How-To: Keep Your Files Secure
Posted 05/05/09 at 02:30:00 PM by Alex Castle
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Method 4: TrueCrypt
Finally, it’s time for the big guns: TrueCrypt. We’ve mentioned TrueCrypt several times before (as a means to secure a USB thumb drive, for instance) and with good reason; it’s simply the best solution for encrypting your data. However, it has another, sneakier feature that we haven’t yet covered, which allows you to place a hidden volume inside another encrypted volume.
How does it work? To understand that, you need to know how a standard TrueCrypt volume works. When you create an encrypted volume with TrueCrypt, you specify its size, like you would when creating a disk partition. The hidden volume will always occupy exactly this much space, regardless of how many files you put into it. Any space in the volume not occupied by encrypted data is filled with random data. To anyone without the passphrase, the encrypted data is completely indistinguishable from the random data. To anyone with the passphrase, the encrypted data can be decrypted, but the unused space remains totally random.
This creates an opportunity to hide more data. By encrypting additional data with a different passphrase and inserting it among the random data at the end of a volume, TrueCrypt creates an encrypted volume with two different Passphrases, each of which provides access to a different set of data. You can fill one of these volumes with decoy data, so that even if you ever need to give away a password you can give up the decoy password, and nobody will ever be able to prove that another volume even exists.
The process to create a hidden TrueCrypt volume is pretty simple. Just follow these steps:
Download TrueCrypt—which is free and open source—from its website. Run the executable; it doesn’t matter whether you choose to extract or install it. Go to where you extracted the files and run truecrypt.exe.
Next, click the Create Volume button.
Choose Create an encrypted file container, then Hidden TrueCrypt Volume, then Normal Mode.
You will now be guided through the necessary steps to create an outer volume. Choose a filename for the volume, a size and a password. Don’t worry about messing with the encryption. When given the opportunity, shake the mouse around in the window and press Format (don’t worry, this won’t format your hard drive).
Once the first (outer) volume is completed, you’ll repeat the process for the hidden volume. Choose a size that gives you enough room to plant decoy data in the outer volume, and pick a significantly different passphrase.
There! Now you’ve created your hidden volume. Now you can access it at any time by clicking Select file, browsing to the volume, then clicking on Mount from the main TrueCrypt screen and entering either the decoy or real passphrase.
Who this is going to fool: The KG-freakin’-B
How about using ADS NTFS?
Submitted by Alexxandre on Sun, 10/18/2009 - 12:38am
How about using ADS NTFS?
Submitted by Alexxandre on Sun, 10/18/2009 - 12:38am
How about using ADS NTFS?
hiding files in jpeg
Submitted by ubuntucuber on Thu, 06/18/2009 - 7:22am
an easier way to that and offline (plus if you are on the road and don't have a cell card in your laptop, minus if not done in windows because the command is in windows (possibly linux, untried and will post a comment if it works.)
Step 0: install <a href="http://www.7-zip.com">7-zip</a>.
Step 1: encrypt files in passworded zip file.
Step 2: have the zip file you made in the last step and a picture to mask the data in the same folder.
Step 3: in the command prompt(cmd.exe)
Step 3 a: cd (folder from step 2)
Step 3 b: COPY /B [your zip file] + [your image] [new image file name]
does not have to be an image, could be anything.
~UbuntuCuber
Submitted by drewdaddy on Tue, 07/21/2009 - 12:12pm
Thanks for the info how to embed the two files, but how would you seperate teh two to access the hiden file?
Submitted by pizzaguy on Tue, 05/12/2009 - 6:17pm
I personally like to make a folder and fill it up with a bunch of truecrypt volumes. One has the sensitive information, the rest are just videos of never gonna give you up
Submitted by score master on Tue, 05/05/2009 - 7:34pm
you could just use 7zip or winrar to make an archive, put a password on it, then hide it inside a photo.
if you make both then go into the command prompt, then enter the location of both into the prompt:
copy /b image.jpg+archive.7z newimage.jpg
so if i were puting an archive called bill.7z into a picture titled office.jpg and i wanted it to have work.jpg as the name, it would be:
copy /b office.jpg+bill.7z work.jpg
i should also add that it depends on where you have them saved also, because you have to have the cmd promp in the same dirrectory if not the eases thing to do is move them there
you can also do it in mac osx or linix witht he text
cat image.jpg archive.z7 > newimage.jpg
Submitted by visibly_stealthy on Tue, 05/05/2009 - 7:12pm
Uhm yeah, I have gone swimming with SD cards and they still worked! My girlfriend even accidentally washed my playstation memory card like three times. And, both still work to this day!
In the hands of a master, any object can become a field improvised, lethal weapon.
I'm a big fan of Axe
Submitted by Justin.Kerr on Tue, 05/05/2009 - 4:48pm
I'm a big fan of Axe Crypt.
Open source, free, and allows you to send excrypted .exe files as easily as creating a .zip archive by right clicking selected files. It uses AES and is a perfect, lightweight solution.
http://www.axantum.com/AxCrypt/
Submitted by Digital-Storm on Tue, 05/05/2009 - 4:34pm
could you go as far as encrypting a .rar file within a image, and then encrypting the image within the truecrpyt drive, and then putting the truecrypt drive within an image file?
Submitted by Techie714 on Tue, 05/05/2009 - 12:33pm
True Crypt!
http://www.truecrypt.org/
Specs:
CPU: E6600 (3.2Ghz)
Ram: 4 GB DDR 2 (800) Corsair XMS Extreme
Mobo: Asus P5N-E
Video: BFG 8800GT OC (512 RAM)
Sound: X-FI Extreme Gamer Fatality Pro Series
Submitted by HokieTechie on Tue, 05/05/2009 - 11:47am
It's also worth pointing out that industrial strength filesystem encryption is built right into Linux 2.6 kernels. If you don't set up your crypttab for automatic "ask for the key and then mount," then the only way someone is going to locate the data is to hunt around the hard disk and find the LUKS partition or the LUKS image file.
You can encrypt your entire root filesystem and encrypt your swap space, which pretty much handles the problem of leaving unencrypted traces of your data.
BTW - does anyone out there trust Bitlocker?
Submitted by ka0s5150 on Tue, 05/05/2009 - 8:18am
How about you put your sensative info on a key disk and put it in your pocket?! lol.
Good idea...
Submitted by nmanguy on Tue, 05/05/2009 - 12:09pm
But will you have 24/7 eyes and ears on that drive? Will you go swimming with it?
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