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You use your private key to decrypt the file. In this system, if I want to send you a file, I look up your public key and encrypt the file with it. Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) cryptography avoids the security weak point by eliminating the need for key transmission. That key transmission is a scriptwriter’s dream, a perfect opening for cloak and dagger chicanery. If you want to share an encrypted file, you must securely (and separately) transmit the key to the recipient. Bruce Schneier's Blowfish algorithm is another much-used method.ĪES, Blowfish, and many common encryption algorithms are symmetric, meaning the same key is used to encrypt and decrypt data. The official encryption algorithm of the US Government is Advanced Encryption Standard (AES). Their output bears no visible relationship to the data that went in, and cracking a modern encryption algorithm would take an impossibly long time. Modern encryption algorithms are light-years beyond old-fashioned ciphers. You can use NordLocker at no charge if you’re willing to accept a hard limit of 2GB of encrypted files.
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It’s gone up quite a bit since our last review, now listing at $7.99 per month or $95.88 per year. NordLocker is one of the few competitors that charge a yearly fee. That ongoing subscription is needed because some of its features are server-based. AxCrypt, however, charges $5 per month or $45 per year. Once you’ve bought the product, you can use it indefinitely, though you may pay if you want new versions. Many encryption apps are simple, self-contained utilities, with no ongoing license fees. This excellent encryption tool lets you protect your files with top-tier encryption, and it does so with utmost simplicity. Sweden-based AxCrypt Premium would never pass the screen test, It’s too straightforward-and that's a good thing.
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Real-world encryption tools are much more prosaic, though some do seem complex enough to make it into a movie script.
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