Download the most modern non-beta version from here.Īs default 7-Zip installs itself to with “explorer extensions” that allow you to right click on items on the desktop or in windows explorer to compress files. AES, like any encryption scheme, can be broken given time, but this is likely to run into hundreds if not thousands of years.ġ. Winzip, WinRAR, 7-Zip and others offer the more secure AES standard. Windows supports the use of ZIP or compressed folders, however it is hampered by the use of weak encryption, that can be brute-forced using a myriad of programs in minutes to hours with a modern PC. Asymmetric encryption is the method using the concept of public and private keys eliminating the need to transfer a password between the 2 parties. Encryption can be symmetric, where the same password is used for encrypting and decrypting the data. In this how-to I will show you how to install and produce 256-bit encryption of your compressed files.Įncryption is a way of scrambling the data within your files to prevent a third party eavesdropping. 7-Zip is an open-source, free utility that offers AES-256bit encryption. Winzip, WinRAR are trialware commercial programs that offer secure AES encryption to your compressed files but cost between 23 and 30 Euros per user.

Windows has had built in zip file support with encryption since Windows XP, unfortunately the quality of this encryption is poor as evidenced by the number of commercial programmes available to crack it.

Password 7zip