Security Program

The Palm's standard security functionality is too cumbersome to use, and is very easy to break into, using applications that are available freely on the Internet. This is true of all versions of the operating system (including version 5) and has been well documented. Even the well-respected SANS institute has produced a study of the security of PalmOS handhelds.

TealLock replaces the PalmOS's built-in system with a powerful and flexible application with many activation and customization options, essentially giving your Palm the same type of PIN security your bank uses for ATMs. And the cost of TealLock ( www.tealpoint.com ) is also very low when compared to similar programs that cost much more. The size of the program is under 100KB, so security need not crowd out other applications. There are many, many programs that do similar things, but our experience with TealLock has been trouble-free, which is why we recommend it; there have been problems reported with the Tungsten T5, though. PalmSource's recommended security add-on is OnlyMe, from Tranzoa, and it's possible that this is also a good solution (we haven't tested it yet).

In medicine, data security is not an option: it is essential. All Palm users at the Faculty of Medicine should own and use TealLock or a similar program.

Although viruses, trojan horses, and other "malware" are major problems in the world of regular computers, they are still not much more than a curiosity in the world of Palms. The Symantec AntiVirus site lists only 9 identified Palm viruses, none of them at all common, and all can be found and fixed by the regular Symantec AntiVirus program when the .prc files are still on the computer, prior to installation. In our opinion, a dedicated anti-virus program is not necessary on the Palm itself--just make sure that the one on your computer is turned on, is up-to-date, and is set to check .prc files (not all are set this way by default).

Another type of security application for PalmOS handhelds is the secure password archive, a way for users to securely record the details of their various computer, network, and website accounts, as well as other private information like ATM and credit cards. They do require a password to enter them-but it's possible that it will become the only password you have to remember! The best example of this type of software is STRIP (Secure Tool for Remembering Important Passwords), which is free, and uses 256-bit AES encryption. STRIP is available at the following site:

www.zetetic.net

If you're looking for a more graphical and feature-rich password archive, with a desktop companion to make it even easier to manage and enter the database, and are willing to spend a little bit of money, take a look at SplashID ($19.95US), from SplashData:

www.splashdata.com

In our experience, Splash Data produces some of the slickest, easiest to install and use Palm applications on the market today. If you have lots of images on your Palm (or Clie) you may also want to try their SplashPhoto image viewer, which is excellent.