encryption soft

hello everyone,

i'm interested in DriveCrypt from SecurStar, specificaly in it's traveler mode feature.

has any of you used this software?

i appreciate any response, thanks!

 

I'd go over to portablefreeware.com and get truecrypt. (There is a new version the does whole disk encryption BTW). "Encrypts an entire partition or storage device such as USB flash drive or hard drive."

"How can I use TrueCrypt on a USB flash drive?

A: You have two options:

Encrypt the entire USB flash drive. However, you will not be able run TrueCrypt from the USB flash drive.
Note: Windows does not support multiple partitions on USB flash drives.


Create a TrueCrypt file container on the USB flash drive (for information on how to do so, see the chapter Beginner's Tutorial, in the TrueCrypt User Guide). If you leave enough space on the USB flash drive (choose an appropriate size for the TrueCrypt container), you will also be able to store TrueCrypt on the USB flash drive (along with the container – not in the container) and you will be able to run TrueCrypt from the USB flash drive (see also the chapter Traveler Mode in the TrueCrypt User Guide). "

Yes I use this on my Zen's 4GB partition.. it's free and it works.
http://www.truecrypt.org/

 

hi foogoo,

thanks for your reply. i will check out TrueCrypt, it sounds good.

 

There is also another open source alternative for whole disk encryption - DiskCryptor. There is no traveler mode in this program, but the partitions that have been encrypted by DiskCryptor, can be opened with the TrueCrypt.

Comparing DiskCryptor with the current version of the TrueCrypt, DiskCryptor has the following advantages - it can encrypt any partition (not just the system one) and it supports hibernation.

 

hi guys,

thanks for your reply. it's very informative and helpful.

i have a problem with freeware in the sense that when you encounter a problem you can't get help from people that know what it is about...i mean only on forums and stuff...

SecurstaStar (the company which sells DriveCrypt) offers customer support which is free and i've asked around if it's reliable and helpful and i heard positive reviews...

another thing would be that i'm not a pro in computers and computer programs, i'm a newbie in this area - so knowing that i'll always find help (i'm refering to the customer support again) is really good for me.

if you know about TrueCrypt or DiskCryptor if they have customer support please let me know...also if it's reliable.
again, thank you!

 

TrueCrypt and DiskCryptor support is available through their forums.

Personally, I do not use the current version of TrueCrypt 5.0a in a production environment, but work with the TrueCrypt 4.3a instead, as I have some issues with the newer version. TrueCrypt 4.3a is rock solid in my experience.

DiskCryptor is a new and very promising project, with interesting features coming down the road, but it is a beta software yet, so I've been only using it on a test machine.

 

hello everyone...

thanks again for your suggestions and recommendations, they were very helpful.

i think i will stick to DriveCrypt though....and i've also noiced their other software, DriveCrypt PlusPack, i will look into that as well.

again, thanks a lot guys!

 

DriveCrypt is an equivalent to TrueCrypt, and DriveCrypt Plus Pack is an equivalent to both TrueCrypt and DiskCryptor.

Well, since SecurStar actually makes business by selling DriveCrypt software, and hence provides customer support, you might be really better off with the DriveCrypt, if you are new to these security solutions, and want speedy response to any possible problems.

Many people however, including myself, prefer open source security projects, since the source code of the software is freely available, to examine if the program is really as clean as it claims to be, in terms of any backdoors or weaknesses, and one can compile the source him/herself.

I have used DriveCrypt Plus Pack perhaps some three years ago, and it worked well for me, without problems. Now, however I use TrueCrypt to work with encrypted containers, and when DiskCryptor will come out of beta (and if it will be as powerful as projected in comparison with TrueCrypt's whole disk encryption features), I will use it for partition encryption.


BTW, TrueCrypt 5.1 has been released today, and perhaps it will be as stable for me as 4.3a version is, will go try it out now

 

hi markj,

I had doubts too, and especially about a back door. So what I did was contact the customer support and read the help file of the software carefully (I found out that you can download it for free

Here's what I found out regarding a possible back door:

"We have never been asked by any government to add a "back door" into our software, and we have no interest in making one. In any case, no country in the world, other than Germany (where SecurStar is incorporated), can force us to put a back door in our software. Please note that we incorporated SecurStar in Germany, because Germany is one of the few governments in the world that actively promotes strong cryptography while other countries are more restrictive on this subject matter. If laws in Germany should change in the future, we are prepared to move the company accordingly."

So this is info that comes directly from the source and I believe it and honestly, the software is very good (I started using it) and I haven't got any problems using it.

Thank you for taking time to write me