Submit portable freeware that you find here. It helps if you include information like description, extraction instruction, Unicode support, whether it writes to the registry, and so on.
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I am Baas
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#1
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by I am Baas » Tue Dec 06, 2011 11:13 pm
AxCrypt2Go.exe is an install-free simple program allowing you to encrypt and decrypt on the road. The full version is still recommended for day-to-day use.
AxDecrypt.exe is an install-free, decrypt-only "viewer". If you just have a .axx-file and a passphrase, this is for you, but not AxCrypt installed.
Available in 32- or 64-bit
http://www.axantum.com/AxCrypt/Downloads.aspxBəəs 2.0
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webfork
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#2
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by webfork » Wed Dec 07, 2011 11:30 am
Excellent news: AxCrypt has been around forever and I know a lot of people use it for security. Good to finally see a portable version.
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webfork
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#3
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by webfork » Thu Dec 08, 2011 10:22 am
Lots of things to like:
- Built from a very mature program (I recall it was one of my first exposures to security freeware 10+ yrs ago)
- Open source (GPL)
- Uses standard AES-128 encryption
- Supports key files (assuming no one finds your key file, can be orders of magnitude more secure than a password)
- Intelligent compression (won't compress something that doesn't need it)
However, I'm not seeing why someone would use this over 7-zip, which has better compression (AxCrypt uses ZIP compression via zlib) and lots of features.
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AxCrypt2Go
- Looks portable -- in fact there are NO settings are available to change, and this looks stealth (I had some weird system crap running at the same time so I'm not 100% sure).
Wishlist:
- Support drag-and-drop. Maybe like our Drag-n-Crypt Ultra with that little floating box.
- Inside the file manager, double-click an AXX file (the encrypted file) to decrypt it (right now you've got to right-click it)
- Fix the odd desktop behavior: you can see folders on the desktop, but not the desktop itself. Refresh doesn't work to make folders you create on the desktop appear
- Intelligent LZMA compression (or just use 7-zip libraries)
- Other included security tools like a wipe program or something
- Text output option
AxDecrypt
- Will cache the passphrase for other files.
Wishlist: I actually like the simplicity, but I want it to support drag and drop.
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Side note: interesting bit for security nerds:
PC Mag points out AES 128 is
oddly better than 256.
Last edited by
webfork on Sun Jan 29, 2012 11:32 am, edited 3 times in total.
Reason: (edit for formatting and cut a repeat statement)
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Craunch
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#5
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by Craunch » Thu Jun 26, 2014 8:44 am
That inclusion of OpenCandy means that I will probably never use AxCrypt2Go.
I regard all online advertising as a potential source of malware and do whatever I can to avoid it. The dubious decision to include OpenCandy means that I could now only trust this software if I built it myself from source having given its source a thorough code review to satisfy myself that there is nothing else of a dubious nature tucked away. That isn't worth it - there are other programs around that are not tainted by advertising in any way.
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webfork
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#6
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by webfork » Fri Jun 27, 2014 4:08 pm
Craunch wrote:I regard all online advertising as a potential source of malware and do whatever I can to avoid it.
I definitely sympathize but I don't follow your logic: an adware offer doesn't necessarily mean that the program's security is compromised. Additionally, it would seem to make more sense to trust a program
more that has a clear financial model, rather than wonder if someone is funding them while maintaining a backdoor. That's the primary fear with Microsoft's Bitlocker encryption, since the US Govt is a huge customer.
Now, if the program does the stealth or "drive by" adware install, that's definitely a security concern.
Anyway, here's the author's breakdown on the adware move:
http://www.axantum.com/axcrypt/freeware.html
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romulous
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#7
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by romulous » Fri Jun 27, 2014 8:37 pm
Midas wrote:latest version is v1.7.2867 (released 2011-12-04
Incorrect. That is just the latest version released to Sourceforge - the current version is only hosted on the Axantum website. As per the downloads page in the first post, the current download is actually 1.7.3156 (v2 is in Beta, but you have to sign up on the Axantum website to get access to it).
I'm unsure if you have the current versions of AxCrypt2Go and AxDecrypt either - the current download links are not to Sourceforge, but again, direct from the Axantum website. The website does not actually state what the version is for either of those programs.
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Craunch
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#8
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by Craunch » Sat Jun 28, 2014 3:48 am
webfork wrote:an adware offer doesn't necessarily mean that the program's security is compromised
I agree, but equally it doesn't necessarily mean that the program's security is uncompromised either. I regard it as a warning flag.
the main problem I have with such adware offers as OpenCandy, or various toolbars is that they are usually opt-out if you don't want them instead of opt-in if you really want them. All it takes is one slightly hasty click and you've got that crap on your computer. I've been caught by this before, by the Ask Toolbar from Oracle Java if I remember correctly.
