Linux-Voice-Issue-001

GROUP TEST ENCRYPTION
Noteworthy
features
What makes our chosen few
stand out from the crowd?
TrueCrypt is the most portable solution
of all the tools in this group test,
because you can use the application
without having to install it. One of its most
notable features is the ability to create a
hidden volume inside another encrypted
volume. Although many experts have
played down this feature’s effectiveness
in concealing the fact that there’s a hidden
container from a determined attacker, it
does provide plausible deniability to casual
inspection. Under Windows you can even run
a hidden operating system from this partition,
though this functionality, as with many of
TrueCrypt’s specialist features, is unavailable
on Linux.
BestCrypt also enables you to create a
hidden container inside an already encrypted
volume. In fact, with BestCrypt, unlike
TrueCrypt, you can create multiple hidden
containers. BestCrypt also offers the ability
to protect existing hidden containers when
creating a new one. Using the tool you can
also encrypt the container headers, which
conceals the fact that you have an encrypted
container. The tool also enables you to
re-encrypt containers, change their ciphers
and encryption keys, and also lets you add
multiple passwords.
Zulus, Sir – faahsands of ’em
zuluCrypt’s main attraction is that it lets you
manage different types of encrypted volumes,
including those created by dm-crypt/LUKS
and TrueCrypt. It can also encrypt individual
files with GPG.
The one feature common to both
stacked filesystem encryption tools is the
portability of the encrypted files that can be
decrypted on other operating systems as
well. Furthermore, eCryptfs lets you assign
independently revocable multiple keys for the
same encrypted data.
Usability
Do you need a superior intellect to use these tools?
Tools that encrypt your data should
be handled with care. The FAQs of
encryption software deal with
accidental data loss because of forgotten
passwords, misplaced key files or
damaged headers. The same software
that guards your data might also prevent
you from accessing it ever again.
TrueCrypt
Because of TrueCrypt’s unclear licensing
terms, the software isn’t available in the
repositories of any Linux distro and has to
be downloaded from its website in the
form a compressed installation script. We
also don’t like it that TrueCrypt requires
you to either use a sudoers configuration
or run the tool as the root user.
The app has a graphical interface and
can also be controlled from the command
BestCrypt
The proprietary tool isn’t the easiest to
install, but its documentation explains the
process in detail. Like TrueCrypt, the app
has a graphical interface and a commandline
utility, which has more functions than
the GUI. For example, you can benchmark
the performance of the various ciphers
supported by BestCrypt only via the CLI.
The graphical interface is pretty simple
to navigate. You get buttons to create a
This places even more responsibility on
the developers of encryption software to
make sure their users aren’t overwhelmed
by the tools at their disposal. In addition to
being easy to install, a well designed tool
should expose its features correctly, so
that it doesn’t force the user to look for the
help file or support on the forums.
line. The step-by-step volume creation
wizard makes the tool ideal for new users.
TrueCypt also has an option to benchmark
the speed for encryption/decryption of
various supported encryption ciphers.
You can use the software to organise
volumes and mount them with a single
click. The tool also lets you change the
encryption password and add or remove
keyfiles to volumes.
TrueCrypt suffers from its
bespoke licence, which keeps
it out of distro repositories.
new container or load an existing one.
New users can create a container simply
by specifying a size and selecting the
location of the container. Advanced users
can optionally bring up additional options
to select a filesystem for the container,
change its encryption algorithm and
encryption mode.
You can perform various tasks on the
container before mounting
VERDICT
TrueCrypt
BestCrypt
zuluCrypt
eCryptfs
EncFS
BestCrypt costs €49.95, and
the Linux version doesn’t
support full-volume
encryption.
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