Secure Device 1.4 QuestionSecure Device 1.4 Question

I just installed Secure Device, v1.4 on a PC at work.  After 
installing it, I looked at the encrypted volume and found the string 
"SECDEV  " starting at the fourth byte of the file.  I'd prefer that 
this file look like some temporary file that got left on the disk by 
a program that didn't clean up properly after itself, and not be 
identifiable as an encrypted volume.

Is there a way to get Secure Device to not leave identifiable 
plaintext like that in the file?  Will I do any harm to the file if 
I replace that string with blanks, or something more innocuous?  If 
it's required to be there, then I'd like to put its removal on the 
"wish list" for the next version.  (I copied the file, replaced the 
string "SECDEV" with blanks using a hex editor, and then mounted the 
copy as an encrypted volume, and it seems to be working OK, but I 
wanted to make sure this won't cause unforseen problems in the 
future.)

As you've probably guessed, I'm not supposed to have any personal 
files on my work computer, and an entire encrypted volume would 
undoubtedly make someone go ballistic if they discovered it.  When I 
want to use my encrypted file system, I reboot off of a floppy, and 
all Secure Device programs and drivers are kept on the floppy.  The 
only thing that has to be left on the hard drive is the encrypted 
volume itself.

Please post a copy of any replies to the Cypherpunks mailing list at 
"cypherpunks@toad.com".  Thanks.

> I just installed Secure Device, v1.4 on a PC at work.  After 
> installing it, I looked at the encrypted volume and found the string 
> "SECDEV  " starting at the fourth byte of the file.  I'd prefer that 
> this file look like some temporary file that got left on the disk by 
> a program that didn't clean up properly after itself, and not be 
> identifiable as an encrypted volume.

Problems with that:
  1. SecDev needs a way to easily ID it's own files. Encrypting a known
     ID string would be a weakness (known plaintext) so it's better to
     have a plaintext identifyer.

  2. If someone thinks it's a lost TMP file they will delete it. Not a
     risk you want.  It's better if they think it's a strange type of
     swap file or something needed by an application.


[..]

Source is available... so you can change the ID string in source to
something innocuous yet unique and recompile it.

> As you've probably guessed, I'm not supposed to have any personal 
> files on my work computer, and an entire encrypted volume would 
> undoubtedly make someone go ballistic if they discovered it.  When I 
> want to use my encrypted file system, I reboot off of a floppy, and 
> all Secure Device programs and drivers are kept on the floppy.  The 
> only thing that has to be left on the hard drive is the encrypted 
> volume itself.

Well, there's a risk of someone seeing a mysterious file and deleting
it anyway... assuming they don't go ballistic over it anyhow.

There's also a risk of someone peering over your shoulder and noticing
that something's afoot as well, is there not?