AxCryp and Truecrypt!

Richdog

Richdog

Richdog

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Decided to dabble with these the other day in the interest of seeing what I could do to (unecessarily for me tbh) protect some of my files on my PC (mass pron collection etc, all strictly legal mind before you start you dirty buggers!) and I have to say i'm very impressed with the user-friendliness these two open-source utilities provide!

AxCrypt http://www.axantum.com/AxCrypt/

File Encryption for Windows

Right-click integration with Windows Explorer makes AxCrypt the easiest way to encrypt individual files in Windows.

Double-click integration makes it as easy to open, edit and save encrypted files as it is to work with unencrypted files.

Many additional features, but no configuration required, just install it and use it.

Since AxCrypt works on a file-by-file basis, you can safely and easily send encrypted files to other users via e-mail or any other means, you can even make self-decrypting files so the recipient does not need AxCrypt installed to decrypt.
Click to expand...

TrueCrypt http://www.truecrypt.org/

Main Features:

Creates a virtual encrypted disk within a file and mounts it as a real disk.

Encrypts an entire hard disk partition or a storage device such as USB flash drive.

Encryption is automatic, real-time (on-the-fly) and transparent.

Provides two levels of plausible deniability, in case an adversary forces you to reveal the password:

1) Hidden volume (steganography – more information may be found here).

2) No TrueCrypt volume can be identified (volumes cannot be distinguished from random data).

Encryption algorithms: AES-256, Serpent, and Twofish. Mode of operation: LRW.
Click to expand...

Definately worth a play around with! :)
 
Nice.

AxCrypt sounds more simple... I don't get the point of the virtual disk thingy in TrueCrypt?

EDIT

I've just been messing around with TrueCrypt & it seems really good.

Basically you specify a file, anywhere. You then create this file, choose your encryption type etc.

At the end of the creation you're asked to choose the 'drive size' and format it, select your file system & click format (it'll erase the drive if you're encrypting a whole drive, but if you're just using a file then it's fine).

Now there'll be a 100mb file sitting there (or whatever size you specified the drive thingy to be).

You then go into TrueCrypt and mount the file, it'll ask for your password & then it'll be mounted like a normal hard drive with all your files within :)



I've also just been trying out AxCrypt, some people might prefer this one over TrueCrypt.

After you've installed it in your right click menus there's an AxCrypt menu with a load of options in. When you select "Encrypt" it'll ask you to specify a password. That file will then be encrypted and password protected.

The program runs in the background and takes about 1mb of RAM, but you can shut it down (it'll run itself when you double click an encrypted file).

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If I needed to use these programs I think I'd go for TrueCrypt - I like the fact it makes a nice neat virtual hard drive for all your secret stuff :)

Craig.
 
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the virtual disk should make it harder to split and find files for forcefull recovery. If you encyt a single files it would be easyer to access that file, you know were it starts and finishes.
TrueCrypt also allows you to make a fake drive/partition as well so you could give out a password that would only show a few irrelevant files.
 
axcrypt is good mind, its pretty noob proof, in my old work i suggested they use it when they asked for a program to encrypt sensitive files that they'd be ftping
 
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