[AxCrypt SupportModerator]

Yehuda,

We received the stack trace, thank you. Would you mind also sending the ‘FileSystemState.txt’ file from %localappdata%\AxCrypt ? It does contain the names of the encrypted files (i.e. the .axx-files, not the originals, but if you have not renamed they are of course very similar), otherwise there’s nothing sensitive in it.

Svante

[AxCrypt SupportModerator]

Hello Chetan,

Right now, the “anonymous rename” and “shred and delete” are indeed Premium features. Our thoughts are that the Free version should focus on the file encryption functionality, which is still free and equivalent to 1.7. Also, the “shred and delete” function has less value nowadays, since SSD drive tech makes that function almost impossible to implement properly.

Finally, the “create key file” function has been removed completely. It’s not available in either Free or Premium. The reasoning behind this is that it’s only a very few who use it and if AxCrypt is used properly the value added is very small, and in many cases it might instead lull users into a false sense of security. We’d much rather develop other ways to use full-strength keys such as usb key storage devices and perhaps mobile phones.

Nothing is set in stone though, and we’re listening carefully to comments such as yours to determine our future course of action.

Thank you for taking the time!

Svante

[AxCrypt SupportModerator]

Hi!

We’ll be looking into this the coming week! Can you tell us a little more:

– What Windows-version

– What are you opening PDF files with?

– What version of AxCrypt are you running?

– Can you please use the function File | Options | Debug and then Debug | Open Error Report Snapshot and follow the instructions you should see then?

Svante

[AxCrypt SupportModerator]

Hello Pete,

You’ll always be able to open older files, and always decrypt and open Premium-encrypted files even if you stop subscribing to Premium.

So, AxCrypt 2 can open any AxCrypt-encrypted file, regardless of whether it’s encrypted with AxCrypt 1 or 2 Free or Premium.

AxCrypt 1 cannot decrypt any file encrypted with AxCrypt 2.

However, right now we don’t have a single “upgrade all files” function so right now if you go Premium files will be upgraded as you go along. We’ll be providing such a function shortly.

[AxCrypt SupportModerator]

Hello Laurel,

You’re right – the clean up action updates all of the “recently used dates”. Normally the date reflects the most recent use of the file, but now apparently the clean up causes them to be updated as well – thus the same date.

Thanks for reporting this.

You can follow the issue here:

https://bitbucket.org/axantum/axcrypt-net/issues/129/clean-up-causes-the-time-stamp-to-be

Thank you!

[AxCrypt SupportModerator]

Hello Peter!

The problem here is that the ‘open padlock icon’ in the AxCrypt window toolbar is to ‘open’ files, i.e. it’s equivalent to double-click in Windows Explorer. This means, decrypt to temporary location, start appropriate app, wait for finish and then re-encrypt’. Just like you can’t double-click a multiple file selection in Windows Explorer, because it doesn’t make good sense, you can’t use multiple-file selection here either.

The droid you’re looking for can be found under the ‘File | Stop Securing’ menu choice. There you can select many files for decryption in one operation.

I hope this helps.

Svante

• This reply was modified 9 years, 6 months ago by  AxCrypt Support.

[AxCrypt SupportModerator]

Hello md!

Thanks for the valuable feeback!

I think perhaps you missed the fact we have a fully featured portable version that you can include with your archive files. This is much better than the very limited ‘AxDecrypt’ which the self-decrypting files used. No installation required, it’s essentially the same thing. We might bring the ‘self-decrypting’ feature back with the portable version as the base, or something similar, although I really don’t think it’s the best solution. Still, in this case, it doesn’t really hurt either.

AxCrypt 2 is still “just” password based encryption, there is no required tie to the e-mail adress, it’s there for sharing purposes and for the purpose of making a change of password simple. But you can *always* decrypt the file with the password used when it was originally encrypted.

We’ll be making it possible to use AxCrypt fully stand-alone without any connection to our servers as well, so that will not be an issue soon. I do understand the concern here for long-term archival purposes, so we’ll be addressing that.

Svante

[AxCrypt SupportModerator]

Hello Peter,

Wow… To be honest, I think you might want to make your life easier by examining your situation from a security analysis point of view. I think you can at least skip the zipx step, without sacrificing any security at all. Also, if I were you, I’d settle on a really good, long and strong password that you can remember and use that and skip the keyfiles step. You might for example want to use two concatenated passwords from our password generator for a really ludicrous level of strength. http://www.axcrypt.net/password-generator/ .

Using full disk/container encryption in combination with file encryption is something I do recommend, not quite for the multiple-level of encryption reason, but for other reasons. Specifically, I advocate full disk encryption such as BitLocker for local PC security, and file encryption for off-device storage  – which for practical reasons means that you keep files file encrypted on your full disk encrypted hard disk.

Anyway, if you install 2.1 it’ll upgrade the 1.7. If you want to have them both, don’t install 2.1, just download the portable install-free version. The shell integration will be with 1.7 then, but you can use the 2.1 user window for all features.

