.zip encryption

[Jerboy]

Is it correct to assume that "archive with password" is only a header protection and the actual data is not encrypted?

How easily could someone break my password protected zip archives?

I'd like to password protect files that I allow for trading only on file sharing.

 

[minendo]

Read This

I found that after reading your post because I was pretty curious myself. Scroll down about 3/4 of a page and it starts there.

 

[PliotronX]

Utilities such as WinZip and PKZip don't protect password-protected archives very well. The links to the various crackers in Minendo's link have workarounds and can use brute force to crack them. If you really want to protect your ZIP files, I suggest using CuteZip. It features TwoFish encryption at 128-bit which is comparable to PGP. You can download a trial version of CuteZip to see if you like it before buying it. The interface is easy to use, similar to WinZip's.

 

[Jerboy]

<< Utilities such as WinZip and PKZip don't protect password-protected archives very well. The links to the various crackers in Minendo's link have workarounds and can use brute force to crack them. If you really want to protect your ZIP files, I suggest using CuteZip. It features TwoFish encryption at 128-bit which is comparable to PGP. You can download a trial version of CuteZip to see if you like it before buying it. The interface is easy to use, similar to WinZip's. >>




I couldn't figure out how to use those command line stuff minendo has linked to.


Anyways, is there anything free that will encrypt file in easy to use form? I want to have a control over "share only" files on my shared directory, so I don't have to deal with the hassle of removing/placing the file in shared folder to let/avoid people from downloading. By using encryption unauthorized downloads are useless and people with permission will receive the key from me.

 

[PliotronX]

I see, that's a good idea. Wouldn't it be cool if some P2P apps had this feature built-in? Anyhow, the best freeware encryption utility I would recommend is EasyCrypto. It basically performs the same function as CuteZip meaning it uses the basic ZIP file with strong encryption (128-bit BlowFish in EC's case). EC is very easy to use, and you can create self-extracting EC files that will prompt the user to enter the password when ran. Or you can create the ZIP files with the encryption, but the users would have to install EC in order to open them (password required for opening them, of course). Have fun

 

[Prince]

hahah, cna't stop laughing




<< MS Office Password Protection
Don't ever use this method, at least for Office 95 documents. Cracking is so fast that the manufacturer of a commercial software package had to put "empty" loops in the program to slow down its performance to make the buyers who couldn't recall their passwords think that they paid for something serious. >>

 

[Jerboy]

OKeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee I'm stumped.


None of the softwares suggested was able to encrypt a file close to 500MB. They all spat out errors.

 

[NicColt]

you can RAR the file into chunks and then encrypt the first one. could that help.

 

[cipher00]

Try PGP. It might be here somewheres. There's a bunch of stuff you can buy as well as the free version, which supports public key encryption as well as traditional encryption.