Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

Why is SafeNotes free?

Because it can. We could have provided it, so it's here. If you can give us a little donation, please do it. Donate now.

Is it really free?
Yes, its free for private non-commercial use. This free version will never expire.

Was this product tested by a third party?

Guarantee 100% clean
Application does not contain any form of malware, spyware, viruses, trojans and backdoors. You can use scanning technology (from more than 50 companies e.g. AVG, Ad-Aware, Avast, Avira, BitDefender, Comodo, DrWeb, ESET-NOD, Kaspersky, McAfee, Panda, Symantec, Zoner) provided by VirusTotal for detection of viruses, worms, trojans, and all kinds of malware. Here is the VirusTotal results for SafeNotes. And here is another results from jotti.org, from Softpedia and from FileHippo.

Reviews
Here you can read a few reviews in English, French, Russian or Slovak: Softpedia, FileHippo, FindMySoft Editor's Review, BIBLPROG, Kappa(libellules.ch), PC REVUE (printed magazine 3/2019).

Can someone read the contents without a password? What if I forgot my password?

A simple answer - absolutely not! If you have forgotten your password, your data are lost.

Used six cipher in cascade are the best: Blowfish(448bit) + AES(256bit) + Twofish(256bit) + Serpent(256bit) + CAST6(256bit) + IDEA(128bit) For more information, see Security/Cryptography and White Paper.

Is it necessary to register?

Absolutely not!

How to register?

Registration steps:

  • Fill in the registration form in SafeNotes application
  • Send to us via your email address
  • After successful registering, you will receive registration email
How to register

More info available here.

How can I install the OpenSSL library?

Generating verifiable random primes for large RSA keys takes a long time. When using RSA or ECC cryptography (Safe-Notes-Mail), it is strongly recommended to use the math function from the freely downloadable OpenSSL library. This will allow approximately 20 times the acceleration. The library is only used for acceleration or verification. No output from the library is really used because we only trust our own code.

How to install the OpenSSL library!

  • Download binary package from https://indy.fulgan.com/SSL/. Today, the individual files are not available any more, only the ZIP archives are.
  • Extract file "libeay32.dll" from this ZIP archive
  • You must copy the file "libeay32.dll" to the "SafeData\Settings\Bin\" directory. You can also use drag and drop or simply open the DLL file in the SafeNotes application and the installation will start automatically.

Info about the OpenSSL project can be found on the homepage and wiki. Recommended binary packages archive.

Is it too complicated?
To simplify this task, there is a small application that can easily copy the necessary DLL-library to your Safe Notes installation. Just download and run it.

How to use third-party verification for Bitcoin wallets?

Although our code has been successfully tested on thousands of test vectors, we recommend that you always check created PrivateKey-to-BitcoinAddress pair with other software. At least for really high amounts deposited in your Bitcoin wallets.

For example with a local copy of http://bitaddress.org that is included in the distribution. Click to link to run the application. Enter the private key and press the "View Details" button. The application calculates and displays the bitcoin address. Now you can easily check it.

Example with a local copy of bitaddress.org

SafeNotes can also automatically verify the Private to Public key generation with the OpenSSL library. The same library is used by the original Bitcoin application of Nakamoto Satoshi Author. You only need to download and copy this crypto-library from third parties. The file can be downloaded from the Internet for free.

Example with a clear instalation. OpenSSL not installed.
Example of an OpenSSL installation:
  • Download OpenSSL Library and extract libeay32.dll to the "SafeData\Settings\Bin\" directory.
  • For simplicity, you can use drag and drop for copying. If SafeNotes detects a known library when opening a file, the library is automatically installed.
Example with installed OpenSSL (1.0.2n verified)

By correctly using SafeNotes application to create and store Bitcoin wallets, it will give you the highest possible security for Bitcoin storage.

How can I quickly minimize application?

Press F1 to instantly minimize.

What is a safe password?

This is a good question.

The only weak point in SafeNotes is your password. Using purely random alphanumerically characters (a-z, A-Z, 0-9) as your passphrase, you need to specify 11 unique characters for 64-bit security. To solve this problem there is built-in passphrase dialog always displaying computed password quality. See the table below.

Supercomputer with 50 petaFLOPS will be need 7019 years for attack to 64-bit password in Safe Notes. It would be cost thousands of billions dollars!

Crack costs for password break

However, be careful about using causal spoken words, which can be found in dictionary. Theese passwords are easier to break. If you prefer a sentence as a password, you can view the strength in section "Dictionary analysis". This feature works only when there is a separator between the words in your password phrase.

SafeNotes use random 256-bit salt to prevent Rainbow table attacks, so a dictionary attack can't use Rainbow tables technique.

