Encrypt files with images

Say goodbye to passwords as Joe Cassels demonstrates how to use pictures as keys instead.


It seems that each week we hear news of another missing data disc and worry about the implications of its unencrypted contents falling into the wrong hands. Clearly the importance of encrypting sensitive data has never been felt so acutely. Thankfully there are numerous ways to encrypt data and secure it, many of which are free. Each relies upon an encryption algorithm as a lock and a password or security file as a key so that you can get at your secured data when you need to.

The problem with passwords is that far too many things in our lives are governed by them. Those that are easy to remember are also easy to guess or crack. If you invest in strong passwords, you’re very likely to need to have them written down or stored in a password manager, both of which create a different area of weakness for your security system. Key files are one way to get around this problem. By using a photograph buried in amongst hundreds of others, you can make your key very difficult to find and yet pretty easy for you to remember because a picture is worth a thousand words. The location of the key file is crucial though.

PixelCryptor provides a free and simple system for encrypting data using images as keys. If you’ve ever used an archive managing program like Winzip or 7zip, you’ll find it very easy to operate. You create an archive file in much the same way as in these familiar programs and then stuff the files and folders that you want to encrypt into it. Then, it’s simply a matter of linking the encrypted file to a photo on your system. You can then save the encrypted file wherever you like, perhaps putting it on a removable drive to transport it.

When you need to access the data again, you need to use PixelCryptor to decrypt it. Launch the program and browse to the file that you want to decrypt. You’re prompted to browse to the key image file to unlock the encryption and then you can access the data.

Make an encrypted file
Use your photos to digitally sign your encrypted files



1
Download PixelCryptor from http://www.codegazer.com/pixelcryptor/downloads/. Install and launch it. The initial screen provides you with several options. Choose Encode files, which is the second option from the left. Click this and then use the buttons marked add file or add folder to add extra contents by browsing for them on your PC.


2
Click Next and click the box in the centre of the window to choose a picture file. Browse through the images on your computer until you find one that you’ll be able to remember easily. Open it and click Next.


3
You now need to supply a filename and location for the destination file. Click the folder icon and browse to the place you want to save the encrypted file. Enter a file name and click Next. You’re shown a summary of the encrypted file and its image key. Click Finished.