1Crypt FAQ
An easy and professional way to add strong encryption to your application
Can files encrypted with 1Crypt be cracked, or the key recovered?
Short answer: NO
Rijndael has been adopted as the Advanced Encryption Standard because there is consensus among expert cryptogists that it can't be cracked.
This means that if you forget the key used for encryption, there is really, absolutely no way to decrypt the file. Atma Software can't decrypt it, and neither can the CIA.
Can the ActiveX Control be hacked?
There wouldn't be any point in hacking it, because the Rijndael encryption algorithm is in the public domain.
The only danger is that your EXE can be hacked to find out the key used for encryption. So try to avoid hard-coding the key in your program.
What is the exact method used for encryption?
The key is hashed using the Secure Hash Algorithm (SHA-256), to create a 256-bit encryption key.
The encryption algorithm is AES (Rijndael), in CBC mode.
In the case of files, the hash itself is encrypted and added to the file to ensure that decrypting with the wrong key won't result in garbage. When the file is opened for decryption the encrypted hash saved with the file is compared with the encrypted hash of the decryption key provided. If they are not the same, then the file won't be processed. This is a standard secure method, and the key cannot be recovered by working backwards.
What about distribution?
When you distribute an application which uses 1Crypt:
- OneCryptX.ocx must be distributed with your application
- Your install procedure should register the ocx on the user's computer
- Distribution is royalty-free.
Compatible with Windows 98, ME, NT, 2000, Server 2003, XP, Vista