|| Author: RadiatioN/EOF || Back to articles ||
New method of file hiding
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While writing the tutorial about the explorer extension i found something new interesting. We are able to hide
files very well. You have ever seen the extension of a link in explorer? No? Then this is something for you.
Just open "regedit.exe" and go to the following entry:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\lnkfile

As you may now saw there is an entry named "NeverShowExt". Just remove it completely, kill explorer and start it
again. What can you now see in explorer with links? every extension of a link will be shown :) Of course you first 
must enable file extension showing in:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced

and set following values to

HideFileExt		0
ShowSuperHidden		1

But what can we do with this small new thing?
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Screensavers are normaly stored anywhere in Windows directory, so we can use this extension for us. Normal PC
users even don't know *.scr files exist :) So my idea was to hide the file extension *.scr by the trick described 
above. So you easily have to add 2 new entries to registry under:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\scrfile

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.scr

The new values should be named "NeverShowExt" and after a reboot or logout an relogin the file extension is hidden
forever. You can now give your app an icon like a folder...as stupid the user is, he starts it.

This is just a very small tutorial and a little idea, but rethink of it and you will be able to write malware which 
will be hidden by the system. Be creative and do some good work :)

Last words
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Some nice greetings go to the complete EOF group and especially to Skyout my good friend *keep on rocking*

As always no copyright - free for any use

Tutorial written by RadiatioN in April 2006 at EOF group
http://www.eof-project.net

My Site:
http://radiation.eof-project.net

Contact:
radiation[at]eof-project[dot]net