Hello everyone 👋
Hope you’re having a wonderful time with your family and friends.
Happy New Year to you all 🎉
We’ve open-sourced the zkim-file-format codebase on GitHub and also published the package on npmjs.com.
github.com/zkdotim
@zkim-platform/file-format" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">npmjs.com/package/@zkim-…
Several blogs on the zk.im website already explain what zkim-file-format is and how it was designed, so here’s the short version:
TL;DR
zkim-file-format is an encrypted file wrapper. Any file - for example docx, xlsx, jpg or png - can be wrapped into a .zkim file. Once wrapped, only you and the intended recipient can access the contents.
We use gold-standard cryptographic libraries, including libsodium-sumo and noble hashes - both industry-leading, battle-tested and heavily audited.
By open-sourcing this project, our goal is to demonstrate something important:
Data leaks can be prevented even when servers are hacked or compromised.
We’re entering an early AI era where many projects carry an “AI” sticker while quietly gaining full access to user accounts and data - often with little to no real protection.
When building zkim-file-format, we didn’t design a “strong door” to keep attackers out.
Instead, we designed it with a harsher assumption: That the system is already compromised. How do we still protect the file?
The project includes 1,300+ tests, all visible on GitHub.
You’re welcome to clone the repo, run the tests yourself - or go all in and try to break it.
What does “Breaking” mean for zkim-file-format?
It means you’ve successfully read any plaintext that was wrapped inside a .zkim file.
We invite the community to challenge it, test it and attempt to break it.
- ZKIM Team
English
