What is it?
TrueCrypt is a software that can encrypt files and entire hard drives of laptops and desktops running on Windows. It was useful for protecting sensitive information, as even if the computer is lost or stolen, the information is protected and safe from unauthorized viewing and access. This is incredibly helpful with things like HIPAA compliance and avoiding fines. TrueCrypt was popular for personal and small business use because it worked well, and it was free.
Why is it important?
The anonymous creator of TrueCrypt recently divulged that the product could have unknown security holes, and no longer recommends the product be used. TrueCrypt’s website truecrypt.org now advertises this flaw and instructions on how to move away from TrueCrypt, which is now essentially defunct and abandoned. If you currently use TrueCrypt whether for personal or