miniLock: Months after the Snowden revelations, the communications security and encryption technologies sector is booming as more and more users (personal or professional) are looking for new ways to ensure the confidentiality of their communications.
However, the use of encryption programs / tools remains a complex object - and this is what Nantim Combeysi wants to change, who later in the month at the HOPE hacker conference in New York will present his beta version miniLock: a handy, free και open-source προγράμματος (browser file encryption plugin), which is also suitable for use by people with limited technical knowledge.
As reported in a related Wired article, 23Commpe is the "tagline" that is "encrypting files that do more with less ... it's terribly simple, easy to use, and it's impossible to get confused using it."
The program is still in an experimental phase and he suggests not using it for very "sensitive" archives, ωστόσο φαίνεται ότι αποτελεί το «ευκολότερο» λογισμικό κρυπτογράφησης του είδους του. Σύμφωνα με το Wired, το οποίο δοκίμασε μία έκδοση του plugin για τον Chrome, η χρήση του είναι όντως πολύ εύκολη, ενώ η προστασία που παρέχεται είναι όντως πολύ υψηλού επιπέδου. Το MiniLock μπορεί να χρησιμοποιηθεί για την κρυπτογράφηση ο,τιδήποτε- από συνημμένα σε email αρχεία video up to photos on a USB drive, or files stored in cloud storage services.
MiniLock provides "public key" encryption. In such systems users have two cryptographic "keys", one public and one personal. They share the public with anyone who wants to send them files safely. Anything encrypted with the public key can only be decrypted with the private key.
The Kobeisi system simplifies the whole process, as every time the program is activated, the user enters a password / passphrase, which creates a public key (miniLock ID) and a private key, which the user never sees and deletes when the program "closes". Both are the same whenever the user enters the same password. The main advantage is that anyone can use the program on any computer without worrying about the secure storage or transfer of the private key.
However, as mentioned in the Wired report, the miniLock may not be very welcome by the "cryptographic" community, as the most famous former Combey's creation was Cryptocat, which though easy to use, had many problems - but which, according to him, have been resolved.
Source: naftemporiki.gr
