![]() You only have to remember one password because a built-in Password Manager not only stores passwords, but can also automatically generate strong passwords. ![]() Includes the world's first portable encrypted web browser. Three other Encrypt Stick features I liked: Nice, but a weaker offer than Encrypt Stick’s 512-bit polymorphic encryption, even on the free version.Īmong other extras, Encrypt Stick’s Full version gives you unlimited number of encrypted vaults (or protected folders), unlimited encrypted flash drive storage space, and a user definable timeout feature. On the SafeHouse Explorer (their free version) and Personal ($29.95) you get only 256-bit encryption. Encrypt Stick does Windows and OS X, on the same flash drive, for one price. SafeHouse, a Windows only solution, makes you buy the more expensive upgrade (SafeHouse Professional at $59.95) to get the full strength 448-bit encryption. Both are very easy to use software solutions, both are fully portable, and both have free trial versions. The two other solutions reviewed, SafeHouse (and Encrypt Stick (both give you a lot for relatively little. Since the encrypted volume resides as a container file on the unencrypted portion of the USB key, if someone got access to your drive without your knowing it, or if it were lost, they could copy off this file and subject it to brute-force password guessing methods. Minuses: you have to do more than a little set up and formatting, the feature that makes it portable appears to be Windows only, which means that you will need to have TrueCrypt installed to use your secure volume on a Linux or OS X machine.Īnd the account that you use TrueCrypt on must be administrator level, which could make it hard to use a TrueCrypt protected USB on a library terminal or corporate computer. And after 10 incorrect passwords, it fries the USB memory (you lose all your data).Īt the other end of the spectrum is TrueCrypt - Pluses: it’s free, open source and can encrypt your whole hard drive (that can be good or bad). On the downside, it’s also much bigger than most USB flash drives and wouldn’t fit on a key ring. That it does really well, but it should for the high price: $80 for 1 gig, $300 for 16 gigs as of this writing. Top of the heap is the Iron Key Personal S200 solution - Marketed as the world’s most secure flash drive, it’s got built-in hardware encryption chip to protect your data. Here’s a rundown on the pros and cons of four pocket-and-purse sized solutions that offer a range of effectiveness, economy and ease of use. Some are excellent, a lot are adequate and a few are awful. ![]() There are dozens and dozens of software and hardware encryption solutions on the market. And what about files on a flash drive? Who hasn’t lost one of them? FYI: there’s one lost or stolen nearly every minute in the U.S. It could happen quite easily if you lost your laptop. Reality check: what about your digital files? The ones with your personal financial information? Or your medical records? Maybe some critical company data? Or pictures that you’d have hard time explaining to your partner? How well are they protected? How would you feel if they suddenly went viral on the Internet? Any half-competent hacker or serious identity thief can get it in minutes. They leave their digital assets out in plain sight on their desk tops, laptops, believing that a computer password is protection enough. So pretty much everybody takes precautions – and usually carries effective protection that fits in a pocket of purse.īut when it comes to protecting sensitive data, most people still act like they’re immune. Pretty much everybody over age 15 knows the risks of having unprotected sex.
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