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FLASH PROTECTION FEATURES TO PROTECT SWF FILES
 COMPLETE AND SECURE CONTROL OVER FLASH FILE USAGE
Prevent, allow or control the following functions:
- Viewing flash files including how many times they can be viewed
- Change the number of view allowances even after distribution
- How long your secure flash files can be viewed (days, months, years, forever)
- How long your customers can view flash files offline: always, n number of days, or they must connect every time to the administration server before they can view your protected flash files
- Printing flash files
- Use of Windows print screen and screen grabber applications - stop users taking screen shots of your secure flash files
- Expire and revoke distributed secure flash files at any time, automatically revoke access once view and/or print limits have been reached, manage offline access, and enforce content management system security policies no matter where your secure flash files are
- Copying, modifying, decompiling, and saving of secure flash files are always prevented
- Ability to change view controls even after publication
- Prevent or allow use in thin client and virtual environments (e.g. Citrix)
- Sharing protected flash files is prevented since your customers must have first registered with you and have the correct license and decryption keys in order to view a protected flash file. Decryption keys are stored encrypted and locked to individual computers, thus ensuring they cannot be shared.
 CUSTOMER AND FLASH FILE EXPIRY, INCLUDING INSTANT REVOCATION FOR PREVIOUSLY DISTRIBUTED FLASH FILES AND PERSISTENT VERSION CONTROL
Customer expiry
Flashguard's flash protection gives you total control over when your customers and access to your protected flash files expire. Your customers, for example, may subscribe to one of your publications for a year, and all flash files in that publication are accessible to them for a year. After a year, your customers will still be able to view their existing subscription flash files, but not any new ones that are published after their subscription period has ended, unless of course they pay for another years subscription.
Flash file expiry
In addition you can control flash file expiry. Regardless of your customer's subscription to your publications, you may have certain flash files that are time sensitive and must not be usable after a certain date. It also means you can sell flash files that are accessible for a limited time period at a lower cost, rather than being available forever, enabling you to reach new markets that are price sensitive. You can be sure that those customers can only view a secure flash file for a day or a week, or whatever you choose. This feature also ensures that only the authorized or current versions of flash files are used after publication because obsolete versions can no longer be accessed.
Flash files can also be set to automatically expire once a specified number of views have been reached.
Instant revocation
You can also force your customers to connect to the administration server (happens transparently) before they can view your protected flash files. This can be every time they want to view your flash files or after a certain number of days. If you choose a number of days then after the length of time you set has passed your customers must go back online to gain further access. Using this option you can instantly revoke customer access to previously distributed flash files as the access approval required to view your protected flash files is instantly expired.
 COMPLETE OFF-LINE PROTECTION
Your controls are locked into each protected flash file so there is no need for your customers to connect to the Internet in order to view your protected flash files (assuming of course that they have the correct decryption key stored on their computer).
Whether you want your customers to connect to the Internet or not to use your secure flash files is a decision you make when protecting them.
Your flash files are completely encrypted using AES 256 bit encryption, ensuring they cannot be decompiled by programs that convert SWF files to FLA source files.
 FLASH FILE ACCOUNTABILITY / AUDITING
The administration system records the date, time and IP address of users when they first connect to the server to obtain their decryption keys. It also records whether a user has tried to register with you more than once (i.e. on another computer), when this occurred, and the IP address they were using.
 FLASH PROTECTION THAT IS SIMPLE TO USE
Flashguard Flash Security provides complete flash protection for even the most novice of users.
Right-click on your SWF file(s) to protect them, set the flash file access rights (use of printing, expiry, etc.), press the OK button and your flash files are instantly protected (SWF files are encrypted and file usage rights applied). Protected flash files can be published on their own or assigned to publications for simple administration.
Multiple flash files can be selected and protected in Windows Explorer and you can choose the same flash file usage and access rights in one click.
 UNIQUE CONCEPT OF PUBLICATIONS MAKES FLASH FILE MANAGEMENT SIMPLER
The concept of the publication is a way of associating secure flash files that are logically related. Different enterprises may see this in different ways:
- a publisher (flash ebook/magazine) could see it as the issues in a subscription
- a training course provider could see it as the content of a course
- a web design company could see it as flash items for a specific customer
- a flash games developer could see it as a collection of flash games.
So being able to bring together collections of secure flash files to create a publication, makes the administration of connected flash files easier for the publisher, and simplifies how they are used by the user.
If you choose to publish your protected flash files as separate items, then each one will have it's own encryption key. However, where customers are purchasing subscriptions to publications they expect to register their subscription once and then be able to read each issue as it arrives. Also, you as the publisher may find it easier to associate secure flash files with publications.
To meet this operational flexibility, if flash files are protected as something in a publication, the encryption key of the publication is used to protect it rather than generating a new random key. This means that the customer is able to immediately use a new issue regardless of how you ship it to them (eMail, flash card, CD-ROM for instance). Of course if you send them a secure flash file that is not part of a publication that they have been granted access to then they will have to connect to the administration server to retrieve the new key. And if you set the rules so that they must connect before using your protected flash files then that will be enforced.
 CUSTOMIZABLE MESSAGE TEXT AND SPLASH SCREEN
When you set up user accounts on the administration server, users are automatically sent an email to the address you entered with a download link to the Secure Flash Player and their license file. This email is automatically customized with your company name and email address in it so users know who to contact if they have any problems accessing your protected flash files.
