Help with encryption software

Hi,

I need some encryption software to do file, folder and hard
drive encryption, with tools like TrueCrypt I can create only
encrypted drives, but I want to encrypt single files and folders
too, I have found some cool software at:

http://www.download.com/Alligator-Da...-10857242.html

But it's for 20$! Is there any freeware or open source replacement?

thanks a lot,
--
Brown Christopher BrownChristopher241@postmaster.co.uk

"Brown Christopher" <BrownChristopher241@postmaster.co.uk> wrote in message
news:gfq0vn$7ft$1@atlantis.news.neostrada.pl...
> Hi,
>
> I need some encryption software to do file, folder and hard
> drive encryption, with tools like TrueCrypt I can create only
> encrypted drives, but I want to encrypt single files and folders
> too, I have found some cool software at:
>
> http://www.download.com/Alligator-Da...-10857242.html
>
> But it's for 20$! Is there any freeware or open source replacement?
I use AxCrypt beta but you have to save the strong encryption keys on a
floppy disk or a USB flash drive.
When you encrypt a folder it encrypts all the contents of the folder and
then it lets you rename it to a randomly generated name to conceal the
metadata.
http://www.axantum.com/AxCrypt/Default.aspx

--
Allan

[groffg]

Depending on your version of Windows, you might be able to use EFS (encrypting file system), built into Windows. For Vista, you'll need the Business or Ultimate edition to use this feature.

Another option that I recommend over file/folder encryption is FDE, or full disk encryption. Vista Ultimate includes this feature out of the box (a feature called BitLocker Drive Encryption). Alternately, you could use TrueCrypt's "system encryption" option to encrypt the disk. Other s/w packages exist, including commercial s/w like PGP WDE (whole disk encryption). The advantage of using FDE/WDE over file/folder encryption is that it's more comprehensive and protects against data being recovered from temporary files, the paging files, and other sources of data leakage that might not be covered otherwise.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Allan

"Brown Christopher" <BrownChristopher241@postmaster.co.uk> wrote in message
news:gfq0vn$7ft$1@atlantis.news.neostrada.pl...
> Hi,
>
> I need some encryption software to do file, folder and hard
> drive encryption, with tools like TrueCrypt I can create only
> encrypted drives, but I want to encrypt single files and folders
> too, I have found some cool software at:
>
> Alligator Data Guard - Free software downloads and reviews - CNET Download.com
>
> But it's for 20$! Is there any freeware or open source replacement?
I use AxCrypt beta but you have to save the strong encryption keys on a
floppy disk or a USB flash drive.
When you encrypt a folder it encrypts all the contents of the folder and
then it lets you rename it to a randomly generated name to conceal the
metadata.
Axantum Software AB | AxCrypt | File Encryption Software

--
Allan

[groffg]

What version of Vista are you using? The Business and Ultimate editions include a feature called EFS (encrypting file system), a feature that debuted in Windows 2000 Professional. That feature allows for transparent, on-the-fly encryption/decryption of files/directories. (Caveat: make sure you take extra care to test your backups on a machine other than the one being backed up when using EFS.)

A better option in my opinion is to use FDE, or full disk encryption (or alternately "whole disk encryption"). The idea of FDE/WDE is to encrypt everything on the drive (generally excluding the MBR, drive meta-data, and other non-data areas on the disk). Vista Ultimate includes such a feature, called BitLocker, out of the box. TrueCrypt also provides such functionality (and it's free, open-source, and well-regarded). PGP WDE provides this capability as well. The advantage of using FDE/WDE is that the higher "coverage" removes the possibility of data leakage from temp files, paging files, etc.