This article shares with you the introduction and download of 5 free PGP encryption software for Windows. PGP or Pretty Good Privacy software uses encryption methods to prevent unauthorized access to digital information. The software is mainly used for digital signatures and file , directory , disk , e-mail and other encryption and decryption . Most PGP encryptors can also encrypt independent text . All these PGP encryptors follow the OPENPGP standard RFC 4880 for data encryption and decryption.
These PGP encryptors use various hashes (SHA1, SHA 512, etc.) and Cypher algorithms (AES 128, Blowfish, etc.) to protect data. According to the data, you can choose different algorithm combinations when encrypting. The encryption process of all PGP software is almost the same. You first need to generate a key pair , which is still protected by a user-defined password . By using a key pair, you can easily encrypt text , files, folders, etc. You can also export and share key pairs so that other authorized personnel can decrypt the files.
My favorite Windows PPG encryption software:
pfPgpEncryptor is my favorite software because it can not only encrypt files, but also compress files at the same time. In addition, it also gives you complete freedom to choose the required hash and encryption algorithms .
pfPgpEncryptor
pfPgpEncryptor is a free PGP encryption software for Windows . Using this software, you can encrypt sensitive files and independent text . In order to ensure data security, it provides various hash algorithms (SHA1, SHA256, SHA 512, MD2, MD5, etc.) and password or encryption algorithms (AES 128, AES 256, CAST5, Blowfish, DES, etc.). You can choose any combination of hash and encryption algorithm to encrypt data. The software compresses files and compresses files during the encryption process. It uses various compression techniques, such as ZIP , ZLIB , BZIP2, and so on. Before encryption, you can also choose a compression technology and encryption algorithm.
How to use pfPgpEncryptor to encrypt files:
To encrypt files, first, you need to create a new key . To do this, go to " Tools" > " Key Library Manager", and by providing such UserID , key expiration date , key size , password , key path and so on to create the key information .
Now, open the main interface of this software and submit the path of the newly created key to the key file path field. After that, set the Hash algorithm , Cypher algorithm and compression method .
Finally, specify the path of the file or text to be encrypted, and then press the "Encrypt" button to start the encryption process.
In this software, you can also use the previously generated key to encrypt files. In addition, when generating the key, you can set whether the generated key is a public key , a private key or an Ascii Armored key . The decryption process is simpler than encryption, because you only need to select the same key pair used to encrypt the file and the correct password to decrypt the file.
The PGP encryption software download address: download page
Cleopatra
Kleopatra is a free and open source PGP encryption software for Windows . With this software, you can encrypt all important data , files , folders, etc. It is provided as part of the Gpg4Win suite , which also contains four software in packages named GnuPG , GPA , GpgOL and GpgEX . These additional software can be used with Kleopatra and provide additional functions, especially increased encryption functions.
Let's take a look at other software and its functions:
GnuPG : This is the actual encryption tool used by Kleopatra, mainly used as a backend.
GpgOL: It is used as a plugin for Microsoft Outlook to encrypt emails . Users of Outlook 2010 and higher versions can use this plug-in with MS Exchange Server .
GpgEX : It is integrated with Windows Explorer and provides fast encryption options that can be accessed from the right-click menu.
GPA : It acts as a certificate manager, and you can also use it to prove the validity of a certificate.
The encryption process uses encryption and other software is very similar, in other software, first of all, you need by providing such as name , Email and passphrase (password) of information such as to generate a key pair . After that, you need to select one or more files to be encrypted, and then press the "Encrypt" button to start encryption. Similarly, when decrypting, you will need to select the same key pair used for encryption and the correct password to decrypt the file.
In addition to encryption and decryption functions, the software also contains functions such as exporting secret keys , changing the expiration time (to set the expiration date of the key), and creating checksum files .
