Shoutbox

I noticed when the log has been decrypted it is stored as a file on the hard drive (then made hidden it seems). Couldn't it be possible to just recover that deleted file using various programs?

Could there be another way of storing the unencrypted file so it cannot be recovered?

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Originally posted by linx05
I noticed when the log has been decrypted it is stored as a file on the hard drive (then made hidden it seems). Couldn't it be possible to just recover that deleted file using various programs?

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It could be possible in theory, yes. But the chances that you would be able to do that are extremely slim if not non-existing at all. By the time you want to recover the deleted file, there already have been extremely many other disk write operations, which simply overwrote the file.

quote:

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Originally posted by linx05
Could there be another way of storing the unencrypted file so it cannot be recovered?

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yes, memory mapped files. But this has other big disadvantages and I'm not even sure if you would be able to decently load them in MSIE in the first place. I don't see why you wouldn't use a temporary file though. If anything, a simply overwrite to the file would be more than sufficient.

Memory files cannot be used reliably with IE and in any case, you have to remember that the log file accesses pictures in the Imaghes sub-directory so if the file is not physically there, a lot of limitations occur.

Many fail-safe mechanism in the log viewer have already been implemented, including deleting files even if the Log Viewer crashes and filling the temporary decrypted log file with garbage before deleting it (to prevent recovering with undelete tools).

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Originally posted by Patchou
Many fail-safe mechanism in the log viewer have already been implemented, including deleting files even if the Log Viewer crashes and filling the temporary decrypted log file with garbage before deleting it (to prevent recovering with undelete tools).

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That sounds quite handy. Thank you.

Ok, My first post here, been reading for a while but I'm not quite sure if the kind of thing I'm requesting is allowed.

Basically, for reasons which belong to myself, I need to read a .ple file for which I do not have the password. I've been searching and searching. I've found a decryptor - but you need the password.

I've managed to obtain the MSN password using a program, but it's not the same as the one used to protect the .ple file.

Is it possible or is there a program, that can obtain the password?

The Messenger Plus is "Messenger Plus! Live"

EDIT: Please forgive me if this is the wrong place for this kind of thing. My sould is tormented right now. If you know of anyway to do this and don't want to risk your account, pm me.

quote:

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Originally posted by ohyouknowme
Ok, My first post here, been reading for a while but I'm not quite sure if the kind of thing I'm requesting is allowed.

Basically, for reasons which belong to myself, I need to read a .ple file for which I do not have the password. I've been searching and searching. I've found a decryptor - but you need the password.

I've managed to obtain the MSN password using a program, but it's not the same as the one used to protect the .ple file.

Is it possible or is there a program, that can obtain the password?

The Messenger Plus is "Messenger Plus! Live"

EDIT: Please forgive me if this is the wrong place for this kind of thing. My sould is tormented right now. If you know of anyway to do this and don't want to risk your account, pm me.

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Without the password .ple files are big pieces of garbage, there's no way of recovering the password, it's not saved and it would take thousands of years to brute-force the file.

Yeah that's what I figured.

So how does Messenger Plus! know the password if it's not saved?

The first couple of bytes are always the same in every file, Plus! decrypts the file with the password given and checks if the first couple of bytes are correct.

So is it something akin to an md5 validation?

Or more like a wireless network passord - you put in a real word, it generates a code, a code which (in theory) is needed to connect to the network?

no, if you look at the log file decrypted it always has the same couple of bytes.

like: MP4L

Plus! also encrypts this.

If you decrypt the file with the correct password this word is readable, when it's the wrong password it's not readable, so it knows it was the wrong password.

EDIT: Read Tool to encrypt or decrypt log files for more info about the encryption.