Locked File & Folder Encryption Software

[Dio e Onore]

Hi Everyone,

Can anyone recommend a top-notch file/folder encryption software to use for Windows?

I'm reading as much as possible on the matter and there are free options but I'm hoping there are plenty of individuals, especially admin, on TeamOS that can direct me and advise me on this matter and what will be best to do?

Thank you

 

[Cyler]

Generally speaking, there are many solutions. What you need to keep in mind is that the easy to use ones are mostly easy to bypass, the hard to use ones are also harder to bypass. In my case, I use BitLocker as its virtually uncrackable as of now, and it's the right balance between ease of use and security. On top is part of Windows 10 (and 8 and 7) and so I don't need to have additional software in order to work on other PCs or in case I need to reformat my PC or buy/use a new one.

You can either set a portion of your disk as a partition and encrypt the entire drive, use an external drive/usb stick, or use a VHD(x) virtual drive approach. I like the VHDx better as I can work on many PCs at the same time by having the VHD on an external drive or share from network and also can upload it to a cloud service. Sadly Bitlocker doesn't support individual folders.

You can read more about it here:

You must be registered for see links

If you are just looking to encrypt few files, a quick solution would be to use RAR (not zip etc, those use weaker encryption), set a difficult password and it will be virtually uncrackable and fast but if you want to update it often or store many files it will get bothersome.

I almost always suggest BitLocker/winrar, because those are common and easy to find. There are more specialized tools if you want to go down that path but you need to also have them with you if you plan to use your encrypted files on other PCs.

Some software to look for: LastPass and VeraCrypt

I'm sure others will propose different solutions so choose the ones that meet your needs. Google will be your friend too.

Hope it helped.

 

[Dio e Onore]

Generally speaking, there are many solutions. What you need to keep in mind is that the easy to use ones are mostly easy to bypass, the hard to use ones are also harder to bypass. In my case, I use BitLocker as its virtually uncrackable as of now, and it's the right balance between ease of use and security. On top is part of Windows 10 (and 8 and 7) and so I don't need to have additional software in order to work on other PCs or in case I need to reformat my PC or buy/use a new one.

You can either set a portion of your disk as a partition and encrypt the entire drive, with BitLocker, use an external drive/usb stick, or use a VHD(x) virtual drive approach. I like the VHDx better as I can work on many PCs at the same time by having the VHD on an external drive and also can upload it to a cloud service. Sadly Bitlocker doesn't support individual folders.

You can read more about it here:

You must be registered for see links

If you are just looking to encrypt few files, a quick solution would be to use RAR (not zip etc, those use weaker encryption), set a difficult password and it will be virtually uncrackable and fast but if you want to update it often or store many files it will get bothersome.

I almost always suggest those tools cause there are common and easy to find. There are more specialized tools if you want to go down that path but you need to also have them with you if you plan to use files on other PCs.

I'm sure others will propose other solutions so choose the ones that meet your needs. Google will be your friend too.

Hope it helped.

Your response is deeply appreciated, thank you.

I read about BitLocker but do not seem to have Win 8.1 pro or above.
With my reading thus far, it doesn't seem that it can be installed on lesser versions of Windows.

I would much prefer a setup like BL wherein the system in encrypted even before logging. I came to the conclusion that I can even encrypt my documents or downloads folder so it can't even be read without proper permissions then that'd be adequate but I do not want something easily bypassable; I did read about that as well.

 

[Cyler]

BitLocker feature is available for Windows 7 Ultimate and Windows 7 Enterprise editions. It just needs to be enabled. If you use PRO then google Hasleo BitLocker Anywhere.

You can see the options for windows 7 here.

 

[Skip1]

Veracrypt supports full drive encryption and can be set so that when you boot your machine you must enter a passphrase before Windows boots:
"By default, Windows 7 and later boot from a special small partition. The partition contains files that are required to boot the system. Windows allows only applications that have administrator privileges to write to the partition (when the system is running). In EFI boot mode, which is the default on modern PCs, VeraCrypt can not encrypt this partition since it must remain unencrypted so that the BIOS can load the EFI bootloader from it. This in turn implies that in EFI boot mode, VeraCrypt offers only to encrypt the system partition where Windows is installed (the user can later manualy encrypt other data partitions using VeraCrypt). In MBR legacy boot mode, VeraCrypt encrypts the partition only if you choose to encrypt the whole system drive (as opposed to choosing to encrypt only the partition where Windows is installed)."