To sum it up, the SafeNotes files are sufficiently protected if the password quality reaches 48-bit. Even the supercomputer would need a few days to break it. An 56-bit password would need a few decades and an 64-bit password would need a thousand of years to break. Theoretically, costs for break 48-bit password would be $63 million dollars.

TOP SECRET: For maximum safety, even after the third millennium, we recommend using a 160-bit password or higher. Password dialog

With 50 characters you can create 512-bit password! And Keyfile add true random 320bits. Then total user-password-security is 832-bits.

For more details, you should check different sections. Detailed info available in SafeNotes White Papers.

What characters can I use for my password?

Absolutely any. You can use standard ANSI chars 32-127, extended 128-255, special 1-31. You can use any unicode char, defined/undefined 1-65535. For the use of all the possibilities, Advanced mode must be enabled.

Password dialog

For input with keyboard you can swith between various keyboards language mapping, or use Alt+Numkeys. It is also possible to type hexadecimal 4-digits number and then Alt+X key for any unicode value. For decimal input, type "*"-key, then one, two or three digits and then Alt+X key. In visible mode you can see number values for every character in password. This will help you to prevent occuring many unwanted errors. This feature is only available, when the "Advanced mode" is enabled.

Legal secrecy, what is it?

The secrecy of correspondence (German: Briefgeheimnis, French: secret de la correspondance) or literally translated as secrecy of letters, is a fundamental legal principle enshrined in the constitutions of several European countries. Defined in The Charter of Fundamental Rights and Basic Freedoms or Grundrechte etc.

Do you want to translate SafeNotes to your language or update an old translation?

You can! Translate or modify the file "\ArtbyMind\SafeNotes\SafeData\Settings\Lang\LangEN.lng" and send this file to us (translator at artbymind.com). Thank you for your support!

TIPS:
  • First, copy LangEN.lng to LangXX.lng and use this new copy.
  • When you choose language file (via menu Help|Language|Other..) identical as edited file then after "Save" command application automatically use last saved translation file. You can see in real-time your translation.
Open the language file and translate to German ( XX=DE )
Note: The colored text is only for better visibility of this example. Only plain text is saved.
Old registration/license file with new application version?

Information for registered users:
Since version 5.0.8, we use newer hardware detection, so old Class B registrations will not work. To use older licenses (class B), it is necessary to solve a small puzzle. Any Class A license operates without restrictions.

Supporters and all donors will of course receive a new license free of charge upon request.
Why don't we use the Curve25519?

Because this curve doesn't have enough security for us, and we don't even trust it.

It's too popular. As in previous years, many popular cryptographic systems were found to have security problems later identified. Too many applications believes that this curve is safe... Messenger, SafeSwiss, Signal, Threema, Viber, Whatsapp and many others. Signal is very often recommended by whistleblower Edward Joseph Snowden and security expert Bruce Schneier. Both are loyal citizens of the United States. On the outside, both are fighting against NSA.

Another reason - Security, expressed as the equivalent of a symmetric cipher, is only 128-bit, and that is not enough for us.

Notice:
The elliptic curve can only be safe in two cases. First of all, if it is very simple and is theoretically researched by experts for potential vulnerabilities. In the second case, much safer, curve parameters are defined completely randomly.

The first case best suits the curve used to encrypt bitcoins (Koblitz, secp256k1). There are billions of dollars on the internet, coded with this ECC keys. If someone break the security, bitcoins will be dead.

In the second case, no known elliptic curve currently meets our requirements. Therefore, we have created our own, perfectly random and easily verifiable parameters of completely new elliptic curves.

Of course, you can use any NIST or Brainpool curve, or you can import/define any other preffered ECC curve up to 544-bits.

How can I install SafeNotes?
  1. Go to the safenotes.org website.
  2. Click on the button labeled “DOWNLOAD”.
  3. Many browsers will ask you to confirm whether you want to download this file, so click the “Save” button.
  4. After downloading double-click on SafeNotesSetup.exe in your Downloads folder.
  5. You'll be asked if you want to allow the installation of this program. Click the “Yes” button.
  6. A window will open, asking what language you want to use.
  7. A window with the license agreement will open up, read and accept the license agreement. Click the “Next” button.
  8. Now you can see where SafeNotes will be installed. Don't change this information. Click the “Next” button.
  9. The next window allows you to choose additional tasks. Don't change the settings. Click the “Next” button.
    1. Now you can see “Ready to Install” window . Click the “Install” button.
    2. When the installation completes, click the “Finish” button to close the wizard.
How can I create my password protected notes?
Note: To use this feature, you must first install the Safe Notes software, which you can find on safenotes.org website.
  1. Run SafeNotes
  2. Click File/New
  3. Write any text
  4. Click File/Save. Write filename and password
  5. Close the program - Click File/Exit
How can I create my password protected notes