Security & data protection
FMS is designed to keep operational records on devices you control, protect sensitive data at rest and in transfer, make important changes detectable, and give you deliberate recovery tools. Security is a layered system, not a single feature.
The Windows application stores its operational database locally for the signed-in Windows user. Normal collection management does not depend on a hosted FMS account or a continuous internet connection.
The Windows database uses SQLCipher encryption. Its database key is separately protected for the current Windows user with Windows Data Protection API (DPAPI), so copying the database file alone is not enough to open it.
Security also means understanding what happened. Important actions are appended to an audit history protected by database rules and a SHA-256 hash chain.
FMS creates encrypted backups and provides verification and recovery-rehearsal workflows. Restore is deliberate and integrity checks run before the active database is replaced.
Paired Android transfers use a computer-specific Windows identity, fresh ephemeral ECDH P-256 key agreement, and AES-256-GCM authenticated encryption. The Windows private identity is protected with DPAPI.
Standalone updates are retrieved over HTTPS and checked against published cryptographic information before installation. Privacy-safe problem reporting previews a redacted technical bundle before it is sent.
Know the boundary: encryption cannot protect data from someone who has already compromised your signed-in Windows account or unlocked Android device. Device security, strong account credentials, operating-system updates, protected backups, and physical control remain essential parts of the security model.
