Security software?

[ffutures]

While I was at Orbital over the weekend I managed to lose my USB memory stick - fortunately it's been found, and should be back with me in a few days, but it prompted me to think about security issues. This time there aren't any serious problems, but in the future there might.

Basically, I want to give at least part of the drive some sort of password-only access; the snag is that it needs to be something that will work with Windows XP and Mac OS-X, and possibly Linux if I end up going that route. The software that came with the drive works for XP only, which isn't much help.

I don't need it to be totally uncrackable - I'm not worried about business rivals or spies reading the drive, more about e.g. someone seeing a draft letter that mentions them, or something of that sort.

Is there any simple way of doing this?

Comments

[sbisson.livejournal.com]

Not short of using a hardware-based encryption system, like the Corsair Flash Padlock which has a PIN keypad on the stick.

(Actually, I'm not sure if something cross-platform like TruCrypt couldn't be used as well, but I've not seen anyone do that...)

Edit: and there's also the other extreme, dropping the stick completely and using cloud-based solutions like Google Docs.

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

Google Docs has file size limitations which would be OK for letters etc. but sod-all use for e.g. the current work in process. I really don't want to spend a lot of money on a flash drive, my record for losing them / breaking them / putting them through the washing machine isn't good, think I'm on number five or six.

[sbisson.livejournal.com]

Probably worth looking to see if there are portable versions of TruCrypt then...

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

Thanks - I'll take a look.

[cobrabay.livejournal.com]

It's actually Truecrypt not Trucrypt, see http://www.truecrypt.org/
I've used it on Windows & Linux, and there's a Mac OS X version too. You can supposedly create a Truecrypt container on a USB flash key. It's one of those things I keep meaning to do but never get around to. The downside of using it as a portable application (as opposed to using it on one of your own machines) is that you need administrator privileges to use it on a Windows box. It also might be an over the top solution, it's really meant to be a disk encryption system. You might be better off using a simple command line file encryption utility such as ccrypt (http://ccrypt.sourceforge.net/) that'll run on just about anything I think.

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

Nuts, I don't have admin privileges at work. I'll take a look at ccrypt, but given the minimal level of protection I need using Office's encryption is probably enough.

[heliograph.livejournal.com]

What kind of files? You can lock a lot of them individually: Office, PDFs, etc.

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

Hadn't thought of that, but it's certainly a possibility for some files. For example, there's a draft letter of resignation which I update periodically which might be considered a trifle inflammatory if it fell into the wrong hands...

[murphys-lawyer.livejournal.com]

You can get freeware to crack Office password "protection". I'd go for Truecrypt - it's cross platform.

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

None of the people I'm worried about are sufficiently computer literate for that to be a problem.

[ross-winn.livejournal.com]

the simplest way is to save the sensitive data as a password protected self extracting archive. Anything can be cracked, but the simplest way to password protect is word docs with a password. It will keep casual browsers out.

Google Docs might also be a solution, if you don't mind storing some large docs as multiple files.

If I think of anything else I'll let you know.

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

Thanks - password-protected word docs does seem the best bet.

[draconin.livejournal.com]

Why not just zip the files with a password? I'm not sure how secure that is to a hacker but for the average person I think it would be enough. This is what I do with all my passwords; they're all in a single text file and I've zipped that and password protected it. That way the only password I have to remember is the one to open the zip file. :-)

Note: While I know that XP supports zip files in the sense of "Send To->Compressed File", I don't know if that facility allows for password protection. Personally I use Winzip (www.winzip.com) that does. You can download a free version from that site that just keeps reminding you to buy a registered version (which is what I did).

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure I have a Mac application that supports encrypted zip files. Password protected Office files seem to be the best bet considering what people are saying.

[draconin.livejournal.com]

Ah, sorry. Forgot you were a Mac user! :-)

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

I'm both - Windows PCs at home and work, and an iBook for my laptop.

[thedivinegoat.livejournal.com]

OT - But would you be interested in in a load of Laserdiscs for P&P only? As part of our move we're getting rid of our LD's that we have duplicated on DVD or BRD, and rather than take them down the dump, I wondered if you'd be interested?

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

I'd love to say yes, but I'm a bit short of space and my own get very little use. What genres are they?

[thedivinegoat.livejournal.com]

I cna give actual titles - don't feel obliged to have all or nothing, if there's any you want, just have those.

Forest Gump - PAL
Star Trek Generations - NTSC
Titanic - NTSC
Stargate (The Original Movie) - PAL
Batman Forever - NTSC
The Mask - NTSC
Dracula - PAL
Apollo 13 - NTSC
Beauty & the Beast - NTSC
The Untouchables - PAL
Bad Boys - PAL
Independence Day - PAL

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

Thanks, but I already have about half of those, don't particularly want the others. Maybe give them to a charity shop? Oxfam bookstores take them, I think.

[thedivinegoat.livejournal.com]

That's OK, I had a feeling you might do. Unfortunately they're the type of titles that anyone with a LD is already going to have them - the more desirable ones we're keeping.

Charity shop it shall be.