TrueCrypt Encryption Software Calls It Quits; What Should You Use Instead?
It's time to say 'goodbye' to TrueCrypt, the popular open-source full disk encryption software, which was abruptly shut down earlier this week by the anonymous developers who built the program. According to a message on TrueCrypt's website, the software is no longer secure and may contain unfixed security issues.
"The development of TrueCrypt was ended in 5/2014 after Microsoft terminated support of Windows XP. Windows 8/7/Vista and later offer integrated support for encrypted disks and virtual disk images. Such integrated support is also available on other platforms (click here for more information). You should migrate any data encrypted by TrueCrypt to encrypted disks or virtual disk images supported on your platform," a message on TrueCrypt's website reads.
Sounds a bit suspect, doesn't it? There are several theories circulating around the web as to why TrueCrypt was shut down so suddenly -- everything from being pressured by the National Security Agency (NSA) to legal requests, and everything in between. Whatever the reason, TrueCrypt is no more, and it's time to move on.
The developers recommend migrating from TrueCrypt to BitLocker, directions of which can be found on TrueCrypt's website. That's not a bad idea, provided you're running Windows 8 or Windows 8.1 Pro (BitLocker is included with both builds). It's also available with Windows Vista, Windows 7 Ultimate, and Windows 7 Enterprise.
However, it's not your only alternative. A couple of other disk encryption programs that come to mind include Symantec Drive Encryption ($110, Free trial available) and DiskCrypto (Free).
"The development of TrueCrypt was ended in 5/2014 after Microsoft terminated support of Windows XP. Windows 8/7/Vista and later offer integrated support for encrypted disks and virtual disk images. Such integrated support is also available on other platforms (click here for more information). You should migrate any data encrypted by TrueCrypt to encrypted disks or virtual disk images supported on your platform," a message on TrueCrypt's website reads.
Sounds a bit suspect, doesn't it? There are several theories circulating around the web as to why TrueCrypt was shut down so suddenly -- everything from being pressured by the National Security Agency (NSA) to legal requests, and everything in between. Whatever the reason, TrueCrypt is no more, and it's time to move on.
The developers recommend migrating from TrueCrypt to BitLocker, directions of which can be found on TrueCrypt's website. That's not a bad idea, provided you're running Windows 8 or Windows 8.1 Pro (BitLocker is included with both builds). It's also available with Windows Vista, Windows 7 Ultimate, and Windows 7 Enterprise.
However, it's not your only alternative. A couple of other disk encryption programs that come to mind include Symantec Drive Encryption ($110, Free trial available) and DiskCrypto (Free).
