Timeline for How do unzip programs check if the password is correct?
Current License: CC BY-SA 4.0
19 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
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| Aug 6 at 11:06 | comment | added | Shadur-don't-feed-the-AI | @user207421 You appear to have a very wrong image in your head on how ZIP (or in fact, any well implemented) encryption works. The neither the encrypted ZIP file nor the zip binary contain the password anywhere, so it can't "check if the password is correct" and then decide whether or not to decrypt. The password is the decryption key. It has to be, because if you implement it differently then zip wouldn't need the password to decrypt and could decide to decrypt whether you have the right password or not. | |
| Apr 23, 2020 at 13:46 | comment | added | Seth R | @Clockwork, yeah, and the Keymaker did come to mind. But it's been so long since I saw it I couldn't quite a remember if that was his ability, or if he was just able to open any door. In any case, it's a fun premise for a story. | |
| Apr 23, 2020 at 10:12 | comment | added | Clockwork | @SethR Ever watched the 2nd Matrix movie? | |
| Apr 23, 2020 at 8:28 | comment | added | Shadur-don't-feed-the-AI | @user207421 The unzip program "checks" by trying to decrypt, and determines that the password is wrong when it fails to decrypt. It's a metaphor, and it works just fine. | |
| Apr 23, 2020 at 8:27 | comment | added | user207421 | @Shadur It's not a metaphor, it is the explanation you gave, as follows: 'in the same way as'. The fact is that the unzip program checks, and doesn't decrypt if the password is wrong. | |
| Apr 22, 2020 at 22:21 | comment | added | bta | @SethR - That's an elevator in a building with full-floor apartment units. | |
| Apr 22, 2020 at 21:40 | comment | added | Brilliand | @JohnWu I'm sure this has been done in fiction, but I don't think the Anywhere Key counts. For it to qualify, you would have to use a different key for each destination, not a single key that unlocks all destinations. | |
| Apr 21, 2020 at 20:41 | comment | added | John Wu | @SethR see Anywhere Key | |
| Apr 21, 2020 at 16:19 | comment | added | Seth R | I am now intrigued by the idea of a doorway that can take you to different places depending on what key you use to unlock it. | |
| Apr 21, 2020 at 14:57 | comment | added | Chronocidal | @Eborbob Any key will go into the lock and move the pins - only if the pattern is valid will the lock let you turn it. Any decryption key will go into the zip tool - only if the pattern is valid will the tool let you open it. Seems fine to me. | |
| Apr 21, 2020 at 14:00 | vote | accept | Andy_ye | ||
| Apr 21, 2020 at 14:00 | vote | accept | Andy_ye | ||
| Apr 21, 2020 at 14:00 | |||||
| Apr 21, 2020 at 13:54 | history | edited | Shadur-don't-feed-the-AI | CC BY-SA 4.0 |
Updated to include excellent explanation of how Zip specifically handles things.
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| Apr 21, 2020 at 13:46 | vote | accept | Andy_ye | ||
| Apr 21, 2020 at 13:59 | |||||
| Apr 21, 2020 at 12:41 | comment | added | Shadur-don't-feed-the-AI | ... Also, if it's possible to generate multiple keys so that decrypting the data encoded with one of them with any of the others will result in a properly structured archive with entirely different contents, you either did something terribly wrong with your algorithm,or terribly right. | |
| Apr 21, 2020 at 12:30 | history | edited | Shadur-don't-feed-the-AI | CC BY-SA 4.0 |
Added a brief elucidation for the metaphor-averse.
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| Apr 21, 2020 at 12:28 | comment | added | Shadur-don't-feed-the-AI | @eborbob Semantics. It's a metaphor, it doesn't have to map 1:1 to reality. | |
| Apr 21, 2020 at 12:27 | comment | added | Eborbob | Unfortunately your house door key analogy doesn't work. Any decryption key will work in that you'll get an output, but only the correct one will produce your house when you open the door. All the incorrect keys will open the door but it won't be your house on the other side. | |
| Apr 21, 2020 at 12:06 | history | answered | Shadur-don't-feed-the-AI | CC BY-SA 4.0 |