6 encryption tools that will secure your data

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Encryption is defined as the conversion of electronic data, Plaintext, into ciphertext, encrypted text. This type of text can be hard to understand by a person that is not authorized to do so. Encryption main purpose is to help in the protection of your confidential electronic data which can be found in your laptop, personal computer, or the digital information sent through Internet and other networks. Even though the use of encryption is not new for humans, the advancements about it are greater every day. These advancements are generated by the increment of security problems on the transferring of digital data. That’s why companies related to these issues have worked for many years to develop strategies against safety gaps. In this list, you will find encryption tools that were created to help you in the difficult task of protecting your valuable digital data from the online threats out there.

BitLocker

This full disk encryption software has been developed by Microsoft and it has been set up in almost every Windows operating system. BitLocker works with AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) which is a military grade encryption that most of the security companies use. The easiness of this encryption tool is that you can use it effortlessly, and you can already find it in your Windows operating system. When you encrypt your hard disk with BitLocker, it will block any data breaches or exfiltration from it. If someone steals your laptop, it would be impossible for them to access your files.

7Zip

If you dislike the idea of encrypting the whole hard disk, 7Zip is the right tool for you. 7Zip is a simple but powerful encryption tool (AES - 256) that can support you with ciphering only the data you need to. It works with a 7z archive format, but other archive formats can be also read and written. This encryption tool has a great compression format, and it can extract nearly all file formats. 7Zip is suitable for almost all Windows versions, and you can find it in about 87 languages.

AxCrypt

This encryption software has been around for 15 years, making one of the most popular tools to encrypt data around the world. You can use this software to protect important data from your computer system. AxCrypt encrypts a file during a definite extent of time, and it will be decrypted automatically after it arrives safely to its destination. This tool is simple and fast which makes easier to encipher a complete folder or a group of files. In addition, AxCrypt provides safety against cyber criminal attacks and their extensive cracking methods. It can be installed on different Windows operating systems.

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VeraCrypt

Tools from VeraCrypt strengthen the security of the system algorithms and its encrypted partitions so it becomes immune to advanced cyber attacks. You can download it freely for Windows, Linux and MacOSX operating systems. If you have files with the obsolete TrueCrypt too, the version 1.0f of VeraCrypt can import TrueCrypt files and it can convert containers and system partitions from a TrueCrypt format to a VeraCrypt one. This encryption tool is been continually improved and its updates increases its security. 

Tor Browser

This tool has been created to allow anonymity and protection while accessing the network. Its software bounces your communications over a worldwide distributed network of relays that are carried out by volunteers. The Tor Browser can be operated by anyone who wishes online privacy and wants to keep prying eyes out of the picture during browsing activity. With this tool, you can also avoid sharing your location to the web sites you visit, and makes almost impossible to trace back to you your instant messages and other communicative activities. The Tor Browser can be used on Windows, Mac OS X, or Linux, and it can be run off from a USB flash drive, so it is not necessary to install any software.

Virtual Private Network – VPN

Virtual Private Network (VPN) makes use of encryption to offer secure access to a remote computer across the internet. VPN is a private network that establishes an encrypted channel capable of protecting your communication from interference attacks. This is another alternative to be online in complete privacy, especially if you need to work remotely and operate private company networks. For instance, VPN is very useful when you want to transfer confidential data or you need to run highly important operations online. Besides, Don Burns recommends using VPN if you connect from unsafe public networks, so you can encrypt your private information and protect your web traffic.

Read more about encrypt and secure communications in this older post “How to encrypt communications”

How to encrypt communications to have secure Android calls and text messaging

Image courtesy of Steve Crane at Flickr.com

In the digital age, maintaining your privacy seems to be a never ending battle sometimes. All kinds of companies and organizations have access to your personal data and information, and a few of them can spy on almost all methods of modern communication. 

In an effort to fight this trend, Open Whisper Systems has been at the forefront of encrypted mobile communications for quite some time. Their apps TextSecure and RedPhone, originally an exclusive feature in the CyanogenMod ROM, have brought secure and fully encrypted calls and text messages to smartphone users from all over the world.

With the aim of consolidating both options, Open Whisper Systems combined those two applications for secure communications into a single one, Signal. As a result, your calls and text messages can now take place away from prying eyes by installing a simple application, so we’ll take a look at how to achieve this:

1. Install the Signal app

All of TextSecure and RedPhone’s functionalities have been grouped into a single, open sourced application, called Signal. In order to start having encrypted communications that no one can eavesdrop, open the following link from your Android device to install the application:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.thoughtcrime.securesms

The installation of Signal can be performed, free of charge, from the Google Play Store. If you were previously a user of TextSecure or RedPhone, you'll notice that Signal will be installed as an upgrade to your existing TextSecure application. Basically, the only difference is that Signal provides all of the functionalities of RedPhone plus encrypted SMS, so, if you wish, you can uninstall the RedPhone app once you’re done. Signal is also available on iOS, so your friends and family members who own an iPhone can also use the app on their devices.

2. Activate Signal and import messages

Once you’ve installed Signal for the first time, you will be prompted to register the device. Make sure the phone number is correct, then tap the “Register” button and click “Continue”. From here, an encrypted text message will be sent to your device to automatically complete the registration process. Once you have registered, you will be prompted to set Signal as your default SMS app. Tap the banner at the top of the screen to do this, then press “Yes” in the pop-up. From here, you’ll see a second banner that lets you import existing SMS messages, so touch it if you’d like to have all of your text messages brought to Signal.

3. Invite your friends to join

At this point, app itself is all set, but before you start making calls and sending text messages, you should familiarize yourself with how the system works. Signal can only fully encrypt calls and text messages if both parties in a conversation are using the app. Otherwise, all communications will be carried out via standard connections. To start a secure conversation, press the action button in the lower right corner, then select a contact from the list. If the user you selected doesn’t have the app installed, you’ll be notified and will have the chance to invite him or her to do so. The other party will receive a link to download the Signal app for iOS or Android.

4. Make encrypted calls and send encrypted text messages

Image courtesy of Mister G.C at Flickr.com

Once you have made sure that the other party has installed the Signal app on their device, the text box on the bottom of the screen will say “Send Signal message”. This means that the messages you send to this person will be encrypted end to end, so there is no way for anyone to spy on the conversation. If you wish to make an encrypted call, just find the phone icon at the top of the chat window and make sure it has a small padlock icon superimposed on top of it. If so, simply press the button and the call interface should appear, and the banner at the top of the screen will read “Signal call”, which means that the conversation will be fully encrypted. The little padlock icon may not be displayed on top of the call button on all devices. In some cases, even when both parties have the application installed, the call button might have the lock icon missing and the system’s stock dialer interface is launched instead of Signal’s calling interface. So apparently there are still some rough edges in the app, but these issues should be resolved soon.

Do you feel more comfortable knowing that all of your Android communications can now be encrypted? Hopefully this app will continue to grow, in order to restore people’s peace of mind when it comes to regaining their privacy and the right to protect their personal information and conversations.