title: How to store user sensitive information locally?
body: <p>I am developing an application that is asking the user to enter his account name and password in order to log in to an online forum, among other things.</p>
  
  <p>Please note that <strong>I am not</strong> actually transmitting any data over the Internet through my application and I am only connecting to a particular server. I am using <a href="http://htmlunit.sourceforge.net/" rel="nofollow">HtmlUnit</a> to grab a link to the forum, get the correct login form, fill in the data and submit it. The actual data relay over the net is managed by a 3rd party company.</p>
  
  <p>Now to the actual problem:</p>
  
  <p>Some users would like to be able to save their credentials so they won't have to retype them anytime they start the app. </p>
  
  <p>I am saving their credentials to a <code>.txt</code> file whose contents I am encrypting using a <code>Password Based Encryption with MD5 and DES algorithm</code> with a <code>static password</code> and a <code>static salt</code>. I am mainly encrypting those files so if they accidentally send this file over to someone they won't be able to get that information out so easily and hopefully avoid the hassle. </p>
  
  <p>To my understanding, since I am a total noob to cryptography, using a hardcoded salt along with a hardcoded password is not a very secure technique, however it is probably sufficient when I am saving data locally. <em>Am I right here?</em></p>
  
  <p>Also is <code>.txt</code> files a secure way of storing such data? If no what would you suggest?</p>