Editing Encrypt a file without leaving traces

{{review}}
{{TipImported
|id=371
|previous=369
|next=374
|created=2002
|complexity=basic
|author=Prakash Patil
|version=6.0
|rating=21/13
|category1=
|category2=
}}
{{Deprecated|Encryption in Vim has improved drastically since this tip was written, with a blowfish (and blowfish2) cryptmethod, and encryption of some of the supporting files. This renders many of the comments obsolete, but also the tip needs updating for the new options to make sure you're using good secure values.}}
I was desperately looking for a simple way to encrypt files.

I find this very useful. Despite all the user permissions you set, it's easy for someone/admin to do sudo and read your personal files..Many work environments provide users the permission to sudo or become super user.

Vim lets you encrypt file within the edit session.
<pre>
:X
</pre>

Will prompt for encryption key. Enter the encryption key and REMEMBER to save it using :w. That will encrypt the file.

If you don't want to leave behind traces of your edits, note the following.

By default, once you finish your vim session, ~/.viminfo will be written with the files you edited (marks), commands you entered and possibly what you wrote (the registers you copied or pasted...). If you don't want such trace to be left behind,
then place the following file in in your [[vimrc]]:
<pre>
set viminfo='0,\"0,\/0,:0,f0
</pre>

==References==
*{{help|:X}}

==Comments==
There are a lot of other vim settings to make sure you leave no trace behind like swapfiles, backupfiles, etc.

I once investigated these settings and set up a gvimrc file for editing files containing e. g. a collection of 'secret' information like passwords, ident numbers, etc.. I copied this encrypted file, gvimrc, and the program files (gvim.exe) on a 3.5" Floppy, which makes you 'autarkic'.

I'm trying hard not to forget copying the settings to the Vim tips.

Does anybody know how 'safe' is gvim encryption?

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From Vim help files.

The algorithm used is breakable. A 4 character key in about one hour, a 6 character key in one day (on a Pentium 133 PC). This requires that you know some text that must appear in the file. An expert can break it for any key. When the text has been decrypted, this also means that the key can be revealed, and other files encrypted with the same key can be decrypted.

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I am using these settings in a gvimrc on a disc (containing gvim.exe and vimrun.exe) for keeping secrets secret:

<pre>
" Eintr�ge f�r Editieren von Pa�wortgesch�tzten Dateien (':X'):
" keine Swap- oder temp files verwenden:
set noswapfile
set nobackup
set nowritebackup
" kein info file mit history eintraegen:
set viminfo=
</pre>

Of course the RAM and the swapfile of Windows still may be read in plain ASCII / hex by spies.

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