Crypto Suggestion/Help

[James Stroud]

Jimmy E Touma wrote:
> Hi all,
> 
> I need some advise on doing the following. I have a Linux application
> that allows users to access it via a code (password). At the end of the
> day, I gather a log of activities of the users and zip the file and
> would like to encrypt it so that the users can not access it or tamper
> with it. Only manager should. If I use a private/public key for doing so
> I have to store the private key on my computer. What is a good way to
> encrypt a file and have the key well hidden on the same computer? If you
> have any other way to do, like MD5 or similar, please let me know.
> 
> 
> Thanks,
> Jimmy

You describe not encryption but obfuscation if the key on the computer 
is stored in any usable form. Now, if you encrypted the key with an 
algorithm as strong as the one you used for the data, then you would 
preserve the security, but then you'd need a key for the key, etc.

Algorithms do exist for multiple keys to decrypt the same cipher text 
(in the case of multiple managers), but I don't know of any python 
libraries that implement said algorithms.

James