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Well written article.
I have been using BestCrypt for over two years and find it very dependable. It is not a freebee.
After reading this article, I will try TrueCrypt on some less critical files as a test. I think I read read something two years ago that convinced me to try BestCrypt (instead of TrueCrypt) but I can't remember now what it was.
TrueCrypt works well and is an excellent choice for encryption. Easy to use for most people. But. If for some reason Windows becomes corrupted, and TrueCrypt cannot run, encrypted files will be unavailable. If all of the local hard drive (C) is encrypted, it is entirely possible that no data recovery will be possible.
I suggest that full disk encryption is for those who must maintain large databases of very sensitive material. Full hard drive encryption is really only required on drives that are both not physically secure (laptops being used during travel) AND containing so much "sensitive" data that storage of it is not possible on some sort of 'removable' media. (Flash, etc.)
Thanks, Ken ,for a good tutorial on how to encrypt a flash drive. For 99% of us, this is the best use of encryption. 'Sensitive' data can be kept on the encrypted flash drive, and the computer's hard drive itself can remain unencrypted and easier to manage.
Further, if all you need to "hide" is some "personal" stuff, a simple password protected folder will offer sufficuient protection against all but the most dedicated hackers. The free "My Private Folder" is a good example.
Encryption is a valuable tool and provides complete protection for truly 'sensitive' data. For most of us, however, full disk encryption of our computer's hard drives is just creating another layer of complexity and is risking potential disaster.
Put TrueCrypt to work for you on a flash drive, sure.
Leave full hard drive encryption to the CIA, OK?
