Yet Another Cycling Forum

General Category => The Knowledge => Ctrl-Alt-Del => Topic started by: andyoxon on 15 March, 2019, 01:32:01 pm

Title: Encrypting a standard external HDD
Post by: andyoxon on 15 March, 2019, 01:32:01 pm

What's the best way to do this?  Just thinking of encrypting a basic (new) 2TB portable back-up drive (domestic use only), in case it gets lost/stolen.

Title: Re: Encrypting a standard external HDD
Post by: hubner on 15 March, 2019, 01:44:58 pm

Veracrypt, formerly Truecrypt.

https://www.veracrypt.fr/en/Downloads.html

Title: Re: Encrypting a standard external HDD
Post by: pcolbeck on 15 March, 2019, 01:54:18 pm

Quote from: andyoxon on 15 March, 2019, 01:32:01 pm

What's the best way to do this?  Just thinking of encrypting a basic (new) 2TB portable back-up drive (domestic use only), in case it gets lost/stolen.

Depends on what OS you are using it with. Windows, MAC, Linux, FreeBSD ors something else more obscure.

Title: Re: Encrypting a standard external HDD
Post by: ian on 15 March, 2019, 01:57:21 pm

Is built into Macs, not sure about Windows these days.

Title: Re: Encrypting a standard external HDD
Post by: andyoxon on 15 March, 2019, 03:15:00 pm

Thanks.  OS is Windows10. 64bit.

Title: Re: Encrypting a standard external HDD
Post by: Plug1n on 15 March, 2019, 05:00:40 pm

Quote from: andyoxon on 15 March, 2019, 03:15:00 pm

Thanks.  OS is Windows10. 64bit.

If the Win10 is Pro or Enterprise then BitLocker is fine, just make sure you keep the recovery key safe!

Title: Re: Encrypting a standard external HDD
Post by: tonycollinet on 15 March, 2019, 11:26:15 pm

My own personal view - for most people, the risk of losing access to your own files by losing keys is greater than the risk coming from other people accessing the data.

With the minor exception of data which gives access to all your financial stuff. Even then I'm not sure if the risk coming from encryption is warranted.

Title: Re: Encrypting a standard external HDD
Post by: Kim on 16 March, 2019, 12:16:13 am

Quote from: tonycollinet on 15 March, 2019, 11:26:15 pm

My own personal view - for most people, the risk of losing access to your own files by losing keys is greater than the risk coming from other people accessing the data.

With the minor exception of data which gives access to all your financial stuff. Even then I'm not sure if the risk coming from encryption is warranted.

I don't disagree, but I'll add the other exceptions of offsite backups (where you can't control the physical/network security of whatever's storing them) and copies of data that goes wandering on a portable computing or storage device that might get stolen, left on a train, etc.  If you lose the keys to those you've still got your unencrypted copy at home.

(Unless of course you discover that you've lost the keys when trying to restore your offsite backup, but really that just means securing the keys becomes an important part of your backup strategy.)