There are instances when you find yourself with a collection of important and confidential documents that you want to shield from prying eyes. Whether it’s safeguarding vacation photos, sensitive business folders, or securing personal projects, a robust and user-friendly encryption tool becomes a crucial component of your digital arsenal. You may ask, ‘But Korben, is there a tool that can do all of this without requiring me to be a crypto supergenius?’ Certainly! Let me introduce you to Picocrypt.
Picocrypt is a simple, secure, and free encryption software that employs XChaCha20 encryption and the Argon2id key derivation feature to protect your files with remarkable ease. It distinguishes itself from competitors like VeraCrypt, 7-Zip, BitLocker, and Cryptomator with its lightweight nature and portability, all while providing an intuitive interface even for beginners.
Aside from safeguarding your files from intruders, Picocrypt also prepares for the worst by offering advanced features such as file corruption protection via Reed-Solomon, and the ability to use multiple key files to secure a shared volume. Envision a scenario where each team member possesses a key file, and all those key files are necessary to decrypt the shared secure document.
One of Picocrypt’s major strengths lies in its ability to thwart attacks from quantum computers, thanks to its encryption based on a private key (I’m not the one saying this—I’m not a specialist in quantum code-breaking, but that’s what the Picocrypt devs explain).
The tool includes a secure password generator, unencrypted comments, and a ‘paranoid’ mode that offers maximum security by combining XChaCha20 and Serpent.
Now that I’ve piqued your interest, you might be wondering where you can get this little gem. Head over to this link to access Picocrypt’s official GitHub, where you can download the latest version for Windows, macOS, and Linux. If your antivirus flags it as a virus, mark it as a false positive; it’ll be helpful for others. An installable version is also available for Windows.
Note that Picocrypt doesn’t require administrator rights on the machine and is even available in the browser as a limited web interface. For discussions about the project and any questions, visit the Reddit community r/Picocrypt.
In summary, if you’re in search of a simple, secure, and portable tool to protect your valuable files, look no further than Picocrypt.
