[Herandu]

Can anyone suggest a good HD encryption program? I travel a lot with my laptop and some of the stuff are financial details that I am always worried about when I travel to certain parts of the world. The laptop can be replaced, but customers and suppliers data could be invaluable to competing businesses. so I need something that can keep that data locked in if ever the laptop gets stolen.
Any suggestions?

 

[error401]

TrueCrypt is far and away the best available. Better yet, it's free open-source software.

 

[thread]

Yep, I was also just about to recommend TrueCrypt. I've never actually used it myself, but Steve Gibson speaks very highly of it on my favorite podcast, Security Now.

 

[ronin74]

The company installed PointSec PC, by Checkpoint software, on all of our portables. Now boot up and shut down takes forever, is was long before just with XP but now it's getting unbearable. But what can I say? It's not my machine.

 

[krmathis]

Well, you missed the most obvious information.

Which OS you are running...

If Mac OS X, just activate FileVault.

 

[Herandu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by krmathis /img/forum/go_quote.gif Well, you missed the most obvious information. Which OS you are running...

Vista I am afraid.

 

[AudioPhewl]

You're in luck then! Microsoft built in their own anti-theft device to all versions of Vista!

Potential thieves will give up having to click "accept" and "run" long, long before they find your sensitive data!

~Phewl

 

[malldian]

Another guy for TrueCrypt here.

 

[krmathis]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Herandu /img/forum/go_quote.gif Vista I am afraid.

I feel with you!

Seriously. Then I am no help..

 

[Herandu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by AudioPhewl /img/forum/go_quote.gif You're in luck then! Microsoft built in their own anti-theft device to all versions of Vista! Potential thieves will give up having to click "accept" and "run" long, long before they find your sensitive data! ~Phewl

Huh

? I got a laptop with fingerprint recognition and I can hack into it. I can use ERD to get into the rest of the system. And I am a mere amateur at it. Imagine what a pro could manage then...
I am going to try Truecrypt on one of my general laptop before installing it on my business laptop.

 

[AudioPhewl]

Irony.

'nuff said.

~Phewl.

 

[cbw]

I use Truecrypt, by far the best one out there. It is also supported on Linux and Mac OSX...

 

[saint.panda]

Quote:

Originally Posted by krmathis /img/forum/go_quote.gif Well, you missed the most obvious information. Which OS you are running... If Mac OS X, just activate FileVault.

I tried FileVault for a while and found it to be really painful to use. Now I just use disk utility to create a encrypted, password protected disk image.

 

[Wired_Gargoyle]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Herandu /img/forum/go_quote.gif Can anyone suggest a good HD encryption program? I travel a lot with my laptop and some of the stuff are financial details that I am always worried about when I travel to certain parts of the world. The laptop can be replaced, but customers and suppliers data could be invaluable to competing businesses. so I need something that can keep that data locked in if ever the laptop gets stolen. Any suggestions?

If you're using an MS Office program, you can lock the data files through the file options in the programs.

My recommendation is to put the data on a thumbdrive or an external HD and use TrueCrypt to mux it up. I travel across the border (Canada/U.S.) with my laptop alot, current attitudes both legal and otherwise gives officials the right to search hard drives, Ipods, etc. for ****/copyrighted materials. Everything uncommon, ireplaceable or with even the merest hint of causing me grief goes on thumbdrives or my WD 320Gb passport external HD. Both encrypted and both using Truecrypt's hidden directory system.

Of course, it's also current attitude that only people with something to hide, hide anything or encrypt anything...

The Western Digital Passport (80-320Gb) drives are powered through USB, about a half inch thick and about the size of IPhone/ITouch. A thumbdrive can go on your keychain. Both can be carried where a laptop might be cumbersome, I don't leave home without either most days.

 

[krmathis]

Quote:

Originally Posted by saint.panda /img/forum/go_quote.gif I tried FileVault for a while and found it to be really painful to use. Now I just use disk utility to create a encrypted, password protected disk image.

I have never used FileVault myself. But have read that it works quite nice, and based by reply on that...
It might not work as smooth though, as some say. Hmmm