This is the online documentation for Tamalin Panther Sleek. The online edition is updated more frequently than the included help files provided with Panther Sleek, but you will need an active internet connection to view the most recent updates. If you are not connected to the internet, please use the built in support system if you encounter any problems (accesible under the “Help” menu).
Panther Sleek is a cryptographic application written in Java designed for ease of use, and strength. Panther Sleek uses the AES or Advanced Encryption Standard, a standard, strong encryption algorithm, to encrypt documents, pictures, and anything else on your computer. Keys are used to manage encryption and decryption instead of a password. Keys have some important advantages over passwords. For example, while it would be easy for some to guess your easy to remember password: "fido123", it is a lot harder to "guess" a key. You do not have to remember your key. The key is stored in an encrypted file, on your hard drive. You can send your keys to other people on, removable media. Panther Sleek version 2.0 is released under the Apache License.
Installing Panther Sleek is simple. Once at the Panther Sleek Home Page, select the appropriate download for your operating system. There is also a universal binary (a JAR file) that can be run directly on any compatible operating system. Before installing Panther Sleek, make sure your system meets the following minimum requirements:
The Java SE 6+ runtime is installed. If you don't have it, or you're not sure, you can go to http://www.java.com to find out, and download the installer if needed. Java is included with Mac OS X by default, so if you have a mac, you should already have Java.
Ensure that OpenJDK is not installed on your computer. If you are running Ubuntu 10.04 or another linux distribution, this might be installed by default. Check with your package manager (eg. Synaptic) to find out. You can also run sudo dpkg -l | grep openjdk in the terminal.
Panther Sleek should integrate very well with the Macintosh environment. Just follow the same steps you always would to install a program, and follow any instructions you are given.
If you are running a debian based linux system, you can download the Debian Package (.deb) file from the home page. Once you have downloaded the file, double click it to launch the installer. Select “install package”, then enter your adminstrative credentials. The package should install and create a launcher under the accessories menu, and the application can also be run by executing the command panthersleek.
Installing on Windows should be like installing any other program. Download the Windows executable file from the home page, then double click it to start the installer. Follow the on-screen instructions, and click “next” when you are done with each part of the installation. When you are done, an icon should appear on your desktop, and in your start menu.
Panther Sleek is available for download as a universal binary, which will run without installation on any computer that fits the minimum requirements. To run the binary, just double clicked the downloaded file. If the program doesn't run, or opens as an archive with another application, try right clicking it and select “Run with Java SE 6” or a similar option. You can also run it from the command line by typing java -jar /path/to/binary/binary-name.jar.
To encrypt text the text in the text area, select “Edit | Encrypt Text” or press Ctrl+E (⌘E on the Mac), making sure the correct key is selected (The same key must be used for successful decryption). When selecting an encryption key, make sure that it's type matches the program's current encryption type. When prompted, choose a file to save the encrypted data in, and select "Encrypt". If the operation completes successfully, the encrypted data will be saved in that file.
If you want to encrypt a file that already exists on your hard drive, select “File | Encrypt File”, making sure the correct key is selected in the drop-down box. When prompted, choose the file that you want to encrypt and click “Encrypt”. If the operation completes successfully, the encrypted version of the file should appear in the same directory as the original file, with the extension .ef. Note: the key must be the same type as the program mode, as shown above.
If you would like Panther Sleek to automatically show you the fingerprint of a the message every time you encrypt text data, you can turn on automatic fingerprinting. To turn on automatic fingerprinting, select “Tools | Automatic Fingerprints”.
To decrypt text and show it in the text area, select “Edit | Decrypt Text” or press Ctrl+D (⌘D on the Mac), making sure the correct key is selected (This must be the same key used to encrypt the data). When prompted, choose the file where the encrypted data was stored, and select "Decrypt". If the operation completes successfully, the decrypted data will be displayed in the text area. Note: To display properly in the text file, the original information must have been in text format: HTML, XML, SGML, and other formats like OpenOffice.org and Microsoft Word documents will not display as intented. Also, the decryption key must be the same type as the program mode, as shown in the figure above.
To decrypt encrypted files saved on your hard drive, select “File | Decrypt File”, making sure the correct key is selected in the drop-down box. When prompted, choose the file that you want to decrypt and click “Decrypt”. If the operation completes successfully, the decrypted version of the file should appear in the same directory as the encrypted file, with it's regular extension. Note: the key must be the same type as the program mode, as shown in the figure above.
Just like every person, all text has a "fingerprint", or a unique sequence of bytes that identifies it. Fingerprints are often used to confirm the integrity of a file. Matching files will have matching fingerprints, but a file that was tampered with or corrupted in transit will have a different fingerprint than the original. If you send a message to friend, you can compare the fingerprints to ensure that he received exactly what you sent.
To find the fingerprint of a file, select “File | Find File Fingerprint”. When prompted, choose the file you want to fingerprint and select “Open”. The fingerprint will be displayed in a dialog, where you can copy and paste it. Clicking “OK” will close the dialog.
To find the fingerprint of the text in the text area, select “Edit | Compute Fingerprint” or press Ctrl+F (⌘F on Mac). The fingerprint will be displayed in a dialog, where you can copy and paste it. Clicking “OK” will close the dialog.
To work with your keys, add new ones, delete old ones, or export, import, and share them, use the Key Manager. The key manager can be opened by selecting “Tools | Key Manager” or pressing Ctrl+K (⌘K on the Mac).
To add a new key to your list of available keys, select "New Key" from the key manager dialog box. When prompted, enter the name of your new key in the name field, and in the seed field, enter a random seed to use for the new key. It is critical that your seed is random, so it can not be guessed by anyone with less than benign intentions. The best method for creating random seeds is by pressing random keys, for example: ofa9i&hjq0h_wfp0h?lNscOIEfh. Make sure the new key is at least 20 characters long. You can also select "Generate Seed" to automatically generate a random seed, but you should rely on this only as a starting point, because computer generated seeds have been shown to not be 100% random.
To remove a key from the list, select the key that you want to remove, and select "Remove Key" to remove it. You will be presented with a dialog requesting confirmation. If you are completely sure that you want to delete that key, select "Yes", but if not, select "No", and the operation will be canceled. To back up a key incase it is needed later, select "Export Key". Note: It is recommended that you encrypt your backed up key by selecting “File | Encrypt File” and selecting the key file.
To export a key from the list in and save it to file, select the key and choose "Export Key". When prompted, choose the file where you want to save the key and select "OK". You can now archive the key for backup or send a copy to someone else.
To import a key from a file into the list of usable keys, select "Import Key". When prompted, choose the file where the key is stored, and select "OK".
Each key has a "fingerprint", or unique sequence of bytes that identify a key. Each key has a different fingerprint, so fingerprints can be used to compare and indentify keys, like people, and ensure they are identical. To find the fingerprint of a key, select the key, and choose "Find Key Fingerprint". Note: Just like a person's fingerprint doesn't tell you anything about their personality, the fingerprint will not help anyone "guess" your key, so it is safe to share your fingerprint over unencrypted channels.
Tamalin Panther Sleek is released under the Apache 2.0 License. More information, including a copy of the license, can be found at http://panther.tamalin.org/sleek/legal. The license and it's corresponding NOTICE file are included in the JAR file or within the installation directory.