There aren't too many things that
upset me. One item that does is people who put personal data on their thumb
drives without password protection. They are just waiting for a disaster as
sooner or later that USB flash drive will vanish. The question is who will get
the data next? If you don't want to spend money for a secure flash drive, then
we've got a free encryption utility you should use called Cryptainer LE.
As a bonus, it even works on your desktop or notebook.
Too often we focus on the
convenience of USB drives and not the importance of the data. We treat them
like the old floppy disks. No passwords and no encryption. Unlike the old
floppies, people are able to put large quantities of personal data on these
removable drives. I've seen unprotected items ranging from QuickBooks files to
online passwords with lots in between.
There are different ways that you
can protect your data. Previously, we wrote about biometric USB drives which
offer a high degree of security for a high price. This time around, we thought
we would find a free utility that could password protect and encrypt our USB
drive. We found one called Cryptainer LE from Cypherix.
Cryptainer
LE
Cryptainer LE is part of a suite of
security products offered by the company that works on Windows. The LE product
is their free version which offers some compelling features such as:
- Disk encryption for files and folders (Blowfish
algorithm)
- Creation of secure email attachments
- Virtual drive that appears in Windows Explorer
- Passwords from 8 to 100 characters
The other item that distinguishes
Cryptainer LE is that it has a component that can be loaded on to USB drives
called Cryptainer Mobile. This means you can carry your data on the
thumb drive without needing a program on the host computer to decrypt. The one
caveat is this doesn't work with Windows 98 and Windows ME since those
operating systems don't auto load USB drivers.
Encrypted
Volumes
The program works by creating a
volume where you drag and drop the files and folders you wish to protect. Each
volume has its own password. You might think of the volume as a vault of a set
size you determine. The volumes have a .cry file extension and can be as large
as 25mbs in the free version. You can create as many volumes as needed.
If you view the files on your USB
drive in Windows Explorer, you see 3 types of items:
CrpytainerMobileFiles folder this folder contains the program files. The contents are
not encrypted. If you delete the folder your volumes still exists, but you'll
need to reinstall the software.
Cryptainermobile.exe this is the program you use to encrypt and decrypt vaults
on your USB drive.
.cry files these are your volumes and contain the files and folders
you've encrypted. You'll notice that you can't tell what's contained in the
vault.
If someone were to find your thumb
drive and open one of these volumes with the .cry extension, the data would be
meaningless. The screen shot below shows how one of my vaults looks in a
program editor. I can't figure it out and I wrote the article.
Decrypting
the Volumes
To see and use the contents of a
volume, you need to load and decrypt it using the volume's password you set
with Cryptainermobile.exe. The process is fast, but varies on the size of the
file.
Once the volume is decrypted, you
can work with it as normal. You may also view it as a drive using Windows
Explorer. In the example below, I've loaded my vault1.cry as Drive: J. At this
stage, you can also see the assigned volume name (1) WEBSITE, which is more
meaningful than vault1.cry. On the right side are the two files. I can now work
with these files as normal until I unload the volume. For example, to add more
files to the volume, I can drag and drop them from my desktop into the volume.
Installing
Cryptainer LE
To get the mobile version on your thumb
driver, you need to first install the Cryptainer LE program to your computer.
Even though I'm highlighting the Cryptainer Mobile, it is part of the bigger
program. The benefit is that you can use the same protection on your computer
folders and files.
One item that people may skip during
the installation process is the program's end user license agreement. You would
be wise to give it a look as it has clear language that states you're out of
luck if you lose your password. The company can't retrieve your data and it
will stay encrypted until you remember it. Use caution when setting your
password(s) as you want one that protects your data, but not one people could
easily guess.
Creating
a Volume
During the computer installation,
you'll be asked to create a volume. This is where you define the size and
provide a meaningful name. The first volume you create becomes the primary
volume which means it displays by default after you enter your password.
The dialog will set certain values
set such as file location and size, but you can easily change these. The
maximum volume size is 25 MB. This is a limitation of the free version, but you
can create multiple volumes on a drive. It's important to note that this space
is allocated immediately and not based on when you add files. If you don't plan
on using the desktop version, you might want to create a smaller volume. After
retyping your password, click Proceed to Create Volume.
Installing
Cryptainer Mobile
With the desktop version installed,
you can add the mobile component. This is done by clicking the triangular icon
and opening Cryptainer LE. On the Tools menu, there is a menu item for Install
Cryptainer Mobile
The mobile program files will be
copied to your USB drive. To start the mobile version, you need to close the
desktop version. The process for creating volumes on the USB drive is the same
as on the desktop.
The hardest part in this whole
process is deciding on the correct password to use. Although the mobile
installation is a two-step process, it won't take long. From there, it's a
simple matter of opening the program and dropping whatever files you wish to
protect in your vault. As long as you have the volume loaded, you can use your
data in a normal fashion. Once you pull the thumb drive out, the volume unloads
and the files can't be opened or viewed without the password.
One item to remember is if you use
the desktop version and drag and drop files, you're copying files to the new
volume. In other words, if I create a volume on my desktop which is assigned
Drive E: and I drop a folder from My Documents into that vault, I have two
copies on my computer. One is the original in My Documents and the other is the
copy I placed in the vault.
Initially, I thought the 25MB size
volume restriction would be an issue for me. Instead, I've found I prefer
having multiple volumes based on the nature of the data. You also have the
option of upgrading the program for a small fee which removes this restriction
and adds more standardized methods of encryption.
I would definitely give the program
a try if you have sensitive data on a removable USB drive. This program will
put your mind at ease and protect your data in the event the drive is lost or
stolen.
