Virtual Box - Hide files from File Open/Save dialogs

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Enigma
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Virtual Box - Hide files from File Open/Save dialogs

Post by Enigma »

We are developing a new feature for Virtual Box that allows to hide virtual files from open/save file dialogs.
Some our clients do not want virtual files to be visible at all, some methods that allow to extract virtual files are also based on this principal, so we decided that such feature would be useful to help to protect some kind of files.

The feature is based on disabling file enumeration feature of Windows. This is a core thing because it can be not supported by many applications. Enabling this option in Virtual Box can damage workability of your application, please be careful with it!

For what files it works:
- most of exe and dll files
- any files that are accessed by application directly
(simple case: your application is used few dll files, you want to include these files into Virtual Box. Hide option can be enabled, it should not affect how the application works)

Where it does NOT work:
- application enumerate files in the folder to load them
(since we disabled enumeration, application won't see these files. Case: application has a folder with different themes or plugins, where you can put new themes/plugins or remove existing. Your application, first, will enumerate files and folders and then load it, so this won't work).

To cover different cases, we made this feature as much flexible as possible. You can:
1. Globally hide all virtual files and folders in the Options panel.
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2. Hide particular folder from enumeration, in Folder Properties dialog.
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screen2.png (13.27 KiB) Viewed 226342 times
3. Hide particular file in File Properties dialog.
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screen3.png (16.2 KiB) Viewed 226342 times
The option "Inherited" means that Hide/Show option will be taken from global setting from Options panel.

Feature is available in Enigma Protector's Virtual Box only, it is not available at Enigma Virtual Box.

Our customers with active subscription of Enigma Protector can get this version, please send request at support@enigmaprotector.com
annew95
Posts: 1
Joined: Tue May 26, 2020 10:36 pm

Re: Virtual Box - Hide files from File Open/Save dialogs

Post by annew95 »

Hi

What does hiding files means?

Does it means that if we place some dll, exe files inside Enigma Protector virtual box
then the windows file explorer will NOT be able to see them? Am I right?

Can we place in data files too into virtual box? data files that can be updated as the program is running?

TQ
Enigma
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Posts: 2939
Joined: Wed Aug 20, 2008 2:24 pm

Re: Virtual Box - Hide files from File Open/Save dialogs

Post by Enigma »

Imagine, the protected program can show file open/save dialogs. Virtual files are visible in these dialogs as well, if you point the dialog on the virtual folder.
Using this option it is possible to hide virtual files in these dialogs, so user won't see and know that some folder contains virtual files.
coolenough
Posts: 2
Joined: Wed Oct 20, 2021 10:40 am

Re: Virtual Box - Hide files from File Open/Save dialogs

Post by coolenough »

Hi, Though virtaul box files are hidden from File->Open dialog, they are available for File->Edit. This needs to be fixed ASAP.

I have bought your license and my files are not protected because of this bug...
Enigma
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Re: Virtual Box - Hide files from File Open/Save dialogs

Post by Enigma »

What do you mean in File - Edit? Give us more information.
coolenough
Posts: 2
Joined: Wed Oct 20, 2021 10:40 am

Re: Virtual Box - Hide files from File Open/Save dialogs

Post by coolenough »

Hi,

Many softwares have File -> Open / Save / Edit / Save As Dialogs

The "Edit" Dialog simply opens the hidden file.

so the way you have hidden the file from Open / Save dialogs, also add hidden state for "Edit" Dialogs
Enigma
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Re: Virtual Box - Hide files from File Open/Save dialogs

Post by Enigma »

Yes, but how do you think the file could be visible by the program itself, and it could not be opened for editing?

Virtual Box hooks system functions and emulates their returning values, to emulate opening files from the disk.
Virtual Box does not know, and it is impossible to know at all, if application opens a file for editing, or opens it for other needs (like read some important information).

If you have such functionality in your program, you need somehow else protect the files against being opened and resave.

We can make an option in Virtual Box that will prevent the packed program to save any information to the disk, but this would be rather specific, since most of programs need this ability to save some data to the disk.
Enigma
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Re: Virtual Box - Hide files from File Open/Save dialogs

Post by Enigma »

egoflash wrote: Thu Jan 06, 2022 5:52 am Does it implies that assuming we place some dll, exe records inside Enigma Protector virtual box
then, at that point, the windows record wayfarer can NOT see them? Isn't that so?
Hi, this means that you can embed external files (almost any files) into the protected exe and then remove embedded files from the disk, protection will emulate them in memory.
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