 Self-extracting archives also allow for their contents to be encrypted for security, provided the chosen underlying compression algorithm and format allow for it.In many cases though the file and directory names are not part of the encryption and can be seen by anyone, even without the key or password.Additionally, some encryption algorithms rely on there being no known partial plaintexts available so if an attacker is able to guess part of the contents of the files from their names or context alone they may be able to break the encryption on the entire archive with only a reasonable amount of computing power and time.