[RESOLVED] Cross Platform Encryption

As we have talked about encryption in this forum I decided to post my question here. If this should be in another forum I ask the moderator to move it to its proper place.

As I run both XP and Ubuntu (and am sometimes on a Mac) I was looking for an encryption that I could use on with minimal problems and with one that would encrypt my flash drive.

The free TrueCrypt runs on XP, Mac and Ubuntu and will even encrypt your flash drive. The problem though is that if you go to another computer you must have Administrator rights so as to run the program and change anything in the files. This is according to TrueCrypt. You can see the obvious problem in trying to have Administrator rights in every computer you go to.

DSCrypt is a self contained program that will fit and run on a flash drive but it will only run in Windows.

Does anyone know of a solution to using a cross encryption platform that can also be self contained on a flash drive or do I need to keep duplicates of my files with half encrypted in TrueCrypt and the other half in DSCrypt?

Thanks for your assistance.

Doc

IronKey:

https://www.ironkey.com/products
IronKey Basic is an ultra-secure encrypted USB flash drive, ideal for military customers. FIPS 140-2 Validated.


Always-on, hardware-based encryption protects all data written to the device
Cryptochip manages encryption keys, password brute force attack defenses, and self-destruct
Supports Windows Vista, XP, 2000 SP4, Macintosh OSX and Linux without installing drivers
Industrial-grade SLC flash chips deliver long life along with high transfer rates
Physically hardened metal casing is waterproof and tamper resistant
Designed and assembled in the USA


Kingston: (no encryption for non-Windows systems)

http://www.kingston.com/flash/DTVault.asp?id=3

This is on the right track but I am looking for something that will not break the wallet like Iron Key and for something that can be used on the computer itself.

If you want something less expensive, you would need to search for an encryption program that runs from the USB drive without installation and is compatible with all desired Windows versions, Linux, and Mac (if needed). I have not seen anything like that in my research, but that doesn't mean that nothing exists. Other options include biometric USB drives that scan your fingerprint and do not require any software.

After a number of months forgetting about this issue I decided to come back to it. My task was to find an encryption that I could put on a USB flash drive and use it for both Windows and Ubuntu. I needed a program that did not need Administrative rights to use if I went to a friends PC, which eliminated TrueCrypt.

From just a Windows stand point the free Rohos Mini Drive fit the bill nicely as you could take it to any Windows machine and run it from the USB flash drive. It did not work though with Ubuntu.

What I have found that can work with Windows and Ubuntu is freeotfe which can access in Windows the encrypted files created in Ubuntu/Linux in the LUKS encryption format.

In order to make this a truly portable solution, I will need to partition the USB flash drive so that I can create a Linux Volume in one partition while I place the freeotfe portable files in the in other partition. This should allow me to access the encrypted volume in either Windows (from any machine) or from Ubuntu.

I will post soon as to how all of this went.

Doc

I don't run Linux but I do run FreeOTFE and I like it. I like the interface better than TC and it also has the FreeOTFE Explorer that will allow you to open containers without admin privileges.

I hope it works out for you. It's a fairly active project and the developer seems to be very interested in keeping it fresh...

I set everything up and it works great. I had to use FreeOTFE as it will open up encrypted partitions unlike FreeOTFE Explorer (though this option is coming according to their website). Because of this I need to make sure that I have Administrator privileges when using Windows, which I would not need using the Explorer version.

This is a practical solution if you use Windows and Linux. I am not sure if this can be done with a Mac but since it is based on Unix (like Linux) I am sure that if someone took the time they could figure it out.

Doc