encryption posts

Filed under: Security, Utilities, Windows, Freeware

Rohos Mini Drive creates protected partitions on USB flash drives

by Brad Linder Dec 12th 2008

Rohos Mini Drive is a free Windows utility that will let you create a hidden, password-protected and encrypted partition on any USB flash drive. In theory you could use the software on your hard drive as well, but it really comes in handy if you have a tendency to carry sensitive data around on flash drives but also have a habit of accidentally leaving them lying around.

When you plug a drive with a hidden partition into your PC you'll only see the unprotected partition. If you have Rohos installed on your computer you can right click the icon in the system tray to connect the hidden partition. If you're using a guest computer you can execute the "Rohos mini.exe" file in the main partition on your flash drive to enter your password.

[via Download.com]

Tags: encryption, rohos-mini-drive, usb-flash-drive

Filed under: Security, Utilities, Windows, Macintosh, Linux, Open Source

Truecrypt Updates to v6, Hides Your Subversive Plots Even Better!

by Lee Mathews Jul 6th 2008

Truecrypt has been a trusted name in on-the-fly encryption for ages (v5 arrived in February). What's new in version 6? Plenty.

One of the biggest advances is support for multiple processors, which provides a boost in the encryption/decryption speed equal to the number of processors/cores in use. Other tweaks have increased the overall speed by as much as 20% in some operations - on top of the parallel processing gains.

And - holy crap - how about being able to run a fully encrypted, hidden OS? Yeah, version 6 can do that, too. There's even a handy guide on Truecrypt's website. It'll also hide volumes, and on Vista and Windows 2008 you can even hide a system volume (not on XP, though).

They've really done it right this time. If you don't have Truecrypt, get it. We've all got some data on our PC that deserves a little extra privacy and protection. Mac and Linux versions are also available, so everyone's invited to the Truecrypt party.

Tags: encrypt, encryption, privacy, security

Filed under: Security, Utilities, Windows, Freeware

Flexcrypt Folder: Free file or folder encryption for Windows

by Brad Linder Jun 5th 2008

Have some files on your PC that you'd rather not have your roommate looking at? Want to send some top secret government documents over email without the risk of someone intercepting your email and reading your files? Flexcrypt Folder is a free encryption utility for Windows that can password protect any group of files for you.

Once you've installed Flexcrypt Folder, all you have to do is highlight a file, folder, or group of files that you want to encrypt and right click on them to bring up the context menu. Select Encrypt using FlexCrypt Folder, enter a password, and you're all set. The program will create a self extracting archive that can only be opened with the correct password.

In other words, you can send the file to anybody you want, and they don't need to install anything on their computer to extract the contents. They just need the correct password.

[via Shell Extension City]

Tags: encryption, flexcrypt, flexcrypt-folder, security

Filed under: Utilities, Windows, Freeware

Find password protected files with Passware Encryption Analyzer

by Simon Kerbel Mar 13th 2008

Have you ever lost track of your password protected files? Maybe during one of your compulsive file-moving and file-deleting extravaganzas?

Passware Encryption Analyzer is a free program that will track down all your encrypted and password protected files, no matter where they are hiding on your machine. Whether the files are in the glorious sunlight of your desktop, or in the deep dark cave of your system32 folder, Passware Encryption Analyzer will uncover them all.

The program supports over 100 different file formats, including files from Office, Acrobat, QuickBooks, Peachtree, WordPerfect, and more. The interface reveals the document type, password recovery options, and the protection flags for each file.

Unfortunately, the free version of Passware Encryption Analyzer will only find your password-protected and encrypted files, and has no tools for recovering the password. You'll have to shell out almost $200 bucks if you want that functionality. For users that have simply misplaced their protected files and wish to locate them, Passware Encryption Analyzer will get the job done.

Passware Encryption Analyzer is free, and Windows only.

[via gHacks]

Tags: encryption, Passware, passwords

Filed under: Security, Utilities, Windows, Freeware

Kruptos 2.0: Your one-click encryption solution

by Simon Kerbel Mar 4th 2008

Kruptos 2.0 allows you to encrypt your sensitive files with 256 bit file encryption for storage or for transfer on a portable device.

Encryption? Isn't that just for the government types and the hackers with their Alienware laptops?

