12-24-2022 , 11:59 PM
https://www.softpedia.com/reviews/window...6700.shtml 7-Zip Review: Secure File Archiver with Enhanced Security
VERY GOOD
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KEY REVIEW INFO
Application: 7-Zip 22.01
Reviewed on: December 22, 2022 15:24 GMT
Written by: Alexandra Sava
APPLICATION FEATURES
High compression ratio
Granted, Windows packs an embedded compression tool that lets you zip and unzip archives conveniently. Then again, it is rudimentary and simplistic, as it lacks various features, the most noteworthy being the security options that you would want to have when sending files online, such as encryption with a password.
For the average user, the embedded compression feature is more than enough to open and create archives occasionally. However, if you are working with sensitive documents and data, then you may want to have more control over the creation and management of the archive. 7-Zip is a tool that has been around for more than 2 decades and continues to be a top choice for anyone managing files regularly.
Boasts a user-friendly interface, but it’s far from attractive
The interface looks quite rugged, and probably needs a revamp. Nevertheless, it’s familiar, intuitive, and you can get around despite your experience with similar tools. Depending on your preferences, you can use the View menu to split the GUI into two panels, change the size of the icons, have the files listed with details or organize them based on name, type, date, or size.
The program comes with an old-school, minimalistic interface
Alternatively, you can do all the compression-related tasks directly from the context menu or the shell context menu. Take note that the context menu extras are added automatically following the installation, and they’re quite a few. If it bothers or distracts you from your tasks, then you can remove them all or partially via the Options -> 7-Zip tab.
Since it can be used as a file manager, you should know that you can add a third-party editor so that you can make modifications to the files before or after compression. If you’re leaving this section blank, you’ll be able to open files with their corresponding system default program.
Allows you to manage your archives very thoroughly
Using the file archiver is straightforward and can be done either directly through the interface or via the right-click menu. You can get started by selecting the files and then hit the 'Add' button or 'Add to archive', when done from the context menu. A new window will appear where you can specify a name and the location of the output file.
You can proceed to selecting a format, compression level and method, word size, number of CPU threads, memory usage for compression and whether you would like to split the archive into parts. The program enables you to encrypt the file with a password, so that you can be sure nobody accesses it without your permission. It is recommended that you opt for encryption if you’re planning to transfer the file via an unsecure network.
You can create a new archive easy by specifying a few details
‘Update mode’ is a little less used feature you can find in this section, and it allows you to add new files or update the ones in an existing archive. The mode includes four options and can be effective when dealing with very large archives, as you don’t have to repeat the entire compression process.
Can unpack numerous file formats and as its own compression, 7z
ZIP is synonymous with compression and, perhaps, the reason it’s so widely used. However, it’s not the best one around and, in certain conditions, the archive can be explored without a dedicated program. According to tests performed by independent researchers, both RAR and 7z are much safer and reliable compression formats.
You can manage the file association in the Options
The program provides a robust compression ratio, 7z, which is comparable with ZIP and RAR formats. Similar to the aforementioned, 7z supports encryption, namely AES-256 and ZipCrypto standards. Other noteworthy features of 7z include open architecture, archive headers compression, Unicode file names and support for file sizes up to 16.000.000.000 GB.
7-Zip enables you to open dozens of formats, and you can find a full list on the home page. If you are using multiple archiving tools, then you can make file associations for one or multiple users from the Options.
While you can test, you can’t repair the archives
ZIP files can sometimes be corrupted, in which case you will receive an error message that the archive can’t be opened. A common occurrence for corruption is during the download, especially if it was interrupted by a power outage or a program suddenly crushing, for instance. The good news is that the issue can be addressed by restarting the download.
You can test the archive to determine the number of files and their sizes
You can use 7-Zip to test the archive and get an idea about the number of files, sizes, and related errors, if re-downloading doesn’t fix it. However, this is all you can do with this tool, as it doesn’t feature an archive repair function as its paid competitors. The developer suggests that upgrading the program to the latest version or switching to the latest Alpha or Beta versions could solve the corruption problem. However, a restoration is not guaranteed.