The PGP encryption software download address: download page
GoAnywhere OpenPGP Studio
GoAnywhere OpenPGP Studio is a free, cross-platform PGP encryption software, suitable for Windows, Mac, Linux, etc. It is a free desktop tool that allows you to protect sensitive files , folders, etc. Conventional encryption methods use a single key or password to encrypt information, while this PGP encryptor uses a more secure dual-key (asymmetric) system .
How to encrypt files with GoAnywhere OpenPGP Studio:
The first step is to create a new key pair . To do this, please press the " Create" button, and then provide such things as name , email address , key type (DSS or RSA), key size (512, 1024, 2048 and 4096), password or password, and key expiration date Information . After that, press the Create button to generate a key pair.
Now, go to the " OpenPGP Tasks" tab , browse for the file you want to encrypt, and press the " Encrypt" button . Before encryption, you can choose whether to replace the original file with the encrypted file.
Similar to encryption, you or another authorized user can easily decrypt files by selecting the correct key pair and providing the correct password .
In addition to the encryption and decryption, you can also use this software to document be digitally signed and verified, An integrated key management also exists, allowing you to quickly create , import , export , and manage keys .
The PGP encryption software download address:Download page
PGP tools
PGPTool is another free and open source PGP encryption software for Windows. It is a simple encryption software, through which independent texts , files , folders, etc. can be encrypted . As with other similar software, first, you need to generate a key pair to encrypt any type of data. The process of generating a key pair is simple. First, enter the " Keyring" > " Operations" > " Create PGP Key" menu, and then submit the name , email and password to generate the key. The generated key uses a combination of SHA 256 and DSA 2014 algorithm. This is the only combination of algorithms you get in this software. Now, to encrypt a file, select the "Encrypt File" option, then select the file you want to encrypt, and then press the " Encrypt" button . Similarly, you can select " Text Options" to encrypt independent text . However, in both cases, two post-completion actions can be enabled , namely deleting source files andOpen the destination folder .
In this software, there is no need to create a new key pair every time to encrypt files, because you can also use the previously generated key to encrypt. However, the same key pair and password must be used to decrypt the files you used in the encryption process. In this free software, you will also get a convenient key list manager that can manage multiple key pairs, you can also export the key pair to the public key and private key .
The PGP encryption software download address: download page
VeraCrypt
VeraCrypt is the next free and open source PGP encryption software for Windows. With this software, you can encrypt data and files by installing and encrypting the drive. Not only can partition, also can encrypt a disk of entire partition or an entire disk or storage device (such as a USB flash drive or hard drive) . In order to encrypt data, it uses various highly secure encryption ( AES , Serpent , Twofish, etc.) and hash algorithms ( SHA-256 and RIPEMD-160 ). Before encryption, you can choose an encryption and hashing algorithm.
How to use VeraCrypt to encrypt the drive with encrypted data:
Open the system menu, and then select the encrypted system partition/drive to open the VeraCrypt volume creation wizard .
In this wizard, the first step is to select the type of system encryption . If you want to encrypt the system partition (drive), you can select the " Normal" option, or you can select " Hide" to create a hidden instance so that unauthorized users cannot decrypt the files even if they use brute force methods.
The next step is to select the area to be encrypted . After that, if only one operating system is installed on the system , please select the " single boot" option , if there are multiple operating systems, select the " multi-boot" option .
Now, choose the appropriate encryption hash algorithm and encrypt along the password .
Press Next to generate an encryption key . To do this, you need to randomly move the mouse on the VaraCrypt interface to increase the encryption strength of the encryption key.
Finally, just like other PGP software that uses the key to directly encrypt data , the generated encryption key is used to encrypt the disk or partition. It also provides a rescue disk option, if some errors occur, you can use this option to restore data.
By using the correct password and decryption options, you will be able to decrypt the encrypted drive back to its original state.
You can use this PGP encryptor to perform many other activities, such as loading/unloading volumes , generating key files, changing volume passwords , running benchmark algorithms , testing vectors, etc.
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