Comments for TrueCrypt - Free Open Source Industrial Strength Encryption

Comment from Logan on 2011-07-26

2011-07-26T23:43:26Z

Is there a way to de-crypt a TrueCrypt file using an Android system. There are millions of Android Smart Phones out there that could use a program like TrueCrypt. The problem exists that one can encrypt a file on the PC side but when sent to an Android system the file becomes useless.

I'm not aware of any mobile option for TrueCrypt as of yet.

27-Jul-2011

]]>

A comment on: TrueCrypt - Free Open Source Industrial Strength Encryption

Tech Questions? Get Answers! - Ask Leo! ... by Leo Notenboom
Leo's Answers Newsletter - Ask Leo! in your inbox every week.

Comment from Denis Paley on 2011-06-28

2011-06-29T00:51:43Z

I've used TrueCrypt for security on my PC's and my portable devices and strongly recommend this form of security. Safe and easy to use.

]]>

A comment on: TrueCrypt - Free Open Source Industrial Strength Encryption

Tech Questions? Get Answers! - Ask Leo! ... by Leo Notenboom
Leo's Answers Newsletter - Ask Leo! in your inbox every week.

Comment from Yeppers on 2011-04-12

2011-04-13T01:16:59Z

In the context of this article, what does the word "mount" mean (ie., "...'mount' that file using TrueCrypt...")? I see that word used more and more lately in PC articles, but I am never quite sure as to what the authors are trying to say. Thanks...

It harkens back to the day when a disk was added to a computer by physically mounting it - attaching it to or placing it in a large disk drive enclosure. That concept lived on as a way to think of adding a drive. When you "mount" a TrueCrypt volume its contents then appears as another disk drive on your machine. For example on my machine C:\somepath\data.tc, when mounted, appears as drive F:.

12-Apr-2011

]]>

A comment on: TrueCrypt - Free Open Source Industrial Strength Encryption

Tech Questions? Get Answers! - Ask Leo! ... by Leo Notenboom
Leo's Answers Newsletter - Ask Leo! in your inbox every week.

Comment from James on 2010-09-22

2010-09-22T16:03:00Z

I wouldn't use TrueCrypt for email because the file system of a FAT volume occupies 275 KB for starters. But I have a 100 MB TrueCrypt volume in my Dropbox, and it doesn't get completely up/downloaded when the content changes. Which is good.

]]>

A comment on: TrueCrypt - Free Open Source Industrial Strength Encryption

Tech Questions? Get Answers! - Ask Leo! ... by Leo Notenboom
Leo's Answers Newsletter - Ask Leo! in your inbox every week.

Comment from john neeting on 2010-09-21

2010-09-21T23:49:05Z

I just worked it out. If a computer could work at 1 trillion tries a second and used just each letter of the alphabet in upper and lower case plus all the keyboard symbols; and the pass phrase was 30 letters long - it would take 256,000
years to crack the pass phrase. Can't get more secure than that.

]]>

A comment on: TrueCrypt - Free Open Source Industrial Strength Encryption

Tech Questions? Get Answers! - Ask Leo! ... by Leo Notenboom
Leo's Answers Newsletter - Ask Leo! in your inbox every week.

Comment from Paul on 2010-06-03

2010-06-03T07:58:34Z

I encrypted my external hard drive with True Crypt and formatted my primary hard drive where True Crypt was installed. After installing Windows 7 on the formatted drive I reinstalled True Crypt and the volume will not mount. Is there any way to retrieve my data from my external hard drive?

]]>

A comment on: TrueCrypt - Free Open Source Industrial Strength Encryption

Tech Questions? Get Answers! - Ask Leo! ... by Leo Notenboom
Leo's Answers Newsletter - Ask Leo! in your inbox every week.

Comment from Bert on 2009-12-28

2009-12-28T17:14:20Z

I hate to be a wet blanket but I had a horrible experience with TrueCrypt. I followed instructions and encrypted a external hard drive. The password worked several times and then suddenly the software didn't recognize the password and my files were lost to me forever.