A word on the CVE-2022-29072 vulnerability
In spring 2022, a vulnerability that enabled privilege escalation and the execution of commands was reported, making many wary of keeping the tool. The CVE-2022-29072 vulnerability is being monitored and has been labeled as Disputed since then. Many third parties tested and claimed no privilege escalation can occur, while some analysts even claim it was a hoax. Moreover, for anything to happen, the attacker needs to have local access to your PC.
If you are archiving sensitive data regularly and don’t want to take any chances, then there are two ways you can address this so that you are on the safe side. The first solution entails you make sure the program has only read and run permissions for all users. Alternatively, you can open the app’s folder and delete the Help file (7-Zip.chm). It goes without saying that if you choose the latter, then you won’t be able to access the Help file anymore, but the functionality is not affected in any other way.
The Good
Despite it being an open-source application, it has never featured unnecessary pop-ups, ads and dialog boxes in its almost 25 years of existence. Moreover, it can be used in the corporate environment completely free, which is quite rare nowadays.
Another reason it may work well for commercial users stems from security. Unlike the ZIP format, 7z archives are much harder to snoop on, and there are fewer chances that email providers could open it.
The Bad
Unlike its competitors, 7-Zip doesn’t allow you to repair a corrupted archive. It would be nice to have this option in the future, as restarting the download and waiting for it to finish can be a nuisance when dealing with exceptionally large files.
Users are also unhappy with the fact that compressing and decompressing files can take some time for the 7z format. Moreover, the app also seems to use computer resources heavily during the processing. Unfortunately, no solution has been provided in this sense.
Sometimes, you may not be able to open certain archives with the tool; the developer’s explanation is that the file compressor doesn’t open archives with incorrect headers and/or the zipped files encoded with methods unsupported by the tool.
The Truth
All in all, 7-Zip is a flexible and straightforward application that can be used reliably even in corporate environments. Sure, it may not repair archives and processing can take some time with 7z. Then again, these are small drawbacks compared to the security and trustworthiness factors it can bring to the table.
VERY GOOD
DOWNLOAD
KEY REVIEW INFO
Application: 7-Zip 22.01
Reviewed on: December 22, 2022 15:24 GMT
Written by: Alexandra Sava
APPLICATION FEATURES
High compression ratio
Granted, Windows packs an embedded compression tool that lets you zip and unzip archives conveniently. Then again, it is rudimentary and simplistic, as it lacks various features, the most noteworthy being the security options that you would want to have when sending files online, such as encryption with a password.
For the average user, the embedded compression feature is more than enough to open and create archives occasionally. However, if you are working with sensitive documents and data, then you may want to have more control over the creation and management of the archive. 7-Zip is a tool that has been around for more than 2 decades and continues to be a top choice for anyone managing files regularly.
Boasts a user-friendly interface, but it’s far from attractive
The interface looks quite rugged, and probably needs a revamp. Nevertheless, it’s familiar, intuitive, and you can get around despite your experience with similar tools. Depending on your preferences, you can use the View menu to split the GUI into two panels, change the size of the icons, have the files listed with details or organize them based on name, type, date, or size.
The program comes with an old-school, minimalistic interface
Alternatively, you can do all the compression-related tasks directly from the context menu or the shell context menu. Take note that the context menu extras are added automatically following the installation, and they’re quite a few. If it bothers or distracts you from your tasks, then you can remove them all or partially via the Options -> 7-Zip tab.
Since it can be used as a file manager, you should know that you can add a third-party editor so that you can make modifications to the files before or after compression. If you’re leaving this section blank, you’ll be able to open files with their corresponding system default program.
Allows you to manage your archives very thoroughly
Using the file archiver is straightforward and can be done either directly through the interface or via the right-click menu. You can get started by selecting the files and then hit the 'Add' button or 'Add to archive', when done from the context menu. A new window will appear where you can specify a name and the location of the output file.
