Encrypting zip files with a password based on Zip 2.0 encryption

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Encrypting zip files with a password based on Zip 2.0 encryption

Hi, I am trying to zip and encrypt files in Java (1.6) with a password based on the earlier Zip 2.0 encryption. I have used AES 256 bit encrytpion to encrypt zip files with password and have successfully been able to do so.

Though AES is a stronger and a more secure encryption standard, i need to find a standard that is more widely supported across all zip clients so that the users have a higher success rates opening the password protected zip files. So i was looking for some Zip 2.0 based encryption to encrypt my files. Any help would be appreciated!

Thanks!

I think that nearly all zip-clients do support the WinZip-AES-encryption. As WinZip is far more spread than the original pkzip, it's encryption has become the de-facto standard. Do you have a specific client which does not support the aes-encryption?

Sven Lilienthal 2009-12-14 11:05:49

Hi Sven, I've had complaints from 7-zip v4.65 on Windows and unzip utility on Linux so far.I'm not sure if going back to an older encryption standard is a good idea, but i thought I could use a standard that ensures a good level of success on greater number of zip clients. Thanks.

Pokemon 2009-12-14 12:51:01

Are you sure it was v4.65 for 7-zip? v4.64 fixed a bug in the decryption of AES-encrypted zip-files:http://www.7-zip.org/history.txt

Sven Lilienthal 2009-12-14 13:19:34

Actually, AES encryption is not ubiquitously supported, even now. For example, J2SE itself does not support WinZip AES encryption. Nor does sharpziplib, I think. WinZip AES is probably the most widely supported *strong* encryption mechanism for zip files, but zip2.0 encryption is much more widely supported than Winzip AES.

Cheeso 2010-02-10 16:13:13

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Encrypting zip files with a password based on Zip 2.0 encryption

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