Svante

[AxCrypt SupportModerator]

Hello John,

No problem, no shame ;-) If I understand your scenario it should work for you with a single Premium account, it might be slightly cumbersome when creating new files to share, but it should work.

For key sharing, the idea is that the person doing the sharing needs Premium, but persons being shared with do not.

If you wish to try it out fully, register a new AxCrypt ID account under a different account, and then via the Premium Support function (which you of course have since you have a the trial) let us know that you’d like to disable Premium and we can help you with that. We can’t do it back and forward a lot of times, but if you’d like to prematurely expire Premium for a single account for testing purposes, of course we’ll help you with that!

[AxCrypt SupportModerator]

Hello John,

Sorry, didn’t think of that one… We don’t have that option! Hmm… I know some softwares have a ‘pause’ evaluation feature. Maybe we should add something like that? The thing is, as I’ve mentioned elsewhere, is that we’re really sensitive to options. We think they often tend to cause more problems than they solve. I do see your point here.

Not really sure here what the best course of action would be. Perhaps a transient option, i.e. an option you can toggle in a session, but it’s reset to default as soon as you sign out. The thing is, if I just add a ‘Pause’ or ‘Run as Free’ permanent option, I’m fairly sure we’ll be drowned in support requests “Why don’t I have Premium…”.

Ideas?

[AxCrypt SupportModerator]

Hello Marco,

Once the actual encrypted files are shared via a shared folder for example, you use the ‘Key Sharing’ function to enable the others to open the files. You can set ‘Key Sharing’ either on a Secured Folder, or on a specific file.

The ‘Key Sharing’ function is found by right-clicking the file or folder in the AxCrypt 2 Recent Files or Secured Folders window.

[AxCrypt SupportModerator]

Sorry about that Peter – we’ll be adding a “Convert all files” type of feature in the near future to facilitate this process.

In the meantime, there’s unfortunately also another issue. When you select files to convert/decrypt, do so from the AxCrypt 2 window, not from Windows Explorer. Will also be fixed very, very soon…

Or, just wait for the next release. It should be available next week, where at least some of these things are addressed.

To be honest, while I’m very happy in general with how AxCrypt 2 works and it’s stability, I am not happy with the re-onboarding process for existing AxCrypt 1 users. It’s not at all as seamless and convenient as it should be. This will be fixed, it has very high priority, but there are some other things with even higher priority that needs to get fixed first.

Svante

[AxCrypt SupportModerator]

Hello “Duke of Zürich” ;-)

I’m glad you liked the old AxCrypt, and of course a bit sad you have issues with the new one.

Just to be sure – you do realize that the Internet-connection requirement is a one-time-only requirement? It’s not required for day-to-day use. All encryption/decryption is still done locally without server interaction. It’s still open source, so you can verify this.

Since nothing is set in stone, I’d really appreciate if you could elaborate on why you find it unacceptable to have an account with a working e-mail?

Anyway, regards and thanks for the input!

[AxCrypt SupportModerator]

Thank you Yehuda!

Here’s the thing – we’re allergic (at least very sensitive) to options. We think software should try to work as well as possible without options as far as it is at all possible. Also, we don’t want to re-invent any wheels.

All of these options and settings actually exist – in your screen saver settings. Since we *really*, *really* recommend that a password protected screen saver is always used, regardless of the use of AxCrypt or not, this would be a duplication of features already existing.

So, while I really appreciate you taking the time, in this particular case I stand by our active decision not to have this as an option. At least so far – I’m always open for new takes on old situations!

Svante

[AxCrypt SupportModerator]

Hello Peter!

If you have old files encrypted with an old version of AxCrypt and the password is different from the password used to sign in to AxCrypt 2, the following happens:

1 – You sign in with the password you signed up for AxCrypt 2 with.

2 – You attempt to open an ‘old’ file. AxCrypt tries to use the sign in password, but discovers it doesn’t work.

3 – AxCrypt pops a new password dialog, asking for the password for this specific file. This is where you enter your old original password.

4 – AxCrypt succeeds in decrypting the file, and asks if you’d like to Auto Convert the file. We recommend you click yes.

5 – Assuming you clicked ‘yes’ in step 4, AxCrypt now takes the decrypted file and re-encrypts it with the AxCrypt 2 encryption, and the sign in password instead of the old file password.

So, from this point forward, you have effectively changed the password for the file. You no longer need the old password for that particular file.

There is no strengthening or any actual interaction with the server during encryption. The server connection is only used to update licensing information and synchronize some ‘behind the scenes’ internal keys, check for new versions etc. All encryption and decryption is done locally.

There is no need to have an Internet connection to use AxCrypt. It’s only required when AxCrypt is registred on a device, i.e. when you run it the first time on a computer. Not thereafter.

If you change your AxCrypt ID Account Sign In password, all files that have been encrypted while signed in to AxCrypt 2 will also open with the new password.

Your old AxCrypt 1 files that have not been converted are as they are, and still require the original password used then.

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