I think it's important that we hear all sides - even the best software will fail for some people. There's no way to know what went wrong here, but it's a good cautionary tale that emphasizes the need to backup your data, and to do so in a reliable - probably unencrypted - form.

29-Dec-2009

]]>

A comment on: TrueCrypt - Free Open Source Industrial Strength Encryption

Tech Questions? Get Answers! - Ask Leo! ... by Leo Notenboom
Leo's Answers Newsletter - Ask Leo! in your inbox every week.

Comment from maxkam1 on 2009-12-19

2009-12-19T15:18:28Z

TrueCrypt provides additional protection to your data so that when your storage device falls into the wrong hand, the data cannot be retrieve easily. But it does not mean that the data cannot be retrieve at all.

That is correct. Brute force attempts to crack properly setup encryption will take years (if not decades or centuries), but it's theoretically possible. The true weakest link is the passphrase you choose - choose something simple that anyone can guess, and all the encryption in the world won't help you.

20-Dec-2009

]]>

A comment on: TrueCrypt - Free Open Source Industrial Strength Encryption

Tech Questions? Get Answers! - Ask Leo! ... by Leo Notenboom
Leo's Answers Newsletter - Ask Leo! in your inbox every week.

Comment from Mikey on 2009-11-03

2009-11-03T14:21:35Z

If I use TrueCrypt to encrypt the boot/system drive, and move that drive to a new computer as a data drive (a common tactic to save everything from the old computer on a new computer), can I access everything on that drive OK if I know the passphrase?

]]>

A comment on: TrueCrypt - Free Open Source Industrial Strength Encryption

Tech Questions? Get Answers! - Ask Leo! ... by Leo Notenboom
Leo's Answers Newsletter - Ask Leo! in your inbox every week.

Comment from john neeting on 2009-10-27

2009-10-28T00:22:27Z

As I have many invention circuits and idea's to keep safe, I have been using True Crypt for years.
I use a pass phrase with no spaces and it's one that I cant forget but over 30 letters long.
With regards to being able to crack it - not possible without a cray computer and 2000 years to work with. I selected the 256 bit DES blowfish military encryption and NO, you can't find the pass phrase on the disk because it doesn't exist on the disk. Each letter is filtered through another algorithm in the program which changes each time you use it much like PGP where you have essentially 2 keys. So your pass letters are re-translated with another different code table which itself changes. Do you ever wonder why the military use it?. I personally know of one case in the local paper where Authorities tried to break it on someones computer and failed dismally [ Only had 30 days to do it by law ].
Since the container itself is invisible and direct access reveals random data on the disk [ junk] it's absolutly secure. Renaming the container to a common extension [ zip ] just like a valid file assures the attack to open it will start with zip crackers - a waste of more time trying to get into it.

]]>

A comment on: TrueCrypt - Free Open Source Industrial Strength Encryption

Tech Questions? Get Answers! - Ask Leo! ... by Leo Notenboom
Leo's Answers Newsletter - Ask Leo! in your inbox every week.

Comment from nick on 2009-10-27

2009-10-27T23:57:59Z

trueCrypt -
FANTASTIC
I personally use Winmagic-SecureDoc (paid program) for full disk encryption, needs passphrase at bootup, have been doing this for many years, VERY secure (TrueCrypt did not have this feature when I started using WinMagic)

BUT, BOOT enryption is very secure; once machine is off, data cannot be extracted from the hard drive.

AND, you can encrypt the vaults on the hard drive, only mount themn when you need them

RE: EMAIL and secure stuff, YES, you could create a small truecrypt vault, include your data, email the truecrypt vault, and either phone your friend with the decryption key, OR evn send them the key in a different email from a different account (depending on sensitvity of info in that vault)

AND, you can create your own personal USB stick, with password programs, ec, on it; create a truecrypt vault on the usb stick, and copy over your programs.
THEN, in the root directory of the usb stick (unencrypted), copy over the TrueCrypt program folder itself.
then, when traveling, you have the trueCrypt program, AND you have an encrypted vault on your USB stick, with your data protected, and can use it when you need it

]]>

A comment on: TrueCrypt - Free Open Source Industrial Strength Encryption

Tech Questions? Get Answers! - Ask Leo! ... by Leo Notenboom
Leo's Answers Newsletter - Ask Leo! in your inbox every week.

