KGpg Symmetrical Encryption

[exwintech]

I'm not sure if I've done something odd to it - to the first and 5 subsequent re-installs - but KGpg Symmetrical Encryption isn't working properly on this PC. After as noted several reinstalls and a full Windows-style reboot, after, I think, the 3rd, which made no apparent difference.

This is a today-fully-updated current PCLOS ISO install inside 2 weeks old. Should have enough grunt to run KGpg - AMD 6-core 2.8GHz Phenom-II with 8GB Corsair DDR3 - using latest PAE kernel - on a GA-78LMT series board. HDD working space seems adequate, with over 800GB to spare.

I've Googled KGpg re KDE4 - and found that there have been problems - which are alleged to have been fixed.

With KGpg Symmetrical Encryption - one should be able to encrypt files to a Passworded opening sequence, by right-clicking a file (including a Zipped directory) - choosing Encrypt File from the Menu. The dialog appears, and "Symmetrical Encryption" ticked near the bottom of the box. OK - and a small dialog appears, a password is entered, OK, and it reappears to enter the password in a Confirmation - and it should then show "Password Matches" - or in red, if it doesn't.

In my version - the confirmation doesn't occur - but at the second 'OK' the box vanishes - and a new file with a "lock" icon, and name ending in *.asc appears. When clicked on, that file should show a box demanding that the Password be inserted, then press OK. This is not happening - the file just opens unencrypted as soon as clicked.

I have nothing else enabled or configured in the KGpg application - so shouldn't be interfering.

I'm reasonably familiar with the KGpg Symmetrical Encryption function, having used it right through the KDE-3.x era...

Any ideas about what needs to be added or configured to make it work, would indeed be greatly appreciated...

Regards, Dave.

[exwintech]

With the wealth of knowledge on this Forum - if there's no Reply after this amount of time - seems like, "no fix"...

Okay - try something else... "Zip" on CLI, with '-e' - should zip and encrypt to a "password-open", though the "--help" is a bit vague...

It apparently doesn't zip-encrypt a directory with contents - "Secrets1" being a directory containing JPEG and RAW files:


[david@localhost ~]$ zip -e /home/david/Desktop/Secrets1
Enter password:
Verify password:

zip error: Nothing to do! (/home/david/Desktop/Secrets1.zip)
[david@localhost ~]$


Nor does it do any more if "Secrets1" is zipped first:

[david@localhost ~]$ zip -e /home/david/Desktop/Secrets1.zip
Enter password:
Verify password:

zip error: Nothing to do! (/home/david/Desktop/Secrets1.zip)
[david@localhost ~]$


Googling for "Linux zip encryption" and similar gets nothing of value..

Looks like the CLI zip thingy hasn't been updated recently, so might not work with KDE4...?

Copyright (c) 1990-2008 Info-ZIP - Type 'zip "-L"' for software license.
Zip 3.0 (July 5th 2008).

If there's a manual or cheatsheet for it - would be nice, thanks...

Regards, Dave.

[AS]

Hi,

you are using the wrong syntax, try:

zip -e [destination]  [file list]

the suffix .zip will be automatically added to [destination]
[file list] can be a directory but probably you want to use also the option -r (recurs subdir)

So, the final command would be something like:

zip -e -r /home/david/Desktop/Secrets1 /home/david/Desktop/Secrets1

will create: /home/david/Desktop/Secrets1.zip containing all files from /home/david/Desktop/Secrets1/

zip, without arguments, will provide the list of options 

AS

[muungwana]

kgpg is a front end to cli program called gpg. Maybe the problem is with the back end.

Try to use gpg straight from the terminal to encrypt and decrypt a file and see if it works.

[Just17]

Confirmed here.

Symmetrically Encrypt either using Cli or Kgpg works as expected ....  but without confirmation of password match ......  but regardless, just clicking on the encrypted file in Dolphin causes it to be extracted without request for the password.

On a couple of occasions it did ask for the password ......  but I cannot get it to repeat that action at will.

[exwintech]

As - Thanks for that info. That worked here as shown:

[david@localhost ~]$ zip -e -r  /home/david/Desktop/Secrets1 /home/david/Desktop/Secrets1
Enter password:
Verify password:
  adding: home/david/Desktop/Secrets1/ (stored 0%)
  adding: home/david/Desktop/Secrets1/DCIM/ (stored 0%)
  adding: home/david/Desktop/Secrets1/DCIM/100_FUJI/ (stored 0%)
  adding: home/david/Desktop/Secrets1/DCIM/100_FUJI/DSCF0010.JPG (deflated 1%)
  adding: home/david/Desktop/Secrets1/DCIM/100_FUJI/DSCF0006.JPG (deflated 0%)
  adding: home/david/Desktop/Secrets1/DCIM/100_FUJI/DSCF0014.JPG (deflated 1%)
(continues, 30 files)
  adding: home/david/Desktop/Secrets1/DCIM/100_FUJI/DSCF0016.RAF (deflated 25%)
  adding: home/david/Desktop/Secrets1/DCIM/100_FUJI/DSCF0004.JPG (deflated 1%)
[david@localhost ~]$

So that's just-fine for protecting material on HDD and XHD here. Any idea of encryption depth...?

But won't work for sending material to Windows-er friends - while the gpg backed KGpg is okay for that (GPG4Win).

But - I'm running XP-Pro SP3 in VBox - so can use AxCrypt from there for those, at present.

Regards, Dave.

[AS]

Please note that zip format born in DOS environment, AFAIR, and is compatible with MS environments, just tested one on WinXP, and no, it's not the most secure:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZIP_%28file_format%29#Encryption

7-Zip provide much strong encryption, based on AES 256, available on standard repos: p7zip
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/7-Zip

win downloads:
http://www.7-zip.org/

Alternatively, truecrypt can create encrypted "volumes", and it's available for Linux and Windows, I don't have deep knowledge about truecrypt, but  I'm sure others members will provide more info about, also available in PClinuxOS repos.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truecrypt

AS

[exwintech]

As - Thanks, but I don't need encrypted volumes or filesystems. Just need to secure files or directories of files on PC - or particularly the more easily stolen XHDs.

KGpg was handy because I could encrypt data, small vids, so on, quickly and easily - and mail to Winders-using friends - who could use them via Gpg4Win.

Or AxCrypt, which is 256-bit AES std, and has the option of doing self-extracting .exes - useful if you're doing distributeds and don't know if folk have AxCrypt on their devices or not.

Do hope there's a sort-out for KGpg, though...

Regards, Dave.

[Just17]

I see no reason why Kgpg cannot still be used to  "encrypt data, small vids, so on, quickly and easily - and mail to Winders-using friends - who could use them via Gpg4Win".

From tests here the files are properly encrypted and thus are as secure as before to share.

What appears to be happening in that the account in which they are created seems to 'remember' the password used and applies it without asking, if the protected file is clicked in the file manager.

This is of course not secure locally ......  but certainly appears to be secure when the file is sent outside of the creators account.
It also seems that should the PC be turned off (or maybe only a log out?) and the next time the creator's account is used the password is not remembered and I will be asked for the password.

I too would like to know how this retention of password is happening.

regards.