zipcloak

Encrypt the contents of a Zip archive

$ zipcloak [path/to/archive.zip]

$ zipcloak [[-d|--decrypt]] [path/to/archive.zip]

$ zipcloak [path/to/archive.zip] [[-O|--output-file]] [path/to/encrypted.zip]

zipcloak [-b path] [-c] [-d] [-h] [-i path] [-q] [-t] [-v] zipfile [file ...]

-b path
    Use the specified path for the temporary zip archive. If not specified, a temporary file in the same directory as the input zip file will be used.

-c
    Create a new archive with only the encrypted files.

-d
    Decrypt the specified files in the zip archive. It will prompt for the password.

-h
    Display the help message.

-i path
    Use the specified path for the temporary zip archive. Identical with '-b' option.

-q
    Quiet mode. Suppress some informational messages.

-t
    Test the zip archive after processing. Check integrity.

-v
    Verbose mode. Display more detailed information.

zipfile
    The zip archive to process.

[file ...]
    Optional list of files within the zip archive to encrypt/decrypt. If omitted, all files in the archive are processed.

zipcloak is a command-line utility used to encrypt or decrypt files within a zip archive. It modifies the existing zip archive in place, adding or removing encryption as specified. Unlike zip, which can create encrypted archives from scratch, zipcloak works on existing archives.

It prompts the user for a password, which is used to encrypt/decrypt the specified files. Only standard zip encryption is supported; stronger encryption methods may require different tools. The command provides a simple way to add or remove basic password protection from existing zip archives without re-archiving the entire contents. It's important to remember that zipcloak's encryption is considered relatively weak by modern standards, so it should not be relied upon for highly sensitive data. It is suitable for basic access control but not for robust security.

The encryption used by zipcloak is considered weak. Use stronger encryption methods if security is critical. It modifies the zip file in-place, consider making a backup first.

Encrypt all files in archive:
zipcloak myarchive.zip

Decrypt a specific file:
zipcloak -d myarchive.zip myfile.txt

zip(1), unzip(1), gpg(1)