Comments on: A Simple Way To Protect Sensitive Files http://www.pcmech.com/article/a-simple-way-to-protect-sensitive-files/ Helping Normal People Get Their Geek On Mon, 23 Nov 2009 01:37:34 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 hourly 1 By: Phil M http://www.pcmech.com/article/a-simple-way-to-protect-sensitive-files/comment-page-1/#comment-21294 Phil M Fri, 27 Feb 2009 23:44:16 +0000 http://www.pcmech.com/?p=9243#comment-21294 Older winzip encryption schemes are trivial to bypass - there are password crackers that can either read the password from the file, or hit it with 100 million passwords per second from a home PC. Go for up-to-date winzip, or better still, WinRAR. Both support 256-bit AES encryption schemes that are good enough for DOD and you really won't notice that it's beefed up. i.e. - no loss in performance. Either way, if you want to be safe couple the above method with a tool to securely erase the original file after you've made the zipped / rarred copy. Recovery of a freshly deleted file is also rather trivial. Older winzip encryption schemes are trivial to bypass – there are password crackers that can either read the password from the file, or hit it with 100 million passwords per second from a home PC.

Go for up-to-date winzip, or better still, WinRAR. Both support 256-bit AES encryption schemes that are good enough for DOD and you really won’t notice that it’s beefed up. i.e. – no loss in performance.

Either way, if you want to be safe couple the above method with a tool to securely erase the original file after you’ve made the zipped / rarred copy. Recovery of a freshly deleted file is also rather trivial.

]]>