST/OST file MVCOM tracks header information, like:
  • Format version
  • ANSI/Unicode type
  • Encryption method
  • Store object location
  • etc
This information is low level and not available to end users.

For each message inside PST/OST the full set of content/metadata can be extracted by user.
The most common content can be extracted directly, for example
  • Subject
  • Sent/Receive datetime
  • From,
  • To/CC/BCC lists
  • message Body
  • Email file attachments and more.

MVCOM can read all native MAPI properties, so you can extract metadata, such as
  • Transport Headers,
  • Priority,
  • Labels,
  • ThreadIndex and more
  • (for additional information please refer MVCOM.MailItem.Properties method)