[SOLVED] S.S.E. File Encryptor for PC on Linux

[InChrist]

I use this on Android. Can you recommend it for Linux Mint?
https://paranoiaworks.mobi/ssefepc/
Is it secure or could it damage my system?
4.8.0-53-generic x86_64 (64 bit gcc: 5.4.0)
Cinnamon 3.4.6 (Gtk 3.18.9-1ubuntu3.3) dm: lightdm
Linux Mint 18.2 Sonya
I have only updated up to level 2.

I downloaded SSEFilePC.zip from https://paranoiaworks.mobi/download/, extracted it, extracted ssefencgui.jar, but I do not know which file to use to run the software.
The USAGE.txt says: Java 6 or later is needed (http://java.com/download)
I do not know if this is on my system.

[Mute Ant]

I get an 'Untrusted' warning from the site you have pointed to, not a good start really. Is the application open-source? Not just free, can you actually download the source code. This is particularly important in cryptographic circles, where everyone is invited to take a crack at the output files and at the source code.

Linux has perfectly good encryption methods without adding anything...
o Cryptsetup 'plain' for RAID arrays.
o Cryptsetup 'luks' for partitions and removable stores.
o Cryptfs for Ubuntu home folders.
o 7z + password for single files.

[InChrist]

Thank you, Mute Ant.
I need it for my linux system and then send the encrypted or password protected folder or file to an android phone, a windows computer, an iphone and all other directions ... and they all should be able to open it with the right password or also easily secure files or folders themselves. Which software, apps are best? I found that I get an error: Can not extract file, when I make a zip- or 7z-file with password on my android phone and try to extract it in Nemo on my Linux laptop.

[Mute Ant]

"Can not extract file" is a programming wobbly I have seen in MATE. It is supposed to prompt for a password. It would be nice if it told you that and suggested you install the helper-program package p7zip-full which can decode encrypted 7z files.

sudo apt-get install p7zip-full ...should fix your Mint so it can make and open encrypted 7z files.

Assuming the 7z file was assembled correctly, you can try a different archive program. I know of ark, engrampa, file-roller and xarchiver. I stick with file-roller because it can make ISO9660 files.

Legacy zip-with-a-password was cracked many years ago. Zip can't hide your data from anyone who really wants to look at it, even if they don't have a password.

[InChrist]

I researched, tested and found a solution which works for me for Linux, Windows and Android.

About Encryption https://diigo.com/0bx6ao 
Linux: with right click, compress, set password - decrypt with Archive manager (open with …)
The encrypted files and folders (ZIP) can also be decrypted on Android (tried with RAR-App) and Windows (right click extract)
Android: RAR (App) to make a RAR or ZIP-file and set a password
Decrypting for these archives works on Linux works for RAR-files (not for ZIP-files in my case)
Decrypting for these archives works on Windows with 7zip (free open source software).
Windows: Archive manager makes zip-files without password, 7zip on right click make a ZIP-file (7zip can not make a RAR file) with password. www.axcrypt.net/information/get-started
Decrypting works on Linux and Android (with RAR-app).

[InChrist]

Also this could be relevant:

Secure delete – erase – wipe for files and folders
This does not work for SDDs, flash drives, flash sticks, as their disk management stores the file in places which can not be addressed by other tools directly. Solid state hard drives: wear levelling means you cannot overwrite securely. Instead you either encrypt the entire volume and dispose of the key to wipe, or you destroy the device.
Windows: Install Eraser, open Explorer, right click on file or folder, eraser, erase.
Also erase available (free) space on all storage media: right click on the storage media … have not tested this yet if it does not destroy the system.
Linux: Install Nautilus Wipe, open the Nautilus file manager, right click on file or folder, Wipe
Android: Install Android Eraser, start it, free version wipes up to 10 MB a day


