Xaoswolf's Journal: secure web pages

Ok, my dad has a Tripod web page that he is working on, he has a members section for where the firemen can bitch without having everybody read it.

This is made using a bravenet password link, problem with this is, that the protected page is still on tripod, and can be found using a search engin.

Anybody got a solution as to how to protect this page for free? something like a javascript that checks the referer maybe, or a place that hosts pages for free that offers that kind of service?

Preferably something that my dad would understand, since I'm in philly, and he is in pittsburgh, phone support is about all I can provide, and he isn't really all that tech savy.

javascript

[GMontag]

javascript ain't gonna do it as all of the script is downloaded to the user's browser.

the closest to "really secure" will be if he can run his own server or moves to a host that gives him more server options.

a band-aid would be to add code to the pages he wants hidden from google and other engines. check on the google website, they have instructions on how to tag a page so it will not be archived. caviat: this is still nothing but obscurity

Re:javascript

[MarkusQ]

javascript ain't gonna do it as all of the script is downloaded to the user's browser.

That doesn't mean you can do what he's wanting. For example, you could have the user enter a pass phrase, and have javascript that XORed the text with a hash of the pass phrase, so that it was garbage unless you got the hash phrase right.

You'd have to be careful with line breaks, etc. if you wanted it to be cross-browser, and it wouldn't be anything that would keep out the NSA, but for basic privacy it would be about as good as posting notes on your fridge instead of on your front door.

-- MarkusQ

this might sound dumb, but

[pjgeer]

What about linking to a Hotmail account from the page and giving all his friends the password? When you want to post something, just Save Draft. That way you can edit it later if need be. MSN spam only arrives in the Inbox so it doesn't mix with your "posts" in the Drafts folder.

Two things

[baldass_newbie]

If you properly configure a robots.txt file, it should ignore the files you tell it to.
Secondly, look into .htaccess. If he has FTP and (I think) shell access, that would work. Not sure about needing shell access.
Did this for a friend once. It's pretty easy.