You can proceed to selecting a format, compression level and method, word size, number of CPU threads, memory usage for compression and whether you would like to split the archive into parts. The program enables you to encrypt the file with a password, so that you can be sure nobody accesses it without your permission. It is recommended that you opt for encryption if you’re planning to transfer the file via an unsecure network.
You can create a new archive easy by specifying a few details
‘Update mode’ is a little less used feature you can find in this section, and it allows you to add new files or update the ones in an existing archive. The mode includes four options and can be effective when dealing with very large archives, as you don’t have to repeat the entire compression process.
Can unpack numerous file formats and as its own compression, 7z
ZIP is synonymous with compression and, perhaps, the reason it’s so widely used. However, it’s not the best one around and, in certain conditions, the archive can be explored without a dedicated program. According to tests performed by independent researchers, both RAR and 7z are much safer and reliable compression formats.
You can manage the file association in the Options
The program provides a robust compression ratio, 7z, which is comparable with ZIP and RAR formats. Similar to the aforementioned, 7z supports encryption, namely AES-256 and ZipCrypto standards. Other noteworthy features of 7z include open architecture, archive headers compression, Unicode file names and support for file sizes up to 16.000.000.000 GB.
7-Zip enables you to open dozens of formats, and you can find a full list on the home page. If you are using multiple archiving tools, then you can make file associations for one or multiple users from the Options.
While you can test, you can’t repair the archives
ZIP files can sometimes be corrupted, in which case you will receive an error message that the archive can’t be opened. A common occurrence for corruption is during the download, especially if it was interrupted by a power outage or a program suddenly crushing, for instance. The good news is that the issue can be addressed by restarting the download.
You can test the archive to determine the number of files and their sizes
You can use 7-Zip to test the archive and get an idea about the number of files, sizes, and related errors, if re-downloading doesn’t fix it. However, this is all you can do with this tool, as it doesn’t feature an archive repair function as its paid competitors. The developer suggests that upgrading the program to the latest version or switching to the latest Alpha or Beta versions could solve the corruption problem. However, a restoration is not guaranteed.
A word on the CVE-2022-29072 vulnerability
In spring 2022, a vulnerability that enabled privilege escalation and the execution of commands was reported, making many wary of keeping the tool. The CVE-2022-29072 vulnerability is being monitored and has been labeled as Disputed since then. Many third parties tested and claimed no privilege escalation can occur, while some analysts even claim it was a hoax. Moreover, for anything to happen, the attacker needs to have local access to your PC.
If you are archiving sensitive data regularly and don’t want to take any chances, then there are two ways you can address this so that you are on the safe side. The first solution entails you make sure the program has only read and run permissions for all users. Alternatively, you can open the app’s folder and delete the Help file (7-Zip.chm). It goes without saying that if you choose the latter, then you won’t be able to access the Help file anymore, but the functionality is not affected in any other way.
The Good
Despite it being an open-source application, it has never featured unnecessary pop-ups, ads and dialog boxes in its almost 25 years of existence. Moreover, it can be used in the corporate environment completely free, which is quite rare nowadays.
Another reason it may work well for commercial users stems from security. Unlike the ZIP format, 7z archives are much harder to snoop on, and there are fewer chances that email providers could open it.
The Bad
Unlike its competitors, 7-Zip doesn’t allow you to repair a corrupted archive. It would be nice to have this option in the future, as restarting the download and waiting for it to finish can be a nuisance when dealing with exceptionally large files.
Users are also unhappy with the fact that compressing and decompressing files can take some time for the 7z format. Moreover, the app also seems to use computer resources heavily during the processing. Unfortunately, no solution has been provided in this sense.
Sometimes, you may not be able to open certain archives with the tool; the developer’s explanation is that the file compressor doesn’t open archives with incorrect headers and/or the zipped files encoded with methods unsupported by the tool.
The Truth
All in all, 7-Zip is a flexible and straightforward application that can be used reliably even in corporate environments. Sure, it may not repair archives and processing can take some time with 7z. Then again, these are small drawbacks compared to the security and trustworthiness factors it can bring to the table.