Starting ContentAssurity
ContentAssurity is started from the
icon in the Windows Start Menu or from the Start > Programs > ArticSoft > ContentAssurity menu.Logging on
When you first start ContentAssurity you are asked to provide a password so that ContentAssurity can create your personal keystore. ContentAssurity uses this password as one of the mechanisms for protecting your keystore.
Enter New Password
Enter a password for the keystore. Your password must be between 8 and 40 alphanumeric or special characters in this field. Please see choosing a good password.
Confirm New Password
Retype the password you entered in the 'Enter New Password' field to confirm that it is correct.
As soon as you press
your keystore is created, protected with the password you just entered. You are now logged onto your keystore and the ContentAssurity GUI is displayed.ContentAssurity GUI
The first thing you must do before you can protect content is generate, or import, your own personal key (so you can protect content for yourself and sign content) and import other peoples keys (so you can send protected content to others). If you are protecting content for other people they must send you their keys and you will have to import them into ContentAssurity before you can protect content for them.
Generating or Importing Keys
Generating and importing keys is done in ContentAssurity's Key Manager. Selecting 'Key Manager' from the Security menu displays the following tabbed dialog:
Generating your Own Key - so you can protect content for yourself and sign content
Pressing this icon displays the following dialog. 
You enter your information and press the GENERATE button. All fields must be filled in. A protection and signing key is automatically generated for you and is displayed in the 'My Own Keys' tab in Key Manager.
You can also import a key from a Certificate Authority if you prefer by pressing the
Import Key File icon.Once you have generated or imported a key you will want to export it to other people. They need this key to protect content for you!
Exporting keys - so that others can send you protected content
Pressing this icon exports the selected key from your keystore - you are prompted for a filename and path to save the exported file. Only the public part of your key is exported. It can only be used to protect content for you or verify content you have signed. The exported key file can be emailed to other people or posted on a web site since it can never be used to impersonate you.Once someone has received your key they just press the
Import Key File icon in Key Manager, select the file you emailed them and your key will automatically be added to the 'Other Peoples Keys' tab.Importing keys - so that you can send protected content to others
You must import other people's keys before you can send them protected content. They will have to generate a key in Key Manager on their computer (they can do this with either ContentAssurity or the FREE reader software). Once they have generated their key they can export it and send it to you.
In Key Manager, press the
Import Key File icon and select their key. Once you have imported someone else's key it will be shown in the 'Other Peoples Keys' tab in Key Manager and will be available from the 'Protect For' pull-down list box in the ContentAssurity GUI.Protecting (Encrypting & Signing) Content
1. In the ContentAssurity main GUI select the people you want to protect content for from the
list box. This list box displays all the keys available in the 'My Own Keys' and 'Other Peoples Keys' tabs in Key Manager. If you want to also sign content select your key from the 
list box. If you want to protect content for multiple recipients then select 'Multiple recipients' as the key. This displays a pop-up box where you can select the names of the people you want to send protected content to.NOTE: ContentAssurity always selects your key as one of the recipients when sending protected content to other people so that you can always read it.
2. Once you have selected your keys, type or paste in the content you want to secure.
3. Press the SECURE button
Your content is now protected/signed using the keys you selected and is automatically copied to the clipboard.
4. In the application (email, IM, word processing document, etc.) you want to use ContentAssurity protected content paste the secure content.
For more information see using ContentAssurity and protecting and signing content.
Unprotecting & Verifying Content
1. In the application that has the protected content, highlight it (including the -----BEGIN MESSAGE BLOCK----- and -----END MESSAGE BLOCK----- markers) and 'copy' it to put the content in the clipboard.
Alternatively, you can select multiple content in a document or the whole document and paste it into ContentAssurity. ContentAssurity will process the document ignoring the unprotected content.
2. In ContentAssurity, press the UNPROTECT/VERIFY button
The content is unprotected/verified and pasted into the ContentAssurity window. A history tree view is displayed.
For more information see unprotecting/verifying content.