Encrypted folder on laptop

[spivvy]

i need to create an encrypted folder for my MD on his laptop ,i have looked at PGP and this is overkill
is there some sort of product you can get that will just create a 1gb encrypted drive ,that is idiot proof ,i know old versions of norton use to allow this ,but can't find anything currently (also freeware preferably)

[ATG]

Never used it myself, but Windows comes with an "Encrypted Filing System". Works at the file level in the background so it is transparent to the user who encrypted the file.

[JonRB]

Don't trust the built-in Windows stuff. For a start it is non-portable and platform-specific.

Try TrueCrypt. Very good, and free too.

Allows you to mount an encrypted volume so it behaves like a drive. Ideal.
Also supports a large number of encryption methods and can even use a combination of them if you are particularly paranoid.

See www.truecrypt.org

>> Edited by JonRB on Tuesday 26th July 15:55

[workshy fop]

There's nothing wrong with XP Pro's built in encryption. I do a lot of work on GSI approved government site and they use it for laptops in the field.

[roadsweeper]

Hi

I have used PGP extensively and agree that it's overkill just for a folder-mounted encrypted volume.

TrueCrypt looks good, though I haven't used it myself.

Personally, for something this simple I'd use the Windows XP (if that's what he's runing?) NTFS functionality. It's reasonably secure so if the data isn't sensitive enough to require PGP it's probably fine.

You can restrict the folder access by right-clicking on the folder and selecting 'Properties'. Select the 'Sharing' tab and ensure the 'Make this folder private' checkbox is ticked. This stops other users of the laptop from accessing the folder but does not encrypt the contents, so a clever enough user could access it (for example by removing the hard drive and access it from another machine).

To encrypt the data as well, with the same dialog click on the General tab and then the 'Advanced...' button. Check the 'Encrypt contents to secure data' checkbox.

You can also 'hide' the folder by checking the 'Hidden' checkbox but this would only fool the most basic of users. However, it's an additional (if very thin) layer of security.

Finally, make sure he doesn't store any sensitive information in file names as these get captured all over the place. Equally, beware of temporary files created elsewhere by applications when working on sensitive data in the secure location.

Hope this helps.

roadie.

[ATG]

JonRB said:

Don't trust the built-in Windows stuff. For a start it is non-portable and platform-specific.

Most user's requirements are platform-specific and a laptop is portable

[JonRB]

workshy fop said:

There's nothing wrong with XP Pro's built in encryption. I do a lot of work on GSI approved government site and they use it for laptops in the field.

I can think of one flaw in that argument. I run Win2K at home and whatever my client runs at work (often WinXP Pro). So relying on WinXP to transfer data via a USB memory device would probably not really work.

TrueCrypt, however, works brilliantly. So that is what I use.

>> Edited by JonRB on Tuesday 26th July 21:13

[spivvy]

JonRB said:

workshy fop said: There's nothing wrong with XP Pro's built in encryption. I do a lot of work on GSI approved government site and they use it for laptops in the field. I can think of one flaw in that argument. I run Win2K at home and whatever my client runs at work (often WinXP Pro). So relying on WinXP to transfer data via a USB memory device would probably not really work. TrueCrypt, however, works brilliantly. So that is what I use. >> Edited by JonRB on Tuesday 26th July 21:13

thanks just what i needed