@Cyler is definitely more knowledgeable by reading his posts in this domain (as I'm sure many others) but I do have experience and have done my research into alternatives to bitlocker and Veracrypt consistently is recommended by privacy advocates and enthusiasts alike.

But as @Cyler mentioned - Veracrypt is not as easy as clicking "Turn bitlocker on"... You really need to read the manual and test before you nose dive in and encrypt your entire hard drive, as there are many configurable options. Bitlocker is turnkey, Veracrypt requires attention.

 

[Saifuddin200792]

You can try this

You must be registered for see links

 

[Dio e Onore]

BitLocker feature is available for Windows 7 Ultimate and Windows 7 Enterprise editions. It just needs to be enabled. If you use PRO then google Hasleo BitLocker Anywhere.

You can see the options for windows 7 here.

Thank you, again. I have Win 8.1 currently.
To get Pro, I'd need to reformat completely, correct? Only then can I use BitLocker, correct?
Also, Will BitLocker encrypt externals such as a 3TB external drive or small flash drives?

Veracrypt supports full drive encryption and can be set so that when you boot your machine you must enter a passphrase before Windows boots:
"By default, Windows 7 and later boot from a special small partition. The partition contains files that are required to boot the system. Windows allows only applications that have administrator privileges to write to the partition (when the system is running). In EFI boot mode, which is the default on modern PCs, VeraCrypt can not encrypt this partition since it must remain unencrypted so that the BIOS can load the EFI bootloader from it. This in turn implies that in EFI boot mode, VeraCrypt offers only to encrypt the system partition where Windows is installed (the user can later manualy encrypt other data partitions using VeraCrypt). In MBR legacy boot mode, VeraCrypt encrypts the partition only if you choose to encrypt the whole system drive (as opposed to choosing to encrypt only the partition where Windows is installed)."

@Cyler is definitely more knowledgeable by reading his posts in this domain (as I'm sure many others) but I do have experience and have done my research into alternatives to bitlocker and Veracrypt consistently is recommended by privacy advocates and enthusiasts alike.

But as @Cyler mentioned - Veracrypt is not as easy as clicking "Turn bitlocker on"... You really need to read the manual and test before you nose dive in and encrypt your entire hard drive, as there are many configurable options. Bitlocker is turnkey, Veracrypt requires attention.

Your response is very much appreciated. I appreciate every bit of insight I can muster at this time.
I have read a bit on VeraCrypt but not extensive enough yet I guess.
Do you have personal experience with successfully installing and using VC to encrypt your entire computer and/or individual folders?
Does using VC to encrypt the entire system require any sort of system reload or anything like that?

You can try this

You must be registered for see links

Thank you for the thread link.
I will have to look into the program because my concern about software encryption is that is generally is reported as insecure and crackable by the higher agencies.

 

[Cyler]

To my knowledge, Windows 8.1 does come with BitLocker already installed. Sadly I don't have windows 8.1 to tell you how to activate/enable it but a small google search will show you the few easy steps you need to do as seen below. Note at no point with any encryption software will yo need to reformat.

My suggestion as always is, to research a little bit before you dive in. Check the requirements of each software, for example BitLocker may ask to have a Microsoft account (to store the keys online) and also all possible options with each software. Maybe its better to only use BitLocker on a USB stick if the files you want to protect can fit in there and you don't need them often. Maybe encrypt an external disk, or partition yours so you won't encrypt the entire content of the disk. Remember Bitlocker is a drive only and cant support a single folder/file as vera crypt does. Maybe the solution I posted above (it's in my signature also) about creating a virtual disk and encrypt it will meet your needs.

We'll be glad to help if you have more questions.

 

[Dio e Onore]

To my knowledge, Windows 8.1 does come with BitLocker already installed. Sadly I don't have windows 8.1 to tell you how to activate/enable it but a small google search will show you the few easy steps you need to do as seen below. Note at no point with any encryption software will yo need to reformat.

My suggestion as always is, to research a little bit before you dive in. Check the requirements of each software, for example BitLocker may ask to have a Microsoft account (to store the keys online) and also all possible options with each software. Maybe its better to only use BitLocker on a USB stick if the files you want to protect can fit in there and you don't need them often. Maybe encrypt an external disk, or partition yours so you won't encrypt the entire content of the disk. Remember Bitlocker is a drive only and cant support a single folder/file as vera crypt does. Maybe the solution I posted above (it's in my signature also) about creating a virtual disk and encrypt it will meet your needs.