Maybe it used to be, but Kruptos 2.0 might just change that: its ease of use and simple effectiveness might have us all encrypting photos of our dogs as if they were top-secret images.

Kruptos 2.0 has two main encryption features: you can encrypt the file as it stands, though that means you'll need Kruptos again if you ever want to unencrypt it; or, you can create a self-extracting file that contains your encrypted files and the software necessary to decompress the contents.

This second feature is very handy. You can transfer your files in a secure, encrypted manner, and unlock them on any computer, Kruptos or not. All that's needed is your password.

Kruptos integrates well with Windows Explorer, offering its main functionality from the right-click menu.

Kruptos is free, and requires the Microsoft .Net framework. It is compatible with Windows XP and 2000, but has yet to be tested on Vista.

Tags: encryption, Kruptos

Filed under: Security, Windows, Macintosh, Linux, Freeware, Open Source

TrueCrypt 5 lets you encrypt your entire hard drive

by Brad Linder Feb 6th 2008

If you've got a few files on your computer that you want to hide from the kids, we recommend you check out My Lockbox. It's easy to use, and the chances of locking yourself out of your PC are slim. But if you're looking for something a bit more powerful, say for protecting top secret government documents on your laptop, no freeware application beats TrueCrypt (although we seriously hope that the government has their own encryption software).

TrueCrypt 5 was released today, with a slew of new features, including:

A Mac OS X version
Graphical user interface for Linux version
Ability to encrypt system partitions so that you can only boot Windows or access files with a password

We wouldn't get involved in international acts of espionage without it.

[via Slashdot]

Tags: encryption, truecrypt

Filed under: Audio, Internet, Apple

Apple:Over 2 million DRM-free tracks now on iTunes

by Brad Linder Oct 17th 2007

Just one day after Apple announced it would be dropping the price of DRM-free music tracks from $1.29 to the iTunes-standard $.99, the company expanding its catalog of unencrypted music.

With the move, Apple can legitimately claim to have the largest (legal) library of DRM-free music available online. For a few weeks there Amazon held that distinction, but it looks like the war is on. And while there are still a number of major record labels that are not providing DRM-free tracks through any service, it warms our hearts to see a price war between two industry giants battling to offer high quality unencrypted tracks to music fans.

Apple's DRM-free tracks are all AAC files encoded at 256kbps. The company was already offering a huge library of tracks from EMI. New labels offering DRM-free music include Sub Pop, Nettwerk, Beggars Group, IODA, and The Orchard.

[via TUAW]

Tags: aac, amazon, drm, encryption, mp3, unencrypted

Filed under: Security, Utilities, Video

Slysoft promises AnyDVD will crack future HD-DVD/Blu-Ray discs

by Brad Linder Oct 16th 2007

There's a cat and mouse game that goes on between those who produce professional videos and those who want to watch those videos on their own terms. Every time the folks behind DVDs, Blu-Ray discs, or HD-DVDs serve up a new DRM scheme, hackers go to work trying to figure out how to circumvent that encryption.

You can look at this as a noble or malicious act: either the hackers want to make sure you can watch the movie on any machine you choose, or they want to make sure you can upload the videos to file sharing sites. The reality is probably somewhere in the middle.

Earlier this year SlySoft released a commercial application for ripping HD-DVD and Blu-Ray discs. The only problem is that disc manufacturers could keep offering up new encryption keys that would make the software obsolete.

Now SlySoft has released an updated version of AnyDVD that it says it "future-proof," because it includes an artificial intelligence agent that figures out how to strip DRM from movies even if those movies are encrypted using a previously unknown key.

Update: It looks like the "AI Scanner" only works with DVDs, not HD-DVDs and Blu-Ray discs. Considering it's been pretty easy to rip DVDs for some time now, that makes this "future-proof" guarantee a bit less exciting.

[via Extreme Tech]

Tags: aacs, anydvd, blu-ray, copy-protection, encryption, hd-dvd, slysoft

Filed under: Business, Finance, Google

Google to Acquire Postini, for added security

by Chris Gilmer Jul 9th 2007

Another company prepares to enter the Googleplex, this time it's going to help out Google Apps users with security, archiving and policy enforcement.

