Worst encryption software ever

Hi,

sorry, I just have to post this after what I've just seen.
I'm a subscriber of a PC magazine. Its current issue included the full
version of a file encryption software as a special goodie. Normally one
would have to pay 14.99 Euro for that software. Well, the description
said that the software featured several encryption algorithms so I had a
look at it.

It turns out that one of the algorithms is the classic Caesar algorithm,
where the same value is added to every byte of the file. Then there are
two algorithms that are said to be more advanced. Well, one of them XORs
the bytes of a password (which by the way can only consist of letters
and number, no spaces or special characters) with the file, starting
over at the beginning of the password when all of its characters were used.

Finally there is an algorithm which the author has specially developed
for the software, at least he says so. He also says that for security
reasons no details are given about this algorithm. Oh, security by
obscurity. After some minutes of analyzing the output, it turned out
that this the same XOR algorithm only that every byte is additionally
XORed with 0xff.

Obviously the author has not heared of statistical analysis or a
known-plaintext-attack, when he advertises the software as ideal
solution to "secure your privacy". I mean, when I was little I also
devised such schemes for fun but I didn't go and sold them.

What angers me, is that he got several awards for his software, he makes
money with it, he lets other people believe their data is secure instead
of advising them to use state-of-the-art crypto and that even a computer
magazine now recommends this software which ridicules the term cryptography.

Christian
.

Relevant Pages

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