Encrypting Your Computer Hard Drive

Watt
SSD vs HDD
Saturday, March 2, 2013
Do you have information on your computer that is sensitive?

Every day we see reports of corporations having their data compromised or exposed. Is is possible that a hacker could gain access to your computer hard drive and compromise your data?

What can you do to minimize your risks?

  • Ensure you have a good anti virus program running on your computer.
  • Keep your operating system and application software updated to minimize security holes that can be exploited by hackers.
  • Make sure you have a tested backup and recovery process in place.

Once you download and install the software, read the Beginners Tutorial (http://www.truecrypt.org/docs/). When you have built your encrypted container, you can move your sensitive data there.

  • When you supply the correct credentials, the container is visible to your computer and your applications like any computer hard drive.
  • Programs will run normally using the data on the encrypted container.
  • When you dismount the container, this is the same as removing a USB Jump Drive from your computer and putting it in your pocket. The container is no longer visible to your computer until you mount the container again with the proper credentials.
Things to think about when using an encrypted container:
  • Make sure you have a backup of your credentials and have stored your password in a safe place. Without these two pieces of information, you will be unable to mount the encrypted container.
  • If the container is not mounted, it cannot be backed up. If you dismount the container at the end of the day and your automated backup runs at midnight, the backup program will not find your container to back it up. 
Carl Thorne
Expert Computer Consulting 

    Watt Saturday, March 2, 2013 edit

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