The acquisition of Postini announced this morning will help Google deliver their hosted applications to businesses, adding in another level of complex information security for organizations. Postini's solutions include Email Security, IM Security, Web Security, Message Archiving, Message Encryption and Policy Enforcement. With the new deal, Google will provide Organizations high quality communications tools, without the expense of on-site solutions while still maintaining the quality and complex information security mandates organizations demand.

Google put up $625 Million for Postini, who will become a wholly owned subsidiary. The agreement is scheduled to close by the end of the third quarter. Google will host a few conference calls to discuss the acquisition. The first conference call will be held at 6:30 a.m. Pacific Time (9:30 a.m. Eastern Time). The second conference call will be held at 9:00 a.m. Pacific Time (12:00 p.m. Eastern Time). Live audio webcasts of the conference calls will be available at http://investor.google.com/webcast.html.

Tags: encryption, finance, google, google apps, GoogleApps, postini, security

Filed under: Internet, Security, News, P2P

HD-DVD key numbers turned into colors on a T-shirt

by Brad Linder May 3rd 2007

You know those numbers that could change the world? No, not the ones on Lost, the HD-DVD key code that could lead to the end of Digg as we know it.

Well, the sixteen hexadecimal digits are just numbers when it comes right down to it. And you can do all sorts of things with numbers, like use them as a basis for web-colors and make them into a pretty picture that may or may not be illegal to share with your friends.

But why stop there when you can go one step further and design a T-shirt based on those colors and sell it for fun and profit? It'll be interesting to see if the T-shirt gets a cease and desist notice from the MPAA, or if they'll send out letters to anyone caught wearing the shirt in public.

[via Boing Boing]

Tags: aacs, colors, encryption, hd-dvd, mpaa, numbers

Filed under: Security, News, Windows, Microsoft

Man sues Microsoft after FBI cracks security on his Windows PC

by Brad Linder Mar 5th 2007

Michael Crooker goes and gets himself arrested in 2004 for selling an air rifle with a silencer. The ATF seizes his computer but can't access the files. So they turn it over to the FBI, who cracks the security.

What do they find? Video of the Crooker and his girlfriend having sex, medical records, evidence that he surfed pornographic web sites, family photos, and files that should have been protected under attorney-client privilege.

But here's the thing. Crooker's not taking this lying down. Instead, he's gone and sued Microsoft, saying he had set Internet Explorer to erase his search history every five days, and that he had loaded security software on his PC.

Crooker claims Hewlett-Packard and Circuit City, where he bought the computer, have already settled up. But he's seeking $200 thousand from Microsoft. Sure, he could have purchased more advanced security software, but he says he bought into claims that his computer was safe.

But really, does anyone advertise that their software is so secure that even the FBI can't break into it? Of course We're not saying that the FBI has the most advanced cracking software available. What I'm saying is that unless Microsoft advertised that Windows XP was so secure that even the government couldn't crack it, we don't think Microsoft is guilty of false advertising. And what product manufacturer is going to promote its product as being able to evade government detection? Well, aside from radar detector manufacturers, that is.

[via Techdirt]

Tags: circuity city, CircuityCity, encryption, hewlett packard, HewlettPackard, michael alan crooker, michael crooker, MichaelAlanCrooker, MichaelCrooker, security center, SecurityCenter

Filed under: Security, News

Uncrackable: The Gigabit Quantum-Encryption scheme

by Ryan Carter Jan 21st 2007

Ok, the title alone makes me quiver with delight, or maybe it is the coffee I just had. Geek-alert, everybody hit the deck! Fine, I wrote the title, but you have to admit, "quantum" anything is just freaking cool, not to mention "uncrackable encryption." That is cool too. So what is quantum encryption and why is it cool? Let's just say that is a complex way to encrypt data, and not by scrambling data, as is tradition, but it eliminates the possibility of eavesdropping by switching the position of any viewed bit. This makes intrusions easy to detect. The encryption is unbreakable. It is also traditionally very slow because it requires single-bit communication of quantum keys. Now, there is a new quantum scheme that is faster and still provides the same hardcore unbreakable encryption that the slower scheme had. The speed currently is 1Gbit, but there are plans to have 10Gbit speeds by the end of the year. Customers should get the technology by mid-year. Cool.

