Mysterious Encrypted File Posted to Wikileaks Afghan Page

A mysterious 1.4GB encrypted file named “insurance” has appeared in the Wikileaks Afghan diary page. It is believed that it contains info to be released if something happens to Wikileaks or its founder Julian Assange.

The 1.4GB encrypted file which appeared on the site days after approximately 92,000 classified US military document were released last week, is ten times larger than all the other files on Wikileaks' Afghan War Diary page combined.The file is encrypted under AES256 encrypting algorithm which makes it extremely difficult to decrypt. Cryptome, another secret sharing site similar to Wikileaks speculates that the file could be made public in case of a crackdown from U S authorities.The file, which is also available for download through different torrent sites has seen thousands of downloads in the first few hours after its release. Cryptome reports:

The file, “insurance.aes256,”...appears to be encrypted with AES Crypt. Wonder if it includes the 15,000 Afghan files withheld, or the original raw files, or perhaps much more, pre-positioned for public release (“insurance”) against an attack expected to come from DoD and Justice or parties unknown. A pass phrase to be distributed or published widely in case of a take down.

The whistleblower site had come under severe criticism from U S authorities in recent days, who alleged that the release of the documents posed a serious threat for American troops and its Afghan partners. U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen had even threatened legal action against the site and its founder in a press briefing on Thursday.