From e742bffb5536d714c8a8e02d5156126d9d7046c9 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Evan Su <48808396+HACKERALERT@users.noreply.github.com>
Date: Fri, 19 Mar 2021 10:01:16 -0400
Subject: [PATCH] Better description of Reed-Solo
---
README.md | 4 ++--
1 file changed, 2 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 6362213..e75edb9 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ Why should you use Picocrypt, instead of Bitlocker, NordLocker, VeraCrypt, or 7-
It's infinitely easier to use than VeraCrypt (no need to create volumes) and a 5-year-old could probably use Picocrypt. All you need to do is select a file and enter a password.
Picocrypt is built for security, using modern standards and secure settings. See Security below for more info.
It supports file integrity checking through Poly1305, which means that you would know if a hacker has maliciously modified your data. This is useful for transfering sensitive data where authenticity is crucial.
- Picocrypt supports anti-corruption through Reed-Solomon. Unlike other encryption tools, Picocrypt can actively protect your files by adding extra Reed-Solomon bytes, so if your file gets corrupted (ie. hard drive failure), Picocrypt can still fix the errors and decrypt your files. None of Bitlocker, NordLocker, VeraCrypt, or 7-Zip has this ability.
+ Picocrypt supports anti-corruption through Reed-Solomon. Unlike other encryption tools, Picocrypt actively protects your files by adding extra Reed-Solomon bytes, so if your file gets corrupted (ie. hard drive failure), Picocrypt can still fix the errors and decrypt your files. None of Bitlocker, NordLocker, VeraCrypt, or 7-Zip has this ability.
# Instructions
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ Picocrypt is about as simple as it gets. Just select a file, enter a password, a
File metadata (editable for encryption, readonly for decryption): Use this to store notes, information, and text along with the file (it won't be encrypted). For example, you can put a description of the file before sending it to someone. When the person you sent it to selects the file in Picocrypt, your description will be shown to that person.
Keep decrypted output even if it's corrupted or modified (decryption only): Picocrypt automatically checks for integrity upon decryption. If the file has been modified or is corrupted, Picocrypt will delete the output. If you want to keep the corrupted or modified data after decryption, check this option. Also, if this option is checked and the Reed-Solomon feature was used on the encrypted file, Picocrypt will attempt to recover as much of the file as possible during decryption, if it is corrupted.
Securely erase and delete original file (encryption only): If checked, Picocrypt will generate pseudo-random data and write it to the original file while encrypting, effectively wiping the original file. The file will be deleted once encryption is complete. This method is better than just deleting the original file, because the original file can still be recovered by hackers using special software. Picocrypt overwrites the original file making sure that it's impossibe to retrieve the original file after deletion.
- Prevent corruption using Reed-Solomon (encryption only): This feature is very useful if you are planning on archiving important data on a cloud provider or external hard drive for a long time. If checked, Picocrypt will use the Reed-Solomon error correction code to add 13 extra bytes for every 128 bytes to prevent file corruption. This means that up to ~5% (13/128/2) of your file can corrupt, and Picocrypt will still be able to correct it and decrypt your files with no corruption. Note that decryption is very slow because Picocrypt is reassembling and (if necessary) correcting broken bytes. The output will also be ~10% larger.
+ Prevent corruption using Reed-Solomon (encryption only): This feature is very useful if you are planning on archiving important data on a cloud provider or external hard drive for a long time. If checked, Picocrypt will use the Reed-Solomon error correction code to add 13 extra bytes for every 128 bytes to prevent file corruption. This means that up to ~5% (13/128/2) of your file can corrupt, and Picocrypt will still be able to correct it and decrypt your files with no corruption. Obviously, if your file corrupts very badly (ie. you dropped your hard drive ), Picocrypt won't be able to fully recover your files, but it will try its best to recover what it can. Note that decryption is very slow because Picocrypt is reassembling and (if necessary) correcting broken bytes. The output will also be ~10% larger.
# Security