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Information About an Archive's Encryption
On the Encryption tab of Archive Properties, you can view information about the encryption, if any, on the central directory of the archive. Smartcrypt encrypts the central directory when you set the option to encrypt file names. Encrypting the central directory encrypts not only the names of files and folders in an archive but also all the other archive metadata that the central directory contains.
Note: The Encryption tab does not appear on archives encrypted with OpenPGP.
To access the Encryption tab of Archive Properties:
Right-click in an empty area of the archive window, and click Properties to open Archive Properties. Select the Encryption tab.
The Encryption tab provides information about the encryption method and algorithm used to encrypt file names and the archive's central directory.
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 open the archive in Smartcrypt and view decrypted file names if Smartcrypt can access the recipient's private key. |
Passphrase | The archive is encrypted using strong, passphrase-based encryption. Anyone who has the passphrase can use it to decrypt and open the archive. |
Recipient List or Passphrase | This method combines features of the Recipient List and Passphrase methods. The archive is encrypted using strong encryption with 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 and open the archive. 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. |
Encryption Algorithm
The encryption algorithm can be either 3DES or AES 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 the recipients for whom the archive is encrypted. Any recipients for whom you do not have a certificate on your system are 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:
- Select the name of the recipient whose certificate you want to view.
- Click View Certificate.
The button opens the Certificate Properties dialog, which displays information about the selected certificate.