Wincrypt Taps AES to Safeguard Files

Written By
Jim Rapoza
Jim Rapoza
Published: Oct 28, 2002
Updated: Feb 2, 2021
1 minute read
eWeek content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More

Centric 2000 Solutions Groups Wincrypt 2.0 is a simple, easy-to-use Windows-based encryption tool that takes advantage of AES to provide extremely strong protection for vital documents and files.

To encrypt files using Wincrypt, I could take advantage of an integrated right-mouse-button menu or use the main Wincrypt interface. In tests, files were encrypted and decrypted fairly quickly.

However, when encrypting a file, I was asked to provide a password of at least five characters. Although this is convenient, a five-character password is not generally considered adequate security.

Wincrypts interesting anti-logging decryption feature allowed me to use a screen-based keyboard to enter my password, instead of using a standard keyboard. The main purpose of this feature is to defeat keyboard-based logging sniffers, which record user keystrokes.

Although Wincrypt uses AES, files I encrypted could not be opened in other AES tools—recipients needed their own copy of Wincrypt, or files had to be encrypted using the self-decrypting option, which adds to file size.

The full version of Wincrypt is priced at about $47 and can be downloaded from www.wincrypt.com.

Jim Rapoza

Jim Rapoza, Chief Technology Analyst, eWEEK.For nearly fifteen years, Jim Rapoza has evaluated products and technologies in almost every technology category for eWEEK. Mr Rapoza's current technology focus is on all categories of emerging information technology though he continues to focus on core technology areas that include: content management systems, portal applications, Web publishing tools and security. Mr. Rapoza has coordinated several evaluations at enterprise organizations, including USA Today and The Prudential, to measure the capability of products and services under real-world conditions and against real-world criteria. Jim Rapoza's award-winning weekly column, Tech Directions, delves into all areas of technologies and the challenges of managing and deploying technology today.

eWeek Logo

eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site's focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

Property of TechnologyAdvice. © 2026 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.