We'll be glad to help if you have more questions.

Your responses have been very much appreciated; probably more than you realize, so thank you.

The idea of BitLocker locking down the entirety of a computer while still being able to use the computer and its files seems ideal to me.
However, the convenience of encrypting a specific section, e.g. the "Downloads" folder on the computer or the "Documents" section is appealing.
The research I've thus far partaken in has led me to believe that software for encryption is basically a secondary guard and can easily (by relative terms) be cracked into by a government agency. Is that correct?

The need is for encryption in such a way that a file or folder or drive cannot be opened or used without knowing how to get into it (e.g. encryption password) while still being able to use the files such as having a "downloads" folder encrypted but still be able to open a pdf file any time it's necessary.

p.s. I will have to look further into it but I think Win 8.1 Pro or above is required because I don't have the security section in my control panel.

 

[Cyler]

The idea of BitLocker locking down the entirety of a computer while still being able to use the computer and its files seems ideal to me.
However, the convenience of encrypting a specific section, e.g. the "Downloads" folder on the computer or the "Documents" section is appealing.

That's why you can use the solution I posted in my guide

You must be registered for see links

. A VHD (Virtual Hard disk) is a file in your physical hard disk that acts as a virtual disk that you can activate/deactivate at will. That way you can have the ease of use of a hard drive and the best protection has to offer. If someone "targets" you, they won't be after your windows folder, we all have the same one after all. They will go after your personal files and those are the ones you need to protect. Alternatively, you can partition your hard disk and lock the 2nd partition.

The research I've thus far partaken in has led me to believe that software for encryption is basically a secondary guard and can easily (by relative terms) be cracked into by a government agency. Is that correct?

Well, that's not entirely true. Bitlocker is virtually unbreakable if used right (I assume the same goes for a couple of other solutions too). The only way that it can be bypassed is if someone has PHYSICAL access to your PC, and ONLY right after you have used your password to unlock the BitLocked Drive and by running a special memory reader/dump software that saves the current ram to a file, they can scan the location of where the password exists in RAM and retrieve it. Translation: it's more likely that the earth is flat than this happening. If you reset/restart your PC or a memory overwrite happens by using any other program in said portion of ram, then the password is gone and BitLocker cant be cracked in any other way.

Another approach is IF one chooses to store the one time generated Master key to your MS online account (hint: don't do it) and then by accessing your account they can access the master unlock key and to be honest, to a concerned person like you, I doubt that anyone can access your online account either. Just for clarity's sake, when you first create a BitLocker drive, it will generate a ONE TIME special key that can be used to retrieve your locked drive in case you lose/ forget your password. You can choose to save it to a file, store it to a unique USB stick, or save it in your MS account. If someone has access to the key they can unlock the drive (but will never know your password, they will just set a new one). Needless to say, not to save it to MS account just to be 100% sure

As for windows 8.1 you are probably right and tho there are solutions to that, my advice is to take the big step and switch to Windows LTSC (many good versions in here), partition your disk in 2 and set the 2nd partition to be locked or use a VHD (it's pretty much the same). Honestly, I prefer the VHD approach only just because I can move the locked drive to any PC by using an external hard disk and work with my files as if I was on my PC, and also store a protected copy on the cloud.

You can read more about the benefits in my BitLocker post, near the end as I was answering a similar question.

Best of luck.

 

[Skip1]

Hey @Fluffy7 | I think you're literally describing a use case for Veracrypt virtual volumes. Veracrypt virtual volumes describe your exact use-caseL
"However, the convenience of encrypting a specific section, e.g. the "Downloads" folder on the computer or the "Documents" section is appealing.
The research I've thus far partaken in has led me to believe that software for encryption is basically a secondary guard and can easily (by relative terms) be cracked into by a government agency. Is that correct?"
To answer your question on the volume being able to be decrypted is a matter of password entropy and the encryption algorithm you use. Just to put it simply, if you use a passphrase that has 60bits of entropy it would take around 7k years to break...(with known technology)
Even if someone forces you to give up your key Veracrypt provides Plausible Deniability (just google veracrypt plausible deniability)
Hope this helps and lord help us (or you) if you need something more secure

 

[juanamm]

By your "like" to the last answer, I understand that you have already solved it.
Thanks @Cyler and @skip1.
Thread completed.