Comment from Bill on 2009-10-27

2009-10-27T22:07:59Z

How would you compare TrueCrypt with Best Crypt?

Not very famliar with it, but from what I can see no reason to pay for it, over TrueCrypt which is free.

28-Oct-2009

]]>

A comment on: TrueCrypt - Free Open Source Industrial Strength Encryption

Tech Questions? Get Answers! - Ask Leo! ... by Leo Notenboom
Leo's Answers Newsletter - Ask Leo! in your inbox every week.

Comment from Felix Amat on 2009-10-27

2009-10-27T20:16:35Z

It seems to me (without trying my guess out) that TrueCrypt could also be used to protect emails between users. Do you consider this possible (oh, yeah, and reasonably easy)?

You certainly can, but in all honestly tools like 7-Zip or AxCrypt are more suited to encrypting individual files for transmission this way.

28-Oct-2009

]]>

A comment on: TrueCrypt - Free Open Source Industrial Strength Encryption

Tech Questions? Get Answers! - Ask Leo! ... by Leo Notenboom
Leo's Answers Newsletter - Ask Leo! in your inbox every week.

Comment from John Anderson on 2008-12-08

2008-12-08T12:17:04Z

About your article, I see that it's very useful for those who'd like to encrypt their data. However, in the first solution "Whole Drive Encryption", I think it's not the best or recommended way of encryption because unauthorised people can also access the data encrypted by using a special software (I don't remember it now) by many ways.
For the second solution, I think it is more advanced but people can still access the data too, by using password finder softwares but much more difficult to do. However, these softwares can only work on common encrypter softwares (like WinRar or so), so to prevent thieves, I recommend using rare encryption formats (like kge, zip files v12.0, etc.). In these formats, we cannot mount it to a new drive, though it's more secure. But be careful to delete files in temp folders of hard drives (often in C:) because the software often leave it there undeleted & unencrypted when the PC suddenly loses power.
Thank you for the article. Here I just want to contribute to the tips. Best wishes.

]]>

A comment on: TrueCrypt - Free Open Source Industrial Strength Encryption

Tech Questions? Get Answers! - Ask Leo! ... by Leo Notenboom
Leo's Answers Newsletter - Ask Leo! in your inbox every week.

Comment from Nelson on 2008-12-01

2008-12-01T17:21:12Z

Thanks for the recommendation. I'll be looking further into TrueCrypt for my laptop at home, which is currently not secured. It's become our primary computer in the house, as well.

I'll have to add it to my desktop, as well, but I've also looking into a NAS solution for the house that I may try your suggestion about putting the device in a "locked storage". I would also encrypt that storage device, as well in case, but that is the direction I am heading now.

]]>

A comment on: TrueCrypt - Free Open Source Industrial Strength Encryption

Tech Questions? Get Answers! - Ask Leo! ... by Leo Notenboom
Leo's Answers Newsletter - Ask Leo! in your inbox every week.

Comment from Mike on 2008-11-01

2008-11-01T20:56:09Z

A nice article. I've been using TrueCrypt for a while now, here's where I heard about it the first time, and I have to say it works very well. They now also include a feature called Encrypt System Partition/Drive... which encrypts your system drive/partition so it can't be booted without the passphrase. They even have (like hidden volumes) hidden systems, of which the existence (if all guidelines are followed) will be impossible to prove. For more information, refer to their website.

]]>

A comment on: TrueCrypt - Free Open Source Industrial Strength Encryption

Tech Questions? Get Answers! - Ask Leo! ... by Leo Notenboom
Leo's Answers Newsletter - Ask Leo! in your inbox every week.

Comment from Shankar on 2008-09-12

2008-09-13T04:49:17Z

Excellent article. Guide to follow.

]]>

A comment on: TrueCrypt - Free Open Source Industrial Strength Encryption

Tech Questions? Get Answers! - Ask Leo! ... by Leo Notenboom
Leo's Answers Newsletter - Ask Leo! in your inbox every week.