What Does Best Hard Disk Encryption Software Do?

Insert a symbol and it takes even longer"p4ssworD!" Would take approximately 275 days. An even stronger password could be a sentence that's a combination of letters, numbers, symbols and capitalization. Something easy to remember but difficult to guess, like"mYd0g!sMyp4ssw0rD," would take a PC about 3 quintillion years to figure out.Encryption Software: What We Tested, What We FoundMost of the encryption software for Windows we analyzed allows you to combine your encrypted documents in one secure place, while it is a locker, library or vault.

The file encryption software you select should work quickly, be user friendly and maintain your information safe.PerformanceWe tested all the encryption procedures thoroughly using 63 files which totaled 128MB to determine which program has been the greatest overall. Those that converted the documents quickly received more charge in the final scores than many others.

Although encrypting such a small batch of files only took seconds in most cases, some programs took minutes to finish the task. When you're locking up only a couple megabytes' worth of information, it is not a big deal, but if you're encrypting gigabytes of data, you might be looking at hours of waiting.We also clocked the speed of decryption and found that most apps can give you access to your own documents fairly quickly.

The apps we include in our lineup are complete easy and intuitive, especially Folder Lock and Secure IT. They guide you through procedures step by step. Secure IT gives you access to encryption by integrating with the Windows operating system, so all you have to do is tap on a file and select to encrypt it in the menu.In virtually every test, we found these file encryption programs compress files as they encrypt them.

See This Report about Fastest Encryption Software

People who compressed documents the most obtained more charge in scoring.SecurityEncryption software uses different kinds of ciphers to scramble your information, and each has its own benefits. Advanced Encryption Standard, or 256-bit key AES, is a form of the Rijndael cipher and can be used by the U.S. government, including the National Security Agency, so it is considered one of the strongest encryption ciphers available.

Although any one of these ciphers may be broken given enough time and computing power, they are considered practically unbreakable. AES has long been recognized as the exceptional algorithm, so we gave more credit to the apps that employ AES.Many data programs include an option to shred your documents when you're ready to infect info.

To"shred" files, an app overwrites the data with random pieces of data. Data retrieval is a lengthy process, so unless you're in the business of trade secrets or espionage, your hard drives are more likely safe from info recovery.Your files and information will be only as safe and protected as your password.

The you can try this out longer and more random your password is, the harder it is to break. A password strength meter included in this software is useful. Many applications need a master password to utilize the software, and then another password for each vault or collection of files. Password generators can also be useful if you don't want to need to think of strong passwords yourself.We sent encrypted files through email and provided a password to the tester to unlock the documents.

The Of Best Hard Disk Encryption Software

You are using your mouse, which prevents potential keyloggers out of recording your password as you type it. Your Windows operating system includes a virtual keyboard, so you already have access to this security feature, but programs like Folder Lock and Advanced Encryption Package Pro make it easy to access. Stealth mode offers even more privacy anyone else that logs on to a personal computer or hacks in won't even notice that you utilized encryption software.After encrypting documents, a few applications allowed us to back up the protected data and connect to upload to a server, such as Google Drive or Dropbox, which can be called redundant safety.

In fact, you can upload any of your encrypted files to a cloud space and your files remain safe.Top Ten Reviews Aims, whenever possible, to assess all goods and services in hands-on tests that simulate as closely as possible the experiences of a normal consumer. We obtained the applications in our comparison on loan from the companies and through retail purchase.

Results of our evaluations were not given to the companies in advance of publication.What Else Is Important in Choosing Encryption SoftwareWhile security is the utmost factor in picking the ideal encryption software for you personally, it's always important that you opt for a program that is suitable for your system. Also, if you run into problems with your software, you may need to contact customer service or have access to online manuals and tutorials.Version CompatibilityIf you're running an old version of Windows, like Vista or XP, then you want to be certain that the app still supports your operating system.