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View Information About a File's Encryption
To view information about the encryption on a particular file:
1. Select a single file in the archive.
2. Right-click the selected file and choose Properties to open the File Properties dialog.
3. Select the Encryption tab.
The Encryption tab provides information about the encryption, if any, applied to the selected file.
Note: The Encryption tab does not appear on files encrypted with OpenPGP.
If the file is not encrypted, the tab displays the line, File is not encrypted, and other fields and controls on the tab are grayed out.
If the file is encrypted, the tab displays the line, File is encrypted, and provides details.
Encryption Method
The table below describes the possible encryption methods:
Encryption Method | What It Means |
|---|---|
Recipient List | The archive is encrypted using strong, certificate-based encryption for a specific set of people—the recipients. Recipients are listed in the pane at the bottom of the tab. Any of the recipients can decrypt the file in Smartcrypt if Smartcrypt can access the recipient's private key. |
Passphrase | Encrypted using a passphrase. Passphrase-based encryption can be either strong or the weak, traditional kind. Anyone who has the passphrase can use it to decrypt the file. |
Recipient List or Passphrase | This method combines features of the Recipient List and Passphrase methods. The file is encrypted using strong encryption and both a recipient list and a passphrase. Anyone who knows the passphrase or is one of the recipients in the list at the bottom of the tab can decrypt the file. A recipient in the list does not need to know the passphrase, and someone who has the passphrase does not need to be in the list of recipients. |
Smartkey | A Smartkey is a collection of encryption keys tied to an access control list (ACL). The ACL defines who can decrypt the data contained in an archive. |
Encryption Algorithm
The encryption algorithm applied by the creator of the archive. The encryption algorithm can be either of the following:
Traditional: The file is encrypted using traditional, weak ZIP encryption.
Either the 3DES strong encryption algorithm or the AES algorithm in any of several key lengths; for example, 256-bit AES.
Recipient List and View Certificate button
The recipient list at the bottom of the tab lists all recipients on the list for whom you have X.509 certificates on your system. If the file was encrypted for a recipient for whom you do not have a certificate, that recipient is listed as Unknown.
The View Certificate button under the list of recipients enables you to view information about the certificate of a selected, known recipient. The button is grayed unless a recipient is selected in the list.
To view information about a certificate:
1. Select the name of the recipient whose certificate you want to view.
2. Click View Certificate.
The button opens the Certificate Properties dialog, which displays information about the selected certificate.