TrueCrypt is the name of technology used for full disk encryption to encrypt your sensitive data. The most popular data encryption software TrueCrypt was discontinued by its developers on 28 May 2014. The official website of TrueCrypt redirects you to another page saying " Permanently Moved" with a clear warning that TrueCrypt is no longer a safe option to try.
On top of this, TrueCrypt also released an updated TrueCrypt 7.2 version which decrypts the already encrypted file. It came as a big shock for TrueCrypt users and even after two years, there is no best alternative found.
However, after a web research, we grabbed a couple of alternatives to TrueCrypt that you can give a try. Let's have a look at them. VeraCrypt can be said as the best replacement of TrueCrypt as it is a fork of TrueCrypt. VeraCrypt is developed based on TrueCrypt 7.1a by IDRIX. VeraCrypt has same features and user interface as TrueCrypt, but the security of algorithms is increased. It also claims to have solved security flaws present in TrueCrypt. BitLocker is a disk encryption feature offered in Windows Vista Enterprise, Windows Server 2008, and Windows Vista Ultimate. BitLocker is Windows-only software and encrypts entire volume. It prevents unauthorized access to any files stored on the drive. There is very few security analysis performed on this software yet it is very popular. The reason behind this is that it is easy to use and incredibly fast. DiskCryptor supports many algorithms such as Twofish, AES, Serpent and also combinations of them.AxCrypt works slightly different from TrueCrypt. TrueCrypt worked by creating virtual encrypted drives, AxCrypt encrypts individual files. It is also the bad side of AxCrypt as if you want to encrypt multiple files; you have to access one at a time or add all the files into a zip folder which makes it time-consuming. AxCrypt is a nice choice if you want to protect data only from general people as it does not provide the highest security. The program uses AES 128-bit encryption.Cryptainer is another free encryption software available in the market to protect sensitive and confidential data. Cryptainer can encrypt files on your desktop, laptop or removable storage system. It is easy to access and to encrypt any file; you only need to provide one password. It is stable and easy to install. Once fitted to a USB drive, you don't have to install it again on different machines. You can use Cryptainer on a host of different machines.
The best part about VeraCrypt is seen in its Windows version which can run a hidden encrypted OS whose existence may be denied.
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Downside? Because of increased security, the read and writing time taken by VeraCrypt is longer as compared to TrueCrypt. But it can load TrueCrypt volume.
However, you can turn it off in control panel. To implement BitLocker encryption, three authentication mechanisms are required which are USB Key Mode, User authentication mode, and Transparent Operation Mode. For external drives, a BitLocker To Go (BTG) version is available.
Catch? BitLocker is not open source software.
Just like BitLocker, DiskCryptor is also Windows-only encryption software. But just like TrueCrypt, DiskCryptor is open source free file and drive encryption software which can encrypt your files, system drives and other external drives.10 Best Fake GPS Location Spoofer Apps for Android
The only downside of DiskCryptor is that it is Windows-only software and does not support Linux or Mac. But then the system performance is not affected by DiskCryptor. However, it is also discontinued by its manufacturer just like TrueCrypt.
The con for AxCrypt is that it is also Windows only, but it is lightweight, open source, free and requires zero configurations.
Symantec Drive Encryption is closed source drive encryption software with a lot of features like PGP encryption, local policy management, resource management, reduced data loss, etc. This software comes free for a month, but after that, you have to pay to continue its use. Other than desktop and laptops, Symantec can also encrypt USB devices. It supports PC, Mac and Linux. The main strength of Symantec is its easy administration.
BoxCryptor is another easy to use encryption software which is optimized for the cloud. BoxCryptor supports both Windows and Mac platforms and offers a security tool for Google Chrome. You can also download BoxCryptor for BlackBerry, Android, iOS, and Windows phone.WordPress Security Ninja Plugin Review: 40+ Security Tests With 1-Click
BoxCryptor adds layer of security to cloud storage by supporting all the cloud storage providers like Google Drive, DropBox, Microsoft OneDrive and SugarSync. BoxCryptor comes in both free and premium versions. It supports AES-256 and RSA encryption technologies.
CipherShed was started as a response to the end of TrueCrypt. It is an underdeveloped disk encryption program based on discontinued program TrueCrypt. Just like VeraCrypt, CipherShed is also a fork of TrueCrypt. It can be used to encrypt files, drives, USB drives, etc. It is straightforward and easy to use. The encryption process is transparent to other programs.
The only bad side is that it's only available for Windows Operating System.
AES Crypt is an advanced file encryption tool which encrypts data only. Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) Crypt is an open source encryption program which works on the 256-bit encryption algorithm. AES Crypt uses the AES-256-CBC cipher and encodes the encrypted data.AES Crypt is very easy. All you are required to do is a right-click to encrypt or decrypt your file. It is available for Windows, Linux, Mac and mobile operating systems.
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Cloudfogger is yet another software that can be used to encrypt your data before copying it to the cloud. Cloudfogger supports mostly all the key cloud storage providers including Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, Dropbox, SkyDrive, etc. Cloudfogger protected files can be easily shared with others. It is supported by Windows and Mac operating systems.