Adding a computer: download one file, run it, sign in

MyVaultMate is a small program that runs on each computer you want scanned. There is nothing to install: you download one file, run it, and sign in with your account. This guide covers what is supported, what to expect on Windows and Linux, and how to handle a whole office of machines.

What is supported

• Windows 10 and 11, 64-bit. Windows Server is not supported.
• Linux on x86-64.

Other systems are not supported, including Apple computers. If part of your office runs on computers outside that list, note them separately and check them by hand for now. Running the program on a supported machine that has the same shared folders is often a good substitute.

You do not need administrator rights for normal use. Only the optional Run as a service (for a computer nobody signs in to) asks for an administrator, once.

Adding a computer on Windows

1. Sign in to your dashboard and open Add a computer. You will see a download button for each system.
2. Download the Windows file and run it on the computer you want scanned. A window opens. Because the file is not code-signed yet, SmartScreen may warn you the first time. This is expected: choose "More info", then "Run anyway".
3. Choose Sign in with your account and enter the same email, password and authenticator code you use on the website. (An IT provider can choose Use a pairing code… under Settings and help instead and type the one-time, 6-character code shown on Add a computer; it expires after 15 minutes.)
4. The computer appears in your dashboard under its own name within seconds.
5. Once you are signed in it starts watching by itself. It places itself in your user folder, keeps running in the background, and starts again when you sign in (with an hourly watchdog that restarts it if it stops).

It is reasonable to be cautious about any warning. Only run a file that you downloaded yourself from your own dashboard, compare its SHA-256 with the one shown there if you like, and if a warning ever appears on a file you did not expect, stop and call us at (775) 229-2579.

Adding a computer on Linux

Download the Linux file from Add a computer, then in a terminal: chmod +x myvaultmate && ./myvaultmate. A menu appears. Choose option 1 and sign in with your account (or option 8 to enter a pairing code). It starts watching by itself. It runs as you and comes back after a restart (a systemd user service; on a machine without that it falls back to a desktop autostart entry or cron). On a server nobody signs in to, the menu also turns on lingering so it starts at boot. Every menu action is also a flag (--pair CODE, --start, --scan, --status, --stop), so you can do the whole thing from a script.

For several machines

Your IT provider can script the flags through whatever tool they already use to manage computers. If you have no such tool, doing it by hand takes about a minute per computer. If they use pairing codes, each computer needs its own code (generating a new code retires the old one).

Quick checks if something looks off

If a computer does not appear in the dashboard, the usual causes are simple. The sign-in may not have finished (or, with a pairing code, the code may have expired: choose New code on Add a computer), the machine may be offline, or your plan's device limit may be full. Run the program with --where to see where its log file is. The Help page lists the common messages and what they mean.

After you add it

The usual folders are scanned by default (on Windows, your user folder and OneDrive; on Linux, Documents, Desktop and Downloads plus /srv, /mnt, /media and /home). Add other folders and pick a schedule, and let the first full scan run. MyVaultMate can read Word and Excel (new and old formats), PDF, text, CSV, JSON, XML, HTML, .eml and Outlook .msg files. It does not read pictures, videos or recordings: they're listed with a risk score of 70, and you choose what to do with them. Scanned PDFs that are only pictures of the pages, RTF and PowerPoint files, Outlook .pst data files, and zip archives are listed the same way. See choosing scan paths for where to start.

What it sends

The files and their full values stay on the computer. What goes to the dashboard is metadata only: details about the computer and, for each finding, the file path, kind of data, severity, frameworks and at most a short redacted sample. The full list is on the Security page. It travels over TLS. The security page describes how data is stored and who can see it.

Rolling out across an office

A calm way to do it:

1. Add one computer and look at the first results.
2. Add the front desk and the busiest workstations next.
3. Add the rest, then any shared computers.
4. Check your plan's device limit at /pricing/ before you start adding machines.

To take a computer off, choose Stop watching and Unpair, then delete the program file (the program shows where it is). You can read how it works for the full picture, or call (775) 229-2579 for help.