BCArchive is designed to compress a group of files/folders to a single encrypted file. The following options to encrypt data are implemented:
- Create compressed and encrypted archive file protected by password.
- Create compressed and encrypted archive file encrypted using the public key of another user.
- Add several passwords to an existing archive file.
- Apply more than one public keys to an archive file enabling a number of users to decrypt the archive.
- Generate new or use existing secret/public key pairs in PKCS-12/X.509 format.
- Compress and encrypt data to a self-extracted executable program. The user can run the program and Extract the data even on a computer where BCArchive is not installed.
BCArchive enables the use of existing public key databases, such as those created for PGP software, which have been used world-wide for many years. BCArchive utilizes the following encryption algorithms, standards and specifications:
- Symmetric algorithms: Rijndael (AES), Blowfish-256, Blowfish-448, IDEA, CAST5, GOST 28147-89, Triple DES.
- Secure Hash Algorithms: SHA-256, SHA-1, MD5 and RIPEMD-160.
- Asymmetric (public/secret key pair) algorithms: RSA, ElGamal / Diffie-Hellman.
- Specifications for public/secret key pair format: PKCS #12, X.509.
- PKCS #5 recommendations for the implementation of password-based cryptography.
- RFC 2440 specifications for session keys encrypted by symmetric or public key encryption algorithms.
