PKZIP and SecureZIP: Low-Carb Diets for Your Files It's a Small File World Wayne Kawamoto
It's a Small File World
For novices, each program offers three helpful wizards that provide simple, clear-cut instructions. Each wizard asks a series of questions that helps users create or update archives or extract files. Both PKZIP and SecureZIP offer superb Windows integration for conveniently accessing the tools'
features. As an example, you can open archives from within Windows Explorer by simply double-clicking them as well as access various program options.
You can also use the programs themselves to work with archives. Using PKZIP, for example, you can extract files by simply dragging them from open archives. You can also view files in an archive without extracting them, and PKZIP indicates the application that's associated with the files.
Both PKZIP and SecureZIP make it easy to set options that oversee the compression of files and define how the programs work. An intuitive tabbed options menu that's divided into compression, extraction, security, view, and miscellaneous tabs lets you readily configure the program. As an example, if you set encryption to "on," all files that you add to an archive will be saved with strong or weak encryption, and/or password or recipient lists, depending on your settings.
PKZIP creates several types of archives and extracts files from other types of archives. You don't need to do anything special to use PKZIP with many non-ZIP archives — PKZIP recognizes the archive type and extracts the files. An e-mail module that comes with SecureZIP (and is also available as an add-on for PKZIP) lets you conveniently create attachments from a Microsoft Outlook or Lotus Notes message window and compress, encrypt, and sign email attachments (with SecureZIP only).
SecureZIP supports digital certificates so that you can sign files, proving to recipients that your files have not been modified, and validating your identity as the author. While both PKZIP and SecureZIP authenticate digital signatures on files that you receive from others, decrypt strongly
encrypted files, and recognize digital signatures, you'll need SecureZIP to strongly encrypt files or attach digital signatures.
Top-Notch Security
For top-notch security, SecureZIP supports X.509-based digital certificates and industry-standard strong encryption algorithms such as the FIPS 197-certified Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) and 3DES. SecureZIP's file wiping feature permanently deletes files that remain on a user's disk and otherwise could be recovered.
An add-on administrative module for PKZIP and SecureZIP allows administrators to lock important encryption and digital signing options so users can't change them. A Directory Integration module for SecureZIP allows the program to access certificates on directory servers and encrypt files for the owners of specific certificates. Depending on your situation, the feature may help you work with certificates that belong to colleagues, customers, partners, vendors, and more. And for those who don't own PKZIP or SecureZIP, PKWARE offers a free tool for unzipping and decrypting SecureZIP files.
