TrueCrypt 4.3

The government isn't the only one with lessons to learn from recent data disasters: all of us should re-assess how seriously we take data security on a personal level.

Ultimately, if you want to protect your personal data, there's one technology you simply have to use: data encryption. Your options here are as varied as they are baffling, but when it comes to value and ease of use few can compare to the open-source hero TrueCrypt. This latest version is 32- and 64-bit Vista friendly, as well as being able to write data to removable USB drives and MP3 players. It can encrypt your data at the individual file level or entire hard drive, using 448-bit keys (Blowfish), 256-bit keys (AES, Serpent, Triple DES and Twofish), as well as 128-bit keys (CAST5). It can create a virtual encrypted disk within a file, which can then be mounted as a real disk, and will happily create a fully hidden volume. It's easy to use thanks to the Windows GUI, will run on Linux, and provides a much more secure environment for your data than, say, a CD in the post.

Author: Davey Winder