MangoWriter has attracted attention as a secure, offline text editor designed for professionals who handle sensitive information.
Below are some of the most common questions people ask about how it works, its security model, and what makes it unique.
Each answer has been summarized and clarified for accuracy and readability.
Is MangoWriter a secure application?
Yes. MangoWriter is built with security as its primary goal.
It runs entirely offline, meaning it never connects to the internet or relies on cloud services.
This eliminates many modern risks such as telemetry leaks, third-party access, or network-based attacks.
All files are encrypted using AES-256-GCM, which provides both strong encryption and tamper detection.
The application never stores unencrypted data on disk — no temporary plaintext files or caches are ever written.
Passwords are never saved, and memory is cleared when a document is locked or closed.
MangoWriter also supports an optional key-file for two-factor authentication, adds a secure clipboard that keeps copied text encrypted, and enforces reauthentication before printing or exporting.
These layers collectively create a secure writing environment suitable for legal, medical, and high-security use.
What are the limitations of MangoWriter’s security features?
While MangoWriter’s security architecture is strong, it depends on sound user practices.
Weak passwords, insecure key-file handling, or infected devices can still compromise security.
Because it operates offline, it cannot defend against physical access or insider threats — if someone gains control of your unlocked computer, the plaintext on screen is visible.
Like all local encryption tools, MangoWriter must decrypt data into memory while in use.
This means an advanced attacker or malware could theoretically read what is in RAM during an active session.
However, the application mitigates this with features such as an encrypted clipboard, disabled insecure exports, and session-bound data that clears once locked.
MangoWriter’s protection is strongest at rest — when files are saved, locked, or closed — ensuring sensitive text is never left unprotected on disk.
How does MangoWriter protect data during active use?
During editing sessions, MangoWriter minimizes exposure through a series of layered controls:
- Encrypted clipboard: copied text cannot be pasted into other programs.
- Disabled insecure exports: printing, exporting, and plain-text clipboard functions require re-authentication.
- Session isolation: all temporary data is destroyed when the session ends.
Even so, the visible text on screen remains theoretically vulnerable to what’s known as the analog hole — an unavoidable reality for all software that displays readable data.
What is the “analog hole,” and how does it apply to MangoWriter?
The “analog hole” refers to the point where encrypted digital information becomes visible to humans — for example, text shown on a screen or sound from a speaker.
At that stage, no software can prevent someone from photographing the screen or using screen-capture malware.
MangoWriter mitigates this by eliminating easy digital exfiltration paths:
copy-paste, insecure exports, and unprotected print operations are blocked or require password re-entry.
Its design makes analog attacks more cumbersome, reducing the likelihood or efficiency of data theft.
Once you lock or close the document, the plaintext is erased from memory, and only the encrypted version remains.
Does MangoWriter have a redaction feature?
Yes. MangoWriter includes a permanent redaction system that removes sensitive text completely from the document.
Once a file is saved or exported after redaction, the original content cannot be recovered — there is no hidden text layer beneath the blacked-out sections.
It also offers bulk and automated redaction, identifying and removing common data types such as phone numbers, emails, and Social Security numbers.
All processing happens locally on your device; MangoWriter never sends your text to the cloud or to external servers.
This guarantees full privacy throughout the redaction process.
Why does MangoWriter ask me to re-authenticate before copying, printing, or exporting?
Re-authentication adds an important security barrier for high-risk actions.
It prevents unauthorized users — for example, someone at your computer while you step away — from copying or exporting sensitive data.
This extra password prompt ensures that only the legitimate user can perform actions that move information outside of MangoWriter’s protected environment.
It also reinforces accountability, since every such action is deliberate and traceable within the session.
In short, it separates the privilege of viewing a document from the privilege of extracting it.
What is MangoWriter’s Screen Lock, and what does it protect against?
The Screen Lock is designed primarily to stop shoulder surfing — the risk of someone reading your screen when you step away.
When activated, it instantly obscures all visible text, making the document unreadable until you re-enter your password.
Beyond that, Screen Lock helps secure unattended sessions, prevents accidental exposure during presentations, and protects against opportunistic snooping in shared environments.
It is one layer of a broader defense model that includes encryption, key-management, and re-authentication for sensitive actions.
Why does MangoWriter pause briefly when unlocking or creating credentials?
That short delay is intentional.
MangoWriter uses the Argon2id key-derivation algorithm, which is purposefully designed to be computationally demanding.
This slows down attackers attempting brute-force password guesses while remaining nearly unnoticeable to a legitimate user.
Argon2id requires both significant time and memory to derive a key.
That makes each password attempt costly for an attacker, particularly those using GPUs for large-scale cracking.
For you, the slight wait translates to vastly stronger protection of your encryption keys.
Does MangoWriter back up my work automatically?
Yes. If enabled, MangoWriter automatically saves secure backup copies of your document whenever changes are detected, at regular intervals, to a folder of your choosing. These backups are fully encrypted and stored safely, allowing you to recover your latest work if something unexpected happens. You don’t need to do anything — it all happens quietly in the background
Summary
MangoWriter’s philosophy is straightforward: security through simplicity and local control.
By eliminating the cloud, enforcing strong encryption, and requiring explicit user actions for data movement, it dramatically reduces opportunities for compromise.
While no system can fully overcome physical or analog vulnerabilities, MangoWriter’s layered design ensures that your documents remain protected at every digital stage — at rest, in memory, and during editing.