May 2009 Newsletter – Tech Tip of the Month
Free Data Encryption

While most of us don’t have 25 million children’s details we could put on a CD an send by post, we all have sensitive data. With the Information Commissioner looking to start fining small businesses should they lose sensitive data, TrueCrypt’s free encryption software could allow you to avoid more than embarrassment.
TrueCrypt have a free Mac and PC client, and allow you to create all manner of encryption from a protected folder, to encryption on your USB key, to the protection of your entire computer. They even have ‘plausible deniability’ where the encrypted files are ‘hidden’ so you can plausibly claim they don’t exist, just in case someone tries to ‘coerce’ the password out of you (all very secret service). It’s all protected by the industry standard AES protection, but if you feel that’s not enough you can combine it with up to two other forms of encryption ensuring it’ll never be broken into; just don’t forget the password.
If you want to get protected get yourself over to http://www.truecrypt.org/ to get your free encryption