So far as he author's breakdown on the adware move is concerned, it looks to me like a case of "monkey see, monkey do". Nevertheless, my use of AxCrypt2Go & AxDecrypt remains highly unlikely.
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webfork
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#9
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by webfork » Sat Jun 28, 2014 11:51 am
Craunch wrote:Nevertheless, my use of AxCrypt2Go & AxDecrypt remains highly unlikely.
Yeah if you saw my review above, I don't really have much reason to use it. Standard 7zip seems much better.
Craunch wrote:All it takes is one slightly hasty click and you've got that crap on your computer. I've been caught by this before, by the Ask Toolbar from Oracle Java if I remember correctly.
Point taken. I can't help but think that's sort of the whole point, and that's why they don't make it opt-in rather than opt-out.
Incidentally, if anyone ends up with that OpenCandy crap,
Ghacks highlighted a removal method that will probably help. A poster there claims that you can launch the executable with
/nocandy argument but even that seems tedious to me and I use launch arguments all the time.
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loin2kolpotoru
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#10
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by loin2kolpotoru » Mon Jun 30, 2014 9:55 pm
Although the program needs much improvement as mentioned by webfork in his Wishlist, but I support the author's adware move because the author has to make money for living in someway or the other.
There are many software authors who initially release their software
as opensource/freeware but later make them trial version or lock their important function for a pro version this dose great loss to the opensource/freeware community.
But as in the case of AxCrypt we have many options to avid the adware without losing a good opensource software -
1. Use the portable adfree version.
2. Then we can use the /NOCANDY commandline parameter to avid adware.
3. Or Simply decline the offer when and if it is made using the 'Cancel' button.
4. Finally if someone is too much concerned with security then he can first install inside a virtualmachine or sandbox then if he is satisfied with security then install in real machine.
5. And if you are a programmer then AxCrypt is Opensource program you can verify its security in the source code and compile a adfree version yourself.
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Midas
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#11
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by Midas » Tue Jul 01, 2014 3:06 am
loin2kolpotoru wrote:5. And if you are a programmer then AxCrypt is Opensource program you can verify its security in the source code and compile a adfree version yourself.
- That's what the F-Droid (http://f-droid.org/) project is trying to do for OSS Android apps -- I wish their example would spill over to Windowsland...
[url]http://f-droid.org/[/url] author wrote:F-Droid is an installable catalogue of Free and Open Source Software applications for the Android platform. The client makes it easy to browse, install, and keep track of updates on your device.
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I am Baas
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#12
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by I am Baas » Tue Jul 01, 2014 4:21 am
romulous wrote:Midas wrote:latest version is v1.7.2867 (released 2011-12-04
Incorrect. That is just the latest version released to Sourceforge - the current version is only hosted on the Axantum website. As per the downloads page in the first post, the current download is actually 1.7.3156 (v2 is in Beta, but you have to sign up on the Axantum website to get access to it).
I'm unsure if you have the current versions of AxCrypt2Go and AxDecrypt either - the current download links are not to Sourceforge, but again, direct from the Axantum website. The website does not actually state what the version is for either of those programs.
1.7.3156.0 Released 2014-01-16
Bəəs 2.0
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smaragdus
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#13
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by smaragdus » Thu Aug 13, 2015 4:51 pm
Hello,
I have a question about AxCrypt. Version 1.7.3156.0 offered to install Opera and besides this it is showing ads while running- please see the screen-shot below:
- AxCrypt - 002 - 2015-08-14.png (13.01 KiB) Viewed 30715 times
Does anyone know whether these ads can be avoided?
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Enternal
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#14
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by Enternal » Fri Aug 14, 2015 2:41 pm
No that cannot be disabled. It's an advertisement for the author's own online Password Manager so don't worry too much about it.
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smaragdus
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#15
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by smaragdus » Sun Aug 16, 2015 3:30 am
@Enternal
Thank you for your response.
I tested all previous versions of AxCrypt at SourceForge- AxCrypt 1.6.4.4 is only x32 bit so it doesn't run on x64 systems therefore I don't know whether it shows ads or not. But all other versions (1.7.2126.0, 1.7.2614.0, 1.7.2687.0, 1.7.2867.0, 1.7.3156.0) are ads-ridden so I uninstalled AxCrypt for good. From version 1.7.2867.0 the rogue developer discarded the MSI installer because he could not inject OpenCandy into it.
AxCrypt2Go is clean but barely useful.
My software principle #1- zero tolerance to adware.
