AES Crypt 4.6 Released

We are excited to announce the release of AES Crypt 4.6. While much of this release focuses on internal code quality, testing, and modern C++ standards, it also brings notable security and user experience enhancements across platforms.

Key Highlights

• Enhanced Security with Increased Key Derivation: We have doubled the default key derivation iterations from 300,000 to 600,000. This significantly increases resistance against brute-force password guessing attacks without impacting normal usability.
• Linux Desktop Progress Bar & Cancel Option: Linux GUI users now get a dedicated progress window with a cancel button during encryption and decryption—bringing parity to a feature previously available only on Windows and macOS.
• Alpine Linux Support: Official package builds are now available for Alpine Linux, published in both .tgz and .apk formats.

Complete List of Enhancements

• Linux Desktop Progress Meter: Added a visual progress bar with an operation cancel button for desktop Linux environments.
• Stronger Key Derivation: Increased PBKDF2 iterations to 600,000 across all platforms (Windows, macOS, Linux/Unix).
• Command-Line Key Passing via Standard Input: You can now pass passwords or keys using -k - during encryption and decryption, matching key generation behavior.
• Expanded Alpine Linux Distribution: Published official .apk packages and .tgz archives for Alpine Linux users.
• C++ Core Guidelines Alignment: Refactored internal code structures to align with modern C++ Core Guidelines, reducing potential bug vectors and improving long-term maintainability.
• Code Optimization & Redundancy Reduction: Streamlined the command-line codebase for improved readability, structure, and execution efficiency.
• Enhanced Automated Testing: Expanded unit test coverage integrated into our nightly build pipelines to maintain ongoing software reliability.

Get the Update

AES Crypt 4.6 is available now across all supported platforms. Head over to the downloads page to update your installation.