V2021.7z -
: Version 21.05 added support for SHA-1 and SHA-256 instructions found in modern AMD Ryzen and Intel CPUs, speeding up hash calculations and AES decryption.
: Using the command line tool: 7z x v2021.7z -p[PASSWORD] . v2021.7z
: Improved compression speed for large archives by increasing the default number of LZMA2 chunks per solid block. CTF & Forensic Context : Version 21
: Often found in hidden system files like ConsoleHost_history.txt or via Known-Plaintext Attacks . v2021.7z
: The encryption strength for 7z archives was increased by expanding the random initialization vector (IV) from 64-bit to 128-bit.
: Inspecting extracted contents (e.g., memory dumps, disk images) using tools like Volatility or FTK Imager . Belkasoft CTF March 2021: Write-up