14 replies to this topic

[snapple]

Text Encryption Question

What program or service should I use to encrypt .txt files with sensitive data so that only I can view it unencrypted with the password. 

It needs to be good encryption because the text is very valuable. So needs to be A+ grade.

File Shredder

For windows what is the best way to shred a file. Or suggestions of a program to do shreds like DOD 7pass delete or enough so that its not able to be recovered for as long as possible

Suggestions?

Edited by snapple, 22 July 2008 - 10:32 PM.

[Ohm]

I imagine there's a graphical GPG interface and there's certainly a PGP program for Windows. This is most likely what you're looking for.

Edit: It does both of the things you're looking for. I'm not quite sure to what extent it will shred the files, but it does have that feature. In real life, simply writing over with 0's or random data will be sufficient. Unless you're hiding from the NSA or something, anything more is a bit overkill.

Edited by Ohm, 22 July 2008 - 10:37 PM.

[snapple]

Well I don't want to format the hard drive. Just shred a file.

@PGP: Isn't pgp mean't for encrypting emails/messages? Well do you have something in specific to recommend preferably free or cheap.

[Lelantus]

No, pgp is not just for encrypting e-mails. If you can encrypt the text you send in an e-mail why wouldn't you be able to use it to encrypt regular files? However, I would recommend using TrueCrypt. Also, if your files are encrypted, why would you need a special way to delete them (especially since TrueCrypt provides plausible deniability). Anyway, I would have to agree with Ohm that writing random data over a file is good enough.

Edited by Lelantus, 23 July 2008 - 12:48 AM.

[snapple]

No, pgp is not just for encrypting e-mails. If you can encrypt the text you send in an e-mail why wouldn't you be able to use it to encrypt regular files? However, I would recommend using TrueCrypt. Also, if your files are encrypted, why would you need a special way to delete them (especially since TrueCrypt provides plausible deniability). Anyway, I would have to agree with Ohm that writing random data over a file is good enough.

Well what would I use to write random data over? Also truecrypt is good but I am wondering if there is an on the fly decryption. So I could decrypt example.com/test.txt because it is encrypted with a decryption key. Any idea?

[kingospam]

TrueCrypt's deniability is in question. Read http://www.schneier....rypts_deni.html for more detail. The vulnerabilities were found in version 5.1a. The developers at TrueCrypt are claiming 6.0 fixes them, however I'd still question them.

[snapple]

TrueCrypt's deniability is in question. Read http://www.schneier....rypts_deni.html for more detail. The vulnerabilities were found in version 5.1a. The developers at TrueCrypt are claiming 6.0 fixes them, however I'd still question them.

Well still doesn't answer my question. For text encryption on a site that someone can copy the text and decrypt it with a key. And my formatting question is still out there

[Pharoh]

For your question about secure file deletion with random data this can do just that, and much more.

www.heidi.ie/eraser

[emwav]

No, pgp is not just for encrypting e-mails.

PGP desktop also includes PGP Shredder

[snapple]

No, pgp is not just for encrypting e-mails.

PGP desktop also includes PGP Shredder

PGP isn't free and messed up some configurations in my comp. Any other programs or ways to do it?

[Hembree]

For quick encrypting/decrypting I use Toucan.
It is a portable app and it uses Rijndael, an encryption used by the NSA for encrypting Top Secret files.

It doesn't have a shredder onboard, but it will definitely secure the sensitive data in your text file.

For Shredding, you could go with another portable app: Eraser Portable. This has all kinds of erasing features. See here.

I personally like the portable apps. I know they won't mess with the registry or other windows files, like you mentioned before, and I keep Toucan on a thumb drive along with some files that I need to update regularly, but also keep secure. They are also free.

[mirrorshades]

PGP isn't free

Sure it is. Not the latest version, but the older ones work fine. It uses public key encryption, though, which is a little more intricate than a simple password. (Basically, you just encrypt items to your own private key... thus, someone needs both your key and the passphrase to decrypt.) I like GPG4Win as an alternate to PGP proper: http://www.gpg4win.org/

For secure file deletion, I also like Eraser. You can configure what kind of wipe is done, how many passes, etc... also has a built in job scheduler, can do a "free space" wipe, all kinds of stuff.

TrueCrypt is good at what it does, but it's not really meant for file-by-file encryption. It's designed to encrypt an entire partition/drive at a time.

[Hembree]

It uses public key encryption, though, which is a little more intricate than a simple password. (Basically, you just encrypt items to your own private key... thus, someone needs both your key and the passphrase to decrypt.)

This can also be done with yet another portable app: PeaZip
This is a file archiver, with the ability to encrypt using a password and keyfile. I personally don't like the idea of a key file. If you lose the key file or accidentally delete it, it's gone. You might as well delete the encrypted data as well.

Unless someone knows of recovering it somehow? Other than "Undelete."

[Ohm]

It uses public key encryption, though, which is a little more intricate than a simple password. (Basically, you just encrypt items to your own private key... thus, someone needs both your key and the passphrase to decrypt.)

This can also be done with yet another portable app: PeaZip
This is a file archiver, with the ability to encrypt using a password and keyfile. I personally don't like the idea of a key file. If you lose the key file or accidentally delete it, it's gone. You might as well delete the encrypted data as well.

Unless someone knows of recovering it somehow? Other than "Undelete."

Not to mention archivers often extract things to temp directories that get left on the machine for ages. There's no point in encrypting an archive if the archiver just extracts it to a temp directory and doesn't protect it or clean up after it at all. Someone can just come along and read all the files from the temp directory.

[Hembree]

It uses public key encryption, though, which is a little more intricate than a simple password. (Basically, you just encrypt items to your own private key... thus, someone needs both your key and the passphrase to decrypt.)

This can also be done with yet another portable app: PeaZip
This is a file archiver, with the ability to encrypt using a password and keyfile. I personally don't like the idea of a key file. If you lose the key file or accidentally delete it, it's gone. You might as well delete the encrypted data as well.

Unless someone knows of recovering it somehow? Other than "Undelete."

Not to mention archivers often extract things to temp directories that get left on the machine for ages. There's no point in encrypting an archive if the archiver just extracts it to a temp directory and doesn't protect it or clean up after it at all. Someone can just come along and read all the files from the temp directory.

Ah man, I meant to mention that in my post. Dude, great minds think alike! Thanks!