You can also specify the text that will be displayed if a user does not have the correct decryption key present to view your protected flash files - e.g. where they can purchase a license from or who to contact.
Each time a protected flash file is loaded, a splash screen can be displayed. You can insert your own image here (say your company logo and maybe a brief message) to customize Flashguard Flash Security to represent your company image.
 TRANSPARENT REAL-TIME WEB BASED CUSTOMER AUTHORIZATION
When a customer views one of your protected flash files for the first time, the Secure Flash Player will check if it has the correct key to view it. If it does not, the Secure Flash Player will check with the administration server to see if the customer has been granted access to the flash file. If access is allowed then the decryption key will be transparently relayed to the client. If not, your custom message will be displayed telling the customer how to contact you to purchase your secure flash files.
 NO LIMIT TO THE NUMBER OF FLASH FILES YOU CAN PROTECT OR THE NUMBER OF CUSTOMERS THAT SUBSCRIBE TO YOUR PUBLICATIONS
Unlike other products, you are free to protect as many flash files as you want and manage as many users as you want. There is no limit to the number of flash files you can protect or the number of users you have viewing those protected flash files.
 WEB BASED ADMINISTRATION
Once you have protected flash files it is a simple matter of setting up users on the administration system (user name, company, email address) and allowing them to use one or more of your publications or secure flash files. Each flash file that belongs to a particular publication will then be accessible to all your customers that have subscribed to that publication.
The administration system lets you import existing customer data (perhaps from your accounting system) and data can be exported for use in an accounts package or CRM system.
 E-COMMERCE INTEGRATION FOR A 24X7 SERVICE
You can integrate Flashguard Flash Security with your existing e-commerce system to help provide a totally automated secure flash file distribution service. Once your customers pay or are authorized to use a flash file or publication, their details are automatically set up on the administration server and assigned the appropriate publication / flash file access rights. License file information is sent out automatically by email so your customers can view your protected flash files straight away.
Documentation for this add-on feature and example PHP scripts for shopping cart integration can downloaded here.
 CHOICE OF HOSTING ARRANGEMENTS
You can either use our managed service (hosted on our own servers so no set up configuration required), or you can host the administration system on your own server (we can even set up the system for you or you can choose to do this yourself).
Hosting on our servers ensures you are up and running from day one as no server configuration is required at your end - saving you time, hassle and money.
 FREE SECURE FLASH PLAYER SOFTWARE FOR YOUR CUSTOMERS
Customers can download the Secure Flash Player totally free of charge, either from our web site or from yours or you can distribute it freely via email.
Our free stand-alone secure flash player has a small footprint, is fast to load, and ensures all the DRM controls are applied without exposing you, as the publisher, to known Adobe flash security issues. It is not invasive and does not use root kit technology.
The Secure Flash Player is multi-lingual and supports the following languages: English, French, German, Spanish, Chinese (Mandarin), Dutch, Russian.
 GOVERNMENT STRENGTH PROTECTION OF YOUR FLASH FILES
To ensure complete protection of your flash files, they are encrypted using industry-standard encryption - the US Government approved algorithm, AES, at its strongest setting, 256 bits.
Encryption allows us to enforce the digital rights management controls applied to your secure flash files.
 NO PASSWORDS TO SEND, ENTER, MANAGE, FORGET OR PASS ON TO OTHERS
In addition, strong public key technology is used rather than weak password mechanisms that are easily crackable. Not using password protection ensures bullet-proof protection of your flash files - since there is nothing to enter the system is not vulnerable to password attacks.
You don't have to distribute passwords to users and they don't need to type in access codes to get going. Decryption keys are transparently relayed to the client computer and stored in encrypted format. There are no passwords to enter, manage, compromise, forget or pass on to others.
Whilst we use public key technology, no key management is required by you as the publisher or by your users or customers, as it is all handled transparently by the licensing system. There are no certificates to revoke when you want to terminate a users access or any other PKI complexity.
Locklizard provides a secure exchange mechanism in order to move the required key down to the user' s desktop at the same time as validating the user’ s authorization to receive the key. Keys are seamlessly delivered to user's computers.
Whilst user keys are stored on the user's computer, they are also locked to that computer and cannot be moved. So the user must be at that computer in order to be able to use the licensed flash files. Any attempt to move the keys system to another computer will invalidate it.
 NO FLASH SECURITY RISKS
Flashguard uses it's own decryption application, a secure player (Secure Flash Player) rather than relying on a plug-in to present your information. This ensures the security of your information is always under the tightest of controls, and is not vulnerable, or exposed to any errors in third party applications. Your security is not compromised by plug-in failures or conflicts, or the common Adobe Flash security issues.
Rather than just obfuscating your source code (re-wording it so it is difficult to interpret), Flashguard completely encrypts your flash files using AES 256 bit encryption so that it cannot be decompiled by applications that convert SWF to FLA files. Flashguard does not alter your source code in any way, ensuring your flash files continue working as before they were protected.
Flash files are decrypted on-the-fly and is not saved to disk in temporary format or to the Windows swap file. We do not create extra files on disk that can be copied to another computer along with the protected flash files so they can be easily shared and viewed.
You protect flash files on your own computer. The source flash files (unprotected SWF files) are never exposed to a web server where they could be easily compromized.
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