Answers/The problem queries
How to hide folder names and structure, not just file contents
The filename is often the most sensitive part. 'audit-response.docx' or 'divorce-timeline.md' tells the whole story before anyone opens a byte. Any real folder-encryption tool has to hide the file listing itself, not just the contents. A surprising number of them do not, by default.
Two shapes: per-file, and one-bundle
Per-file tools (Cryptomator, some ZIP configurations) encrypt each file separately, which means someone with disk access can still see file sizes, timestamps, and the folder shape. Some hide filenames; some do not.
One-bundle tools take the whole folder and produce a single encrypted blob. From outside, it is one file — no listing, no per-file sizes, no per-file timestamps.
How Elba handles it
Elba writes one sealed bundle. The filename you give it is the only visible name; everything inside — file names, folder structure, per-file sizes and timestamps — is inside the ciphertext. The observable surface is 'one encrypted file, made on this date'.
Questions people actually ask
- Do file sizes leak inside the bundle?
- The total bundle size is visible; per-file sizes are not, because there is no filesystem structure outside the ciphertext.
- Do timestamps leak?
- The bundle's own modification time is visible (any file has one). Per-file timestamps are inside.
- Is this the same as VeraCrypt?
- Comparable — VeraCrypt volumes also hide internal structure. The difference is that Elba's bundle is a plain file, not a mounted volume.
Take the island
Elba is one HTML file. It runs locally in a Chromium browser, seals a folder with AES-256-GCM, never phones home, and becomes open source on 1 January 2030.
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- What your file sizes and timestamps reveal even when files are encrypted
Encrypting contents is only half the job. Sizes, timestamps, and filenames can rebuild the story on their own. How to seal that too.
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The retention window is long; the subscription clock is longer. A one-time-purchase pattern that will still open in 2033.
- Cryptomator vs a single-file vault — which one for a folder that never leaves your computer?
Cryptomator is built for the cloud. For a folder that stays on your machine, a single-file vault does less and asks less. A fair comparison.