News

Cloak Hides Off Limits Files From Nosy Users

• By Stuart J. Johnston
• 02/03/2005

ScriptLogic is shipping Cloak, a tool that lets systems managers show individual users only those files and directories that they are allowed to access. Like the fabled stealth capability of Klingon warships, files and directories that users are not authorized to access become invisible to them.

The Boca Raton, Florida company says that Cloak will eliminate file system clutter for users while increasing overall security by making it harder for malicious or dishonest users to find data and files.

Cloak uses the NT File System in Windows 2000 Server and Windows Server 2003. When it is installed, “the Cloak file system driver hooks into the Windows kernel just like real-time anti-virus, open-file backup agent, and built-in Windows compression and encryption drivers,” according to a published statement on the company’s Web site.

“When a user makes a request of the server's file system, the request ... is analyzed by the Cloak driver before the results are returned to the user. The ACLs of the objects, including files and folders, are cross-referenced to the user's group membership. Objects that the user has no access to are filtered out before the results are returned,” the statement continues.

Additionally, because users will not see files that they don’t have authorization for, the number of mistaken or “just curious” attempts to access off limits files will be cut in the Windows security system audit logs. Fewer false alarms mean a less cluttered log where it should be easier to focus in on the real bad guys, ScriptLogic argues.

ScriptLogic Cloak Standard Edition costs $495 per server and supports an unlimited number of users per server. Cloak Small Business Edition costs $249 and supports a maximum of 75 users per server. Cloak runs on Standard, Enterprise, Datacenter and Small Business Server editions of Windows Server 2000/2003.