Encrypted folders: decryption without the Sync client

[letsmakeanotheracct_132923]

I want to set up Sync and get on a paid plan so I can use the encrypted folders as a way to have a secure remote store for some of my files. However, I don't want to rely on the existence of whatever entity is behind Sync, and it's not immediately clear to me whether I'd be able to decrypt the remote files once Sync has died and there's no longer a working client available.

So, anyone know if (and how) decrypting without the Sync client is possible?

Edited February 7, 2016 by letsmakeanotheracct_132923

[GreatMarko]

Decrypting without Sync is not possible.

However, Sync is "decentralized" - i.e. it doesn't rely on BitTorrent infrastructure or an internet connection in order to function.

You could install Sync on devices within your local LAN, and they'd sync even without any external internet connection.

Therefore, even if BitTorrent Inc were to go bust, Sync wouldn't suddenly just "stop working" - you'd still be able to use it

[letsmakeanotheracct_132923]

Thanks for the reply.

There's a window after the eventual last release during which you can still run the client with relatively little hassle but eventually the client will be obsolete and getting it to run on modern OS/equipment at that point will be a major headache. It's not a huge deal because the user will obviously be able to foresee this and have plenty of time to take action but still... would be neat if I could just save the key and decrypt a file outside the client. Not a deal breaker though.

[GreatMarko]

Let's put it this way (using Windows as an example); Windows 10's EOL (End Of Life), is nearly a DECADE away. If BitTorrent Inc went bust tomorrow, you'd still be able to run the latest version of Sync 2.3 on Windows until October 2025 at the very least! Plus, it's highly likely that whatever OS Microsoft then goes on to replace Windows 10 with will be backwards-compatible with Win10 applications.

Therefore, concerns over BitTorrent Inc going bust and/or the "discontinuing" of BitTorrent Sync meaning you can then no-longer use the software, are not really realistic prospects.

[iswrong]

8 hours ago, letsmakeanotheracct_132923 said:

There's a window after the eventual last release during which you can still run the client with relatively little hassle but eventually the client will be obsolete and getting it to run on modern OS/equipment at that point will be a major headache. It's not a huge deal because the user will obviously be able to foresee this and have plenty of time to take action but still... would be neat if I could just save the key and decrypt a file outside the client. Not a deal breaker though.

I think this would be a nice feature request: provide a utility that can, given a read-only or read-write key decrypt the folder data of an encrypted read-only peer. It's handy, even outside Sync doomsday scenarios - if you want to recover directly from an encrypted peer without having to set up sync.