Protect Zip Code Certificate For Free

Highlight and select the files you want to protect. Right-click these files and hover your mouse over 7-Zip from the menu. Select the "Add to Archive" option from this menu to open the "Encryption" menu. Type your password in the "Password" field.

1 Answer. It uses AES-256 with PBKDF2 using SHA1 with only 1,000 iterations [number disputed in 2nd and 3rd comment] as the KDF. The AES-256 is strong, but the password protection is weak so make sure you use good passwords.

Fortunately, most third-party zip tools, including the free 7-zip, support AES-256. To encrypt an archive in 7-zip, once you're at the Add to Archive dialog box, enter a password and select the Encryption method AES-256. You'll find these options near the lower-right corner of the dialog box.

When creating a ZIP file, a password can additionally be specified to secure the data using either standard protection or AES (Advanced Encryption Standard). This is a symmetric form of encryption, in which the same password will be used to both zip and unzip the file.

Encryption method = AES-256 (the strongest and most secure encryption method)

When you've reached the right folder that contains the file you want to encrypt, right-click on the file. Select 7-Zip and click on Add to Archive... The only details you need to enter are the Encryption Password. Enter a password of your choice, then re-enter to confirm.

Files contained in the zip file are encrypted using a proprietary cipher informally known as ZipCrypto. Briefly, it's a symmetric cipher that uses three 32-bit keys derived from the password provided to zip .

Note: There is a trade-off between using AES-256 and ZipCrypto. AES-256 is proven much more secure than ZipCrypto, but if you select AES-256 the recipient of the zip file may have to 7-zip or another zip program to read the file contents.