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TrueCrypt
by grahamt
...but how to make sure that they stay secret? Most especially, how do we make sure that the secrets we keep on our computers don't get into undesirable hands? You know the sort of thing, passwords, PIN numbers, User Ids...
Of course, I know that the recommendation is that you never keep such things on your computer, just ... like you should never write down your credit card PIN. However, if you're anything like me you've got dozens, if not hundreds of the things. No one, unless you are Mr Memory, is going to remember all of those, other than the ones you use all the time.
Some time ago I wrote a review of CryptainerLE. This was a "lite" version of a commercial encryption product, which was free for "personal" use, but with limitations. Biggest of these was the limitation that prevented it being used with a data vault hosted on a network rather than on the computer on which the application was installed. There was also a size limitation of 25Mbs, which wasn't then a problem for me.
Effective as CryptainerLE was, I still wanted something which did the same job but was more effective and without these sorts of limitations. Eventually I came across TrueCrypt. It seemed to tick all of the boxes.
TrueCrypt is Open Source software, one of the very many brilliant projects hosted by the SourceForge organisation, which hosts Open Source projects and brings together enterprising and enthusiastic proponents of software for free. TrueCrypt also has its own website. It is from here that you can download the application for installation on your own computer. In the true spirit of Open Source it comes in flavours for Windows (XP and Vista only), MacOS and Linux.
The installation of TrueCrypt (for Windows, the only version I have used) could not be simpler. It comes as a Windows setup .exe. Download it, click on it and very soon you are ready to go. So, the first thing you will want to do is create somewhere to hide those secrets. For that you need to decide what sort of vault or safe (called a container) you want.
The most common type of container is simply a Windows file. You can however, if you want, use TrueCrypt to encrypt an entire partition or, for instance, an entire external device, such as a USB memory stick. Some of the more advanced functions also allow you to encrypt an System Disk, such as the C: drive, so as to prevent unauthorised use of the computer, or even to create a hidden operating system.
Assuming that you just want to create an ordinary container, the next thing you need to decide is whether you want it to be a standard one or a hidden one. TrueCrypt describes hidden containers as being useful for "plausible deniability". To illustrate, this is where an authorised authority such as the police or secret services demand your password for a container. It is illegal to refuse to reveal it and you can be imprisoned for failing to cooperate.
A hidden container gets around this problem by hiding a container within a container. There is a password for the visible container and then another for the hidden container within it. You could hand over the password for the outer container and in it you would store only relatively innocuous information (just enough to prevent them wondering why you were bothering encrypting it). The container would appear to contain nothing else and the hidden container would just look like random values, just like a pre-formatted standard container.
Next you need to decide where to create the container and what name you want associated with it. The standard suffix for a TrueCrypt container is .tc. This association enables TrueCrypt to be automatically launched when you click on the file. However, you don't have to and TrueCrypt will not automatically add the suffix to the name you assign. Consequently you can give it a name that disguises its true nature. However, you will have to use "Open with..." to open it with TrueCrypt if you do.
Then you have to decide what type of encryption you want to use. Obviously the stronger the better. The default is 256bit AES and I suggest this quite good enough. You then need to assign a password or phrase that will be used to encrypt your data. The longer the password the better. I suggest that nothing shorter than 16 characters is enough, but make it something that you can remember. Finally, decide what size it is to be and TrueCrypt will then create your new container and pre-format it with random values based on a random key that is not based on your chosen password.
To use the vault you go to where you stored it and open it and as soon as you do a TrueCrypt window pops up asking you to mount the file. What it is going to do is make it appear as an external drive so you have to assign it a drive letter from the list of free ones presented in the window. It will then ask for your password. Soon the file will appear in the window alongside the chosen drive letter and at this time you can close the TrueCrypt window.
If you now go to My Computer, there will be your TrueCrypt container as a Local Disk assigned to the designated drive letter. Click on it and it opens just like any other local disk. You can copy files to it, create folders and sub-folders and anything else you might want to use it for. However, even though the container has now been opened, it doesn't mean that all the data stored there is exposed. TrueCrypt only decrypts data on-the-fly, as you request it. Everything else is left encrypted, until you request it.
TrueCrypt also enables portable devices such as USB data sticks to be used as secure data storage devices in "Traveller Mode" so that it can be used on a computer that does not itself have TrueCrypt installed on it. There are certain limitation here though but it does seem to be effective although I do not personally use it that way.
As I mentioned earlier, there are other advanced functions but I just wanted here to give you a flavour of the capabilities of TrueCrypt. It is still in active development and the TrueCrypt website lists some of the enhancements planned for the future.
I have been so impressed with TrueCrypt that I now use it exclusively. Since I reinstalled Windows on my laptop, following a problem that needed it to go back to the manufacturer for repair, I haven't even bothered to reinstall CryptainerLE. TrueCrypt does everything that I need and I see it having a long future on my laptop. Best of all, it comes complete with my favourite word...
FREE!
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Novastor Novabackup Server 10
by Tim
This company produces very good applications, so it is surpriing that this new version has some serious drawbacks.
You need to input the User Name and password BEFORE you run a backup, or else you get a cryptic error message "nonsense bungletag", and the backups produced are useless for restoration.
The "Open ... File" module does not work on VISTA 32 bit or SERVER 2003, so you get error 010010 and 010013 for skipped files, even normal JPEG files are skipped, thus rendering the backup totally useless for restoration. If you have a database running it will not back it up, but give you the error and refuse to do the backup.
If you have NERO SCOUT installed, the NOVASTOR backup software will hang and crash. You will be required to UNinstall NERO SCOUT to prevent the crashing.
On starup, it takes a very long time (in excess of 3 mins) to begin to do any backup operations.
This new version does backups in 1G segments and not the normal compressed 4G segments.
Improvements sre required for this V10 issue.
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Symantec Norton 360
by syedyackub
Norton 360
The new Norton 360 is an all-round performer as the name represents. The new Norton 360 is capable of protecting your pc in every angle and sense. Norton 360 can be denoted as the most comprehensive security suite from Norton. It covers almost all critical areas concerning security. The main four threat effectable areas ... are protected in one suit, namely PC security, transaction security, backup and restore, it is also accompanied with a pc tune-up.
Norton 360 offers free online back up space of 2 GB in Norton's server. Users can buy additional space to meet their needs. Norton 360 comes with a simple design and user interface. It displays four modules that deals with four functional areas dealt in Norton 360. A summary of all the functions is displayed in each module. A green signal on each module signals that everything is working well. If any of the module is under threat a red signal glows against that module.
The Norton 360 is integrated with an anti virus, anti spyware, anti rootkit, anti phishing filter, a firewall, backup utility, and a pc-tuning utility. The online back up security upgrade is very costly. That is extra online memory for back up is very costly.
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