Tags: encryption, gigabit, quantum, uncrackable

Filed under: Video, News, P2P

First HD-DVD rip shows up online

by Brad Linder Jan 15th 2007

Well, the controversy over whether BackupHDDVD actually does anything like, you know, ripping HD-DVD movies appears to be over. Several movie rips, including Serenity have already made their way to BitTorrent trackers.

The breakthrough came when members of the Doom9 Forum tracked down several unique memory keys that BackupHDDVD needs in order to decrypt HD-DVDs. Apparently the keys for King Kong and 12 Monkeys are also available, although Serenity appears to be the only movie to have made it online so far.

The video file is in EVO format and takes up 19.6GB, meaning it will take a very, very long time for most users to download. At that rate, you might as well just spend the $20 to get a copy from Amazon.

While it was inevitable that hi-def video rips would show up online, I'm much more impressed that we now have evidence that the HD-DVD encryption scheme actually has been cracked, and users who want to make backups of videos they've purchased for home use may be able to use software to do so.

Tags: aacs, encryption, hd dvd, HdDvd

Filed under: Video, News

Hold the phone, studios want you to copy their movies?

by Ryan Carter Aug 11th 2006

ZDNet reports that film studios are going to allow the copying of downloaded movies to DVD. The spokesman for the DVD Copy Control Association, Greg Larson said "We want to give people the entertainment they want and offer it to them in the ways they want to use it." Go figure. Now if only the music business would catch on. The studios have thus far wondered why people aren't flocking to the online download services. Out on a limb here stating the obvious, but isn't it because people can't watch movies when and where they want? People have more places and devices than exist in the living room these days, in fact most people never use their living rooms. The CSS encryption technology will be updated to accommodate this shift in consumers favor, but the true test of time will reveal if this plot will work out for everyone. At least now, studios may be realizing that we want our movies and we want them burnable, mobile, and watchable on any device.

Tags: copy, CSS, dvd, encryption, studios

Filed under: Security, Utilities, Video

DVD43 will decrypt your DVD discs

by Ryan Carter Aug 7th 2006

Not that I advocate the breaking of copyright laws at all, but this program is a download and a free one at that. DVD43 will allow all the law-abiding citizens to backup and archive their DVD collections. There are a ton of other DVD decryption programs out there sure, but DVD43 is easy to use and requires almost no user input. It will decrypt both DVD video and audio without you having to do anything. If a DVD or CD can be unlocked, DVD43 will turn from a red angry face to a green happy (as pictured) in your system tray. When I first checked out DVD43, I thought there must be something more I had to do to use the program, but it basically does everything for you and stays out of your way. Ripping DVDs to be shared on P2P networks with DVD43 will potentially get you into more trouble with the authorities than it's worth. WARNING: Download and use at your own risk. I won't send you cookies in jail.

Tags: DVD, encryption, security

Graveyard Shift - zombie-busting Time Waster

With Halloween fast approaching, it's a great time to get in some practice defending your territory against zombies. In Graveyard Shift, you take aim at zombies and other creepy-crawlies, blasting them into splatters of cartoony green guts. It's a casual first-person shooter, and it's very easy to get the hang of - use the mouse to aim, click to fire. Graveyard Shift has at least 15 levels, and it might even have some secret stages I haven't unlocked yet. They key to getting good at Graveyard Shift is learning to use ...

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encryption posts

Rohos Mini Drive creates protected partitions on USB flash drives

Truecrypt Updates to v6, Hides Your Subversive Plots Even Better!

Flexcrypt Folder: Free file or folder encryption for Windows

Find password protected files with Passware Encryption Analyzer

Kruptos 2.0: Your one-click encryption solution

TrueCrypt 5 lets you encrypt your entire hard drive

Apple:Over 2 million DRM-free tracks now on iTunes

Slysoft promises AnyDVD will crack future HD-DVD/Blu-Ray discs

Google to Acquire Postini, for added security

HD-DVD key numbers turned into colors on a T-shirt

Man sues Microsoft after FBI cracks security on his Windows PC

Uncrackable: The Gigabit Quantum-Encryption scheme

First HD-DVD rip shows up online

Hold the phone, studios want you to copy their movies?

DVD43 will decrypt your DVD discs

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