- aescrypt - lists.packetizer.com

AES Crypt 4.6 Released
by Paul E. Jones 03 Jun '26

03 Jun '26

Folks, AES Crypt 4.6 was just released. Most of the changes in this release are focused on improved code quality and testing, but there are a few user-facing enhancements. Perhaps most notably we have bumped up the default key derivation iterations from 300,000 to 600,000. This means little to most people, but in effect it makes it much harder for hackers to brute-force attack a file trying to guess the password. On Linux desktops, users will now see a progress bar while AES Crypt is running that has a cancel button. This is a feature that was previously only on Windows and Mac. We also introduced support for Alpine Linux, publishing both a tgz file and apk file. Have a great summer! Paul PS: Here is a bullet-point list of enhancements in this release. On Linux desktops, a progress meter is now shown while encrypting or decrypting with the ability to cancel -- something previously available on Windows and Mac Increased key derivation iterations for better security in all platforms (Windows, Mac, Linux/Unix) Made it possible to pass the password / key to the command-line version by using "-k -" when encrypting or decrypting (key generation still allows "-k -" to be used for output during key generation) Added additional unit test code for our nightly builds (not a user-facing feature, but just part of our continued improvement process) Internal changes in the command-line version to make code more readable and better structured Removed some code redundancy Internal code improvements to align with C++ core guidelines and reduce potential for bugs

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AES Crypt 4.5 Released
by Paul E. Jones 07 Feb '26

07 Feb '26

AES Crypt Users, Today, AES Crypt 4.5 was released. This is a relatively minor update with the only feature of note is the command-line version now has a -f flag that allows one to forcefully overwrite output files (if overwriting is desired). As usual, there are internal changes related to security, optimization, bug fixes, etc. Paul

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AES Crypt for iOS
by Paul E. Jones 12 Nov '25

12 Nov '25

Folks, A third-party developer who had previously created the iOS version of AES Crypt has updated their software product to be compatible with the current desktop versions of AES Crypt. These a link to that on the download page on the AES Crypt website. Cheers! Paul

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AES Crypt 4.4 Released
by Paul E. Jones 18 Sep '25

18 Sep '25

AES Crypt Users, We're pleased to announce the release of AES Crypt 4.4, now available for all supported platforms (Windows, Linux, macOS, and more), bringing new features and improvements to enhance your encryption experience. Windows: A new "reveal" button lets you view the entered password to ensure it's correct. Linux: You can now launch AES Crypt from the applications menu, opening your default file browser to choose files for encryption or decryption. All Platforms: The AES Crypt "paper" icon for encrypted files has been updated to be clearer and cleaner. It is now fully scalable on Linux. As always, we've included several internal improvements, but there are no changes to core functionality. You can download AES Crypt 4.4 from our website (https://www.aescrypt.com/download/) or use winget on Windows to perform an update. We hope these updates make your experience with AES Crypt even better. Thank you for using AES Crypt! Best regards, Paul

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AES Crypt 4.3.1 Released with OpenBSD Support
by Paul E. Jones 02 Jul '25

02 Jul '25

AES Crypt Users, AES Crypt 4.3.1 was just released. This is a very minor update, with changes primarily focused on adding support for OpenBSD. That's really all. It's just a small follow-on to the previously announced AES Crypt 4.3 release <https://forums.packetizer.com/viewtopic.php?t=1798>. Paul

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Easier Windows Installations
by Paul E. Jones 04 Jun '25

04 Jun '25

Folks, For people who prefer to install from the command line or for IT departments that wish to automate the installation process, AES Crypt is now available to install via WinGet on Windows. Just type: winget install Terrapane.AESCrypt WinGet will then download and install the latest version of AES Crypt. Paul

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AES Crypt 4.3 Released – Now Available on All Platforms
by Paul E. Jones 20 May '25

20 May '25

AES Crypt Users, Before everyone heads off for summer travel and some well-deserved downtime, we wanted to squeeze in one more update: the latest version of AES Crypt is here! We're excited to announce that version 4.3 has been officially released and is now available for all supported platforms—Windows, macOS, Linux, and FreeBSD. Here’s what’s new in AES Crypt 4.3: Performance improvements: Core encryption and decryption routines are now modestly faster, with noticeable benefits especially for macOS users. Better Windows integration: Error messages on Windows now appear in standard system dialog boxes for a cleaner, more consistent user experience. Security enhancements for Linux builds: Position Independent Executables (PIE) and Intel Control-flow Enforcement Technology (CET) are now enabled. RELRO (Relocation Read-Only) is now in place to help prevent runtime tampering. Immediate binding on startup reduces the risk of certain overwrite attacks. Official Arch Linux support: AES Crypt is now available via official Arch Linux packages. Signed packages: All Linux and FreeBSD package files now have accompanying ".sig" signature files, available alongside the download for added verification and peace of mind. As always, we appreciate your continued support and feedback. If you run into any issues or have suggestions for future releases, don’t hesitate to reach out. Enjoy the update—and your summer! Paul

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AES Crypt for FreeBSD and More
by Paul E. Jones 17 Mar '25

17 Mar '25

AES Crypt Users, AES Crypt for FreeBSD is now available with the release of version 4.2.4. This update brings the tool’s strong file encryption capabilities to FreeBSD users, offering the same reliable security that has made AES Crypt a trusted choice for protecting sensitive information around the world. It’s a practical step forward for anyone on this platform looking to secure their data. Meanwhile, the Mac and Linux versions of AES Crypt, currently at 4.2.3, have seen their installation package sizes shrink considerably. This makes the software lighter and quicker to install, all while keeping its core encryption strength intact. Work continues on trimming the sizes even further, with more reductions expected in the next release, improving the experience for users on these systems. Paul

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AES Crypt 4.2.2 Released
by Paul E. Jones 26 Feb '25

26 Feb '25

AES Crypt Users, Today and yesterday, AES Crypt 4.2.2 was rolled out to the website. This is a minor point release with two significant changes: 1) There was a big in the command-line version that affected all platforms wherein if one tried to encrypt a directory, it would either produce an inconsistent error (Windows and Linux) or silently “succeed” when it actually failed (Mac). Now, all platforms will produce the same error message when attempting to encrypt a directory. 2) On Intel-based Mac platforms, you will see a performance improvement of about 25% when encrypting larger files. Best regards, Paul

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AES Crypt 4.2 Released
by Paul E. Jones 08 Feb '25

08 Feb '25

Folks, AES Crypt 4.2 was just released for all supported platforms. For Linux and Windows, this is a minor update that includes a few bug fixes and internal improvements. Most of the effort in this release was on the Mac version. There were a few minor point releases that were not highlighted or advertised where new functionality was added to bring it more in line with the behavior of the Windows version of AES Crypt, so some may have already discovered some of the enhancements. Notably, though, AES Crypt now allows you to launch the application directly and it will open a Finder window to allow you to select files to be encrypted or decrypted. Additionally, one may also right-click on a file, select "Open With", and choose AES Crypt. Generally, it is immediately visible, though for some file types it is necessary to select "Other". The biggest improvement for Mac, though, is that AES Crypt now performs encryption and decryption in the background. While performing its task, AES Crypt displays a progress indicator window that allows users to stop the encryption or decryption process by pressing the "Stop" button. This is particularly useful when encrypting a lot of files at one time. Cheers! Paul

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