SecureZIP User Guide

SecureZIP User Guide
SecureZIP is an application for zipping files to save storage space as well as encrypting files
with password control to protect information. SecureZIP not only works alone to perform the
zipping and encryption functions but also integrates well with Microsoft Office 2010 to
facilitate information security in Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook. This user guide is
divided into two parts. The first part describes the use of SecureZIP alone while the second
part covers its use inside Microsoft Office applications.
Part I. Using SecureZIP alone
1. The SecureZIP user interface
There are two user interfaces in SecureZIP: Fluent interface and Conventional interface.
The former is similar to the ribbon style in recent Microsoft Office applications while the
latter is more like the traditional menu system. The Fluent interface has been set by
default. Below is the screenshot image of the Fluent interface.
If you want to change the SecureZIP interface to the conventional one, click Start to find
the SecureZIP application and then select Switch User Interface there.
After clicking Switch User Interface, you will see the following window:
You may choose to keep the Fluent interface or change it to the Conventional interface.
Below is the screenshot image of the Conventional interface.
2. Encryption Method and Encryption Algorithm
You can encrypt files to secure the information when you add them to an archive. For
additional security, you may also encrypt the names of files and folders in an archive so
that no information will be disclosed without the encryption password.
Strong encryption is always preferred since it is far more secure than the older traditional
ZIP encryption. You can do strong encryption in either (or both) of two ways: using a
passphrase, or using digital certificates and a recipient list.
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With passphrase-based encryption, the same passphrase is used to encrypt and to
decrypt, and anyone who has the passphrase can decrypt.
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With certificate-based encryption, a certificate's public key is used to encrypt, and the
certificate's private key is used to decrypt. The public and private keys are a pair of
numbers associated with a digital certificate that together function like a very long,
highly random passphrase.
The encryption method has been set to Strong: Recipient or passphrase. To change the
encryption method, click Encryption Method from the Home ribbon.
An encryption method requires an algorithm to implement it. For the strong encryption
methods, SecureZIP offers two algorithms for your selection: Advanced Encryption
Standard (AES) and Triple Data Encryption Algorithm (3DES). The default has been set
to Use FIPS 140 Mode with AES 256-bit encryption.
Different key lengths are supported for the AES algorithm. In general, longer key implies
stronger encryption and longer processing time. The default key length is minimum 8
characters long.
3. How to create a zipped and encrypted file
You can create a zipped and encrypted file simply by clicking Wizard and selecting
Create New Archive.
To select the files or folders that you want to add to a new archive, click Add Files or
Add Folder and then click Next to continue.
Choose the name and location of your new archive and click Next.
You are prompted to enter the Passphrase and /or choose the Certificates for the
Recipients for encryption. Enter the Passphrase and then click OK.
If you enter the Passphrase correctly (that is, with minimum 8 characters and the two
passphrases entered are identical), SecureZIP will create the new archive.
You will see the following windows when the archive has been successfully created.
Click Finish to close the dialog window.
4. How to decompress or decrypt the zipped and encrypted file
If the file has been encrypted by strong encryption as described in point 2 above, it cannot
be decrypted with the default extraction tools on Windows Vista/7. You can only use the
SecureZIP program or Zip Reader downloaded from PKWARE to decrypt the file.
When you decrypt an encrypted file, you will be prompted to enter the passphrase.
If you cannot enter the correct passphrase 3 times, the program will exit with an error
window.
However, you are allowed to retry the passphrase until you remember the correct one or give
up.
Part II. Using SecureZIP inside Microsoft Office
The integration of SecureZIP with Microsoft Office allows you to open ZIP files, save zipped
and encrypted files directly to storage media and set SecureZIP Options in Word, Excel, or
PowerPoint. For example, when you activate Word, you will see the SecureZIP tab:
If you click SecureZIP, you will see the available ZIP functions.
5. How to save zipped and encrypted files from Microsoft Office
For example, assume that you have opened a zipped and encrypted Word document for
editing. After editing, if you select Save Copy as SecureZIP file from the SecureZip
Ribbon, the file is compressed, encrypted, and saved automatically.
Type the file name and click Save
You are prompted to enter the Passphrase and /or choose the Certificates for the
Recipients for encryption. Enter the Passphrase and then click OK.
6. How to send zipped and encrypted email attachments from Microsoft Outlook
When you edit (create/reply/forward) a message in Outlook, you will see the SecureZIP
tab.
Click the SecureZIP tab, you will see the SecureZIP ribbon. Click SecureZIP and
SecureZIP Encrypt in the SecureZIP ribbon to zip and encrypt the email attachments. If
Click SecureZIP only, it will zip the attachments without encryption.
7. How to set options to encrypt the message body in Microsoft Outlook
Click SecureZIP Options in SecureZIP Ribbon
Tick the Encrypt message body checkbox
If you check the Encrypt message body option, SecureZIP will encrypt the body of your
email message in addition to file attachments. SecureZIP first converts your email
message and the attachments into a single MIME-format, .eml file and then encrypts and
zips this file. The name of the .eml file, like the name of the containing ZIP file, is based
on the Subject of the message plus a timestamp: for example, My message subject 200810-05 14_19_27.EML.
If the subject is blank or contains any non-ASCII characters, the word PKMESSAGE is
used instead. For example: PKMESSAGE 2008-10-05 14_19_27.EML.
The following will be shown in the message content while the option “Encrypted message
body” is selected.
This message was encrypted by SecureZIP(R) by PKWARE. To view this message,
open the .ZIP attachment in SecureZIP.
To view this message from the Microsoft Outlook Reading pane, double-click the
message to have SecureZIP open it in a new window.
If you do not have SecureZIP, you can download a copy at
http://www.SecureZIP.com. Alternatively, you can use the free ZIP Reader by
PKWARE(R). A copy of ZIP Reader is available at http://www.zipreader.com.
If you received this message on a Blackberry or other mobile device, we
recommend you read the message from your desktop/laptop computer using
SecureZIP.