PKWARE Releases Updated ZIP Specification.ZIP Pioneers Enhance the Security and Interoperability of the World's Most Widely Deployed Compressed Archive Format MILWAUKEE -- PKWARE, the leading provider of enterprise solutions for secure and efficient data transfer and storage, today announced the release of APPNOTE 6.3.0, the application note PKWARE publishes for the developer community to ensure the continued interoperability and development of ZIP-compatible applications. The updated APPNOTE includes functionality to enable data in ZIP files to be encrypted using common data encryption algorithms such as Blowfish A secret key cryptography method that uses a variable length key from 32 to 448 bits long. It uses the block cipher method, which breaks the text into 64-bit blocks before encrypting them. and Twofish, and new storage parameters for high-speed tape positioning and large-tape blocks. With industry regulations driving the need to secure archived data, IT administrators are challenged with implementing efficient and secure data archiving and transfer solutions. With multiple computing platforms, organizations need an interoperable solution that is versatile enough to be used across operating systems Operating systems can be categorized by technology, ownership, licensing, working state, usage, and by many other characteristics. In practice, many of these groupings may overlap. to protect data as it moves or at rest. "Today, ZIP is one of the most widely used standards in the world," said Jim Peterson
James Scott "Jim" Peterson, PC, BA, LL.B LL.M DCL (born July 30, 1941) is a retired Canadian politician and former Minister of International Trade. , chief scientist at PKWARE. "The compression format is used in a variety of applications ranging from JAVA JAR and the Microsoft Office Microsoft's primary desktop applications for Windows and Mac. Depending on the package, it includes some combination of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access and Outlook along with various Internet and other utilities. OpenXML standard to the OASIS OpenDocument Format (ODF (OpenDocument Format) See OpenDocument. ). These organizations and others can leverage the updated APPNOTE as a blueprint for extending and enhancing their own ZIP-compatible applications." Data compression data compression Process of reducing the amount of data needed for storage or transmission of a given piece of information (text, graphics, video, sound, etc.), typically by use of encoding techniques. uses algorithms that replace repeating patterns with efficient encoding methods to reduce file size. With average compression rates of 50 percent or greater per file, it makes sense to integrate compression technology into business processes and applications. APPNOTE 6.3.0 offers its users simple compression functionality that benefits the business by increasing data capacity and subsequently shrinking the cost of storing and transferring critical business information. Specific new features of APPNOTE 6.3.0 include: * New storage parameters for high-speed tape positioning and large-tape blocks. These correspond to the new tape features released in V9 for IBM (International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, NY, www.ibm.com) The world's largest computer company. IBM's product lines include the S/390 mainframes (zSeries), AS/400 midrange business systems (iSeries), RS/6000 workstations and servers (pSeries), Intel-based servers (xSeries) [R] z/OS[R] * An expanded list of supported cryptographic hash algorithms to facilitate moving beyond SHA SHA - Secure Hash Algorithm 1 * An expanded list of supported compression algorithms enabling ZIP files to be compressed using common data compression algorithms such as LZMA LZMA Lempel-Ziv-Markov chain Algorithm LZMA Lempel and Ziv Modified Compression Algorithm LZMA Lempel Ziv Modified Compression Algorithm and PPMd * An expanded list of supported encryption algorithms, including Blowfish and Twofish, enabling strong, enterprise-class security Availability APPNOTE 6.3.0 is available now. Developers can access and download the updated ZIP application note at http://www.pkware.com/appnote.html About AppNote PKWARE founder Phil Katz Phillip Walter Katz (November 3, 1962 – April 14, 2000), better known as Phil Katz, was a computer programmer best-known as the author of PKZIP, a program for compressing files which ran under the PC operating system DOS. first developed the ZIP data compression format and named the resulting solution PKZIP in 1989. In an effort to encourage the development and proliferation of the ZIP format, he published the first ZIP application note in 1990, which outlined the file structure and the data compression algorithms used. Since that time, PKWARE has continued to maintain and update the APPNOTE with critical functionality such as encryption definitions and compatibility with portable digital certificates using Smart Cards. ABOUT PKWARE PKWARE, Inc., the leading provider of enterprise solutions for secure and efficient data transfer and storage, is the creator and continuing innovator of the ZIP standard. ZIP is the most widely used method for data compression on Windows, UNIX UNIX Operating system for digital computers, developed by Ken Thompson of Bell Laboratories in 1969. It was initially designed for a single user (the name was a pun on the earlier operating system Multics). , Linux, i5/OS, z/OS and other computing platforms. PKWARE's customer base includes Fortune 200 companies and significant installations in 12 of the top U.S. banks, major health care companies, federal agencies and state governments, telecom, retail, and manufacturing companies. In 2004, PKWARE announced the SecureZIP product family, which extends the ZIP file format to include the ability to add strong authentication and encryption to ZIP archives, making it possible not only to compress files, but also to prevent unauthorized access and modification. |
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