ENC File Extension

What is the .ENC file type?

Most commonly, the .enc filename extension serves to indicate that a file is ENCoded or ENCrypted (ENC) in some way. In many cases, the .enc appears as the second extension (e.g., filename.txt.enc). It usually means that the file's contents have been replaced with those in a ciphered form. This, of course, makes the file unreadable within the original association. An ENC file cannot be read in any way and is meaningless, unless it is deciphered first.

Files may be encoded/encrypted deliberately for data security reasons. Such .enc files should be handled by the same application/tool that was used to encrypt them. Sudden mass occurrence of .enc files is a sure sign of a ransom-type virus attack that can prove difficult to neutralize.

In case of deliberate encryption, the .enc extension may have already been associated with some encryption/decryption tool, and an .enc file can be opened with a double-click.

In line with generic file encryption, the .enc extension is also used in the proprietary CS-PDF (CopySafe PDF) format developed and marketed by ArtistScope to handle PDF files, copy-protected with advanced configurable DRM encryption.

Quite differently, the .enc extension may also be associated with music notation files created with Encore, a composer's studio suite developed by GVOX. Musical compositions stored as .enc files can be rendered in a sheet music representation.

Specific to nautical charts, the .enc extension is tied up with Electronic Navigational Charts (ENC) developed and maintained by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) of the United States.

In gaming, the .enc extension is found in locally stored game data files created and used by the Cabal Online MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game).

Software to open or convert ENC files

MyWinLocker by Egis Technology Inc.

 

Wireshark by The Wireshark developer community, https://www.wireshark.org

 

Wireshark by The Wireshark developer community, http://www.wireshark.org

 

IZArc by Ivan Zahariev

 

ALZip by ESTsoft Corp.

 

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