Ziperello 2.1

Pros

• Works with any type of encrypted zip file
• May defeat 196-bit encryption
• Easy to use

Cons

• May take a long time
• Could be misused

Ziperello 2.1 is a simple utility that can help recover the lost passwords for ZIP archives. Those who download compressed folders from the Web might also find that it's quite helpful when trying to find the password for an archive that an uploading organization neglected to share with those who captured the file.

Compressed folders can be encrypted using multiple different types of technology. Those who have forgotten a password can use the app to defeat this encryption regardless of what sort of technology was used to protect the file. In theory, you could use Ziperello to recover a password regardless of how long the original plaintext of the word was to begin with. That means it can even crack diceware passwords as well as those made up of seemingly random strings of English words.

Since it relies on a wizard for an interface, you won't have to know much about the underlying compressed folder to open it up. Ziperello notably also works for self-extracting ZIP folders, which is something that you don't often see from one of these utilities.

Admittedly, you could misuse this kind of thing, so you may want to keep it out of the hands of those who don't trust. In theory, you could say the same thing about almost any IS department tool. As long as you only use it for archives that you're familiar with, you shouldn't run into any problems. In fact, it's easy enough even for novice users to rely on. Most people who download it will only do so after they've already run into a problem, so this is great news.

Pros

• Works with any type of encrypted zip file
• May defeat 196-bit encryption
• Easy to use

Cons

• May take a long time
• Could be misused