MLDBM

[Jeff Mott]

Is there a wrapper to perform encryption on an MLDBM database? Since
file permissions is a Unix-only feature, I'd prefer not to rely on
that. Data encryption would appear to be the only cross platform way
to keep the data secure. Unless someone has any better ideas...?

Also, am I able to lock this type of database? I did some testing and
it does not appear to force other processes to wait. Thus all the
usual race conditions and possibilities for corrupting the data
emerge.

 

[simonis]

Is there a wrapper to perform encryption on an MLDBM database? Since
file permissions is a Unix-only feature, I'd prefer not to rely on
that. Data encryption would appear to be the only cross platform way
to keep the data secure. Unless someone has any better ideas...?

Not sure how this is related to Perl.

Also, am I able to lock this type of database? I did some testing and
it does not appear to force other processes to wait. Thus all the
usual race conditions and possibilities for corrupting the data
emerge.

Is this like what you need:
http://search.cpan.org/author/CHAMAS/MLDBM-Sync-0.30/Sync.pm ??

 

[Jeff Mott]

Not sure how this is related to Perl.

errr....why are so many people so !@#$ %^&* about this kind of
thing?!?

There is an MLDBM module __FOR PERL__. I am importing this module into
my program, written __IN PERL__. I want this data secure without being
dependant on any particular OS. So I need a sub class of MLDBM (that
would be another __PERL MODULE__) that, using an encryption
implemention __WRITTEN FOR PERL__, encrypts/decrypts all data
stored/retrieved.

Are you seeing how this relates to Perl yet?

 

[Eric Schwartz]

errr....why are so many people so !@#$ %^&* about this kind of
thing?!?

Because a lot of people post questions like, "When I print this
javascript code to the browser with perl, it doesn't work. How should
I fix it?" Not to say your question is in that league, but after a
few thousand time, it does get old.

There is an MLDBM module __FOR PERL__. I am importing this module into
my program, written __IN PERL__. I want this data secure without being
dependant on any particular OS. So I need a sub class of MLDBM (that
would be another __PERL MODULE__) that, using an encryption
implemention __WRITTEN FOR PERL__, encrypts/decrypts all data
stored/retrieved.

So, you can't rely on OS permissions to prevent people from reading
the MLDBM file, but you can rely on them to prevent people from
reading the encryption/decryption key in your script? That makes no
sense to me, unless your program and MLDBM file are on different
OSes.

Seems to me you could use something like GnuPG::Interface or Crypt::*
to encrypt/decrypt the file, but you still get back to the question of
how your program can decrypt the file without letting anyone else see
the contents, and the only way I know of to do that is via OS
permissions.

Semi-on-topic: Doesn't NTFS have ACLs or some such that you could use
to the same effect as OS permissions? AFAIK, most other semi-modern
OSes have some sort equivalent to the Unix permissions model.

Are you seeing how this relates to Perl yet?

Your question seemed reasonable to me, and I'm semi-hair-trigger about
these things myself.

-=Eric

 

[simonis]

errr....why are so many people so !@#$ %^&* about this kind of
thing?!?

There is an MLDBM module __FOR PERL__. I am importing this module into
my program, written __IN PERL__. I want this data secure without being
dependant on any particular OS. So I need a sub class of MLDBM (that
would be another __PERL MODULE__) that, using an encryption
implemention __WRITTEN FOR PERL__, encrypts/decrypts all data
stored/retrieved.

Are you seeing how this relates to Perl yet?

No.