More on Wipe, erase

In general

New hard drives: no technology currently exists that can read after even one overwrite.
But still: It is difficult, if not impossible, to securely delete both individual files and free space.
Office might sometimes even keep temporary files containing the contents of the file. On a Linux or other *nix system, OpenOffice may keep as many records as Microsoft Office, and a user's shell history file may contain commands that include the file's name, even though the file has been securely deleted. In practice, there may be dozens of programs that behave like this.
It's hard to know how to respond to this problem. It is safe to assume that even if a file has been securely deleted, its name will probably continue to exist for some time on your computer. Overwriting the entire disk is the only way to be 100% sure the name is gone. Some of you may be wondering, "Could I search the raw data on the disk to see if there are any copies of the data anywhere?" The answer is yes and no. Searching the disk (e.g. by using a command like grep -ab /dev/ on Linux) will tell you if the data is present in plaintext, but it won't tell you if some program has compressed or otherwise coded references to it. Also be careful that the search itself does not leave a record! The probability that the file's contents may persist is lower, but not impossible. Overwriting the entire disk and installing a fresh operating system is the only way to be 100% certain that records of a file have been erased.

Wipe unused (available) disk space on hard disks

This does not work for SDDs, flash drives, flash sticks, as their disk management stores the file in places which can not be addressed by other tools directly. Solid state hard drives: wear levelling means you cannot overwrite securely. Instead you either encrypt the entire volume and dispose of the key to wipe, or you destroy the device.

With shred
Have not tested it yet, only read about it.
In the terminal: If wiping a whole drive is inconvenient, randomizing all the free space in a partition is a good second-best. sudo shred -v /dev/sdX This will overwrite all the blocks on the device with random data three times, the -v flag is for verbose and will print the current progress.
You can add the option -n to only do this N times, to save time on large capacity devices. This might take a while, depending on the size of your external hard drive (I think it takes twenty minutes or so for my 4 GB flash drive). You can also set all bits to zero after the last iteration by adding the option -z, I prefer to do this. sudo shred -v -n1 -z /dev/sdX
Advantage of shred over dd in this scenario: I have a faulty disk that I need to return to the vendor for an exchange. dd halts at the first bad block, and fails to clobber the rest (unless I painfully use skip=... to jump ahead each time it stops). shred ignores write errors and happily continues in this case.

Fill a partition by copying movies from a DVD (or iso-files?)
Read about it in a forum, have not tested it yet.

With Secure-Delete
In the terminal: sfill to wipe free space from your home folder. sudo sfill -lv /home/dave
l for only 2 random passes, z eroes instead the last random pass.
Is in the repository. Have not tested it yet.

Bleachbit
Somebody writes: I was reading a rather heated discussion about Bleachbit on another forum. At least I know how to minimize the hazards of using it now. Is in the repository. Have not tested it yet.

NOT with Nautilus wipe
Do not use wipe available disk space with Nautilus wipe (in Nautilus) as it messes up something and the system has to be installed new. Timeshift is not able to restore it. Is in the repository.


Whole disk, drive or partition, flash drive

With Disk
Is installed in Linux Mint 18.3 already. When formatting with it, use the option delete with overwriting with zeroes for the regarding partition.

Fill a partition by copying movies
...to randomize the whole drive.

With Secure-Delete
In the terminal: sfill to wipe free space from your home folder. sudo sfill -lv /home/dave
l for only 2 random passes, z eroes instead the last random pass.
Is in the repository. Have not tested it yet.


Files and folder on hard drives

This does not work for SDDs, flash drives, flash sticks, as their disk management stores the file in places which can not be addressed by other tools directly. Solid state hard drives: wear levelling means you cannot overwrite securely. Instead you either encrypt the entire volume and dispose of the key to wipe, or you destroy the device.

With Nautilus wipe
Right click in Nautilus
Do not use wipe available disk space as it crashes something and the system has to be installed new. Timeshift is not able to restore it.
Nautilus wipe and Nautilus (both needed) are in the repository

With Double Commander
includes a Wipe command, activated by Alt-delete. The number of passes is definable in the Configuration menu. Not in the repository

With Secure-Delete
In the terminal: srm -rlz /home/kl/Documents/aaa, see also skills/ICT/delete...png
r ecursive, l only 2 random passes, z eroes instead random in last filling - is in the repository

Bleachbit
Somebody writes: I was reading a rather heated discussion about Bleachbit on another forum. At least I know how to minimize the hazards of using it now. Is in the repository. Have not tested it yet.

Peazip
Not in standard repository. Not tested yet.