I'm considering encrypting data files and possibly email with some correspondents. Depending on the encryption technique, encrypting e-mail will require common keys and a means to pass them. I've never used file encryption. Can anyone who has describe their experience? How about some good web articles? What I'm finding is a mixed bag and I wonder about the validity of some of them. I would really like to hear about some real experiences from trusted sources. How much overhead does encryption add? Does it affect performance noticeably? What file encryption method do you use and why? Do you use different encryption for files and emails? Do you use multiple and/or assorted keys?
TIA
File Encryption
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BobH
- UraniumLounger
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File Encryption
Bob's yer Uncle
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StuartR
- Administrator
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Re: File Encryption
Bob,
I strongly recommend Truecrypt for encrypting your files. You can use this to create virtual disks that you mount with a password, you can even encrypt your entire C: drive if you are that paranoid. It is a great piece of software, open source, and
To send and receive encrypted or signed email you can use s/mime which is built in to most email clients. Rather than passing common keys you use a public key infrastructure (PKI), this enables you to send someone a certificate with your public key, and the certificate will be signed by a trusted authority that they can check. There is a useful primer on s/mime and PKI here. You (and your correspondents) would need to get a personal certificate (with your authenticated public encryption key) from a trusted certificate authority such as Verisign.
I have also had great success with the freeware version of PGP, but this is now very old and more recent versions are not free. I finally gave up on PGP some years ago when they wanted me to pay for an upgrade that was required to fix a security issue, but some people I know still have great success with the free version.
I strongly recommend Truecrypt for encrypting your files. You can use this to create virtual disks that you mount with a password, you can even encrypt your entire C: drive if you are that paranoid. It is a great piece of software, open source, and
To send and receive encrypted or signed email you can use s/mime which is built in to most email clients. Rather than passing common keys you use a public key infrastructure (PKI), this enables you to send someone a certificate with your public key, and the certificate will be signed by a trusted authority that they can check. There is a useful primer on s/mime and PKI here. You (and your correspondents) would need to get a personal certificate (with your authenticated public encryption key) from a trusted certificate authority such as Verisign.
I have also had great success with the freeware version of PGP, but this is now very old and more recent versions are not free. I finally gave up on PGP some years ago when they wanted me to pay for an upgrade that was required to fix a security issue, but some people I know still have great success with the free version.
StuartR