EasyCrypt can encrypt single files, multiple files or whole folders. You can select the types of files to view by file extension, encrypted only, decrypted only, system files and hidden files. You can encrypt and decrypt an entire folder at a time, and you can recourse through all the sub folders of that folder.

Files are encrypted in place, and can have the same file extension as before or, if you require it, a file extension .EZC to show that they are encrypted. If you don't use the EZC file extension, though, Windows Explorer cannot tell that the file is encrypted and this may lead to confusion. Obviously, plain text versions of files may hang around in memory or disk swap files, so EasyCrypt purges these areas, but only when it is shut down or 'Kill Temporary Files' is forced on demand from the file pull-down menu. It is important to remember this, if you're particularly paranoid.

You can encrypt any file, even binary executables and hidden and system files (but not read-only files). However, EasyCrypt has a reserved list to prevent the accidental encryption of important files, such as operating system files. By default, this list prevents the encryption of .EXE files, but may be edited to allow encryption of any file type. Other important system files, such as COMMAND.COM, MSDOS.SYS and IO.SYS, are also on the reserved list. It is also possible to encrypt an entire logical drive, so C:\ is also sensibly on the reserved list. Files for encryption do not have to be on local disk drives, but may be encrypted in place on any network drive as well.

EasyCrypt also sensibly protects you from user errors such as decrypting an unencrypted file or encrypting a file that is already encrypted. On decryption, it can also determine whether you have given the correct password for the particular file, and refuses to decrypt if you get the password wrong. This protection is very important because these sort of mistakes could lead to serious confusion and possibly the inability to decrypt a file subsequently.

EasyCrypt can remember your password for a user-defined period to save you entering it every time you access an encrypted file. The default period is ten minutes, but may be changed by the user to as much as the whole session (that is, it is remembered until you close EasyCrypt). When encrypting files, very sensibly you have to type the password twice to verify it.

On decryption, you have to type it only once, but you may verify it by typing it again if you wish, and the advantage of doing this is that it is then remembered for the default period. If you type it only once on decryption, it is not remembered. Of course, passwords are case sensitive, and password length is limited to a maximum of 16 characters - there is no minimum length. Keyboard shortcuts are available for all major functions such as Encrypt, Decrypt, Kill Temporary Files, etc.

You can select which messages and warnings are shown at various points of use. After every operation, you receive a summary of what happened (how many files were encrypted, how many failed to encrypt, etc), and you get a full report of what happened to individual files.

You can launch your encrypted files from EasyCrypt without having to decrypt the file first. To do this, you simply use the EasyCrypt window as your file manager window or, if you double-click on an encrypted file using the normal Windows Explorer, it fires up EasyCrypt and lets you decrypt it on-the-fly by giving the password. Any unencrypted files can still be viewed using their application as normal but by launching them from the EasyCrypt window as if it were your file manager window.

EasyCrypt offers a choice of two secure algorithms: a proprietary algorithm called CAS or the industry-standard DES algorithm. CAS is the proprietary algorithm written by Cowsill and Addison of C&A Systems Security. DES is not available under the single user licence, but for corporate users, customised versions including triple-DES versions can be made available. There is no key recovery function, even by the vendors, so dire warnings are given that files will be irrecoverable if you forget your password.

EasyCrypt is licensed as a single user version at £29, or corporate version at £120. Only the encryption function is subject to licensing so, if you just want to decrypt files that have been encrypted with EasyCrypt, you don't need to pay a licence fee. This is particularly economical if you need to distribute confidential files by email (say), but the recipients do not need to make a confidential reply. It also means that, if you encrypt some files using the downloadable 30-day trial version of EasyCrypt, you can always decrypt them later even if you decide not to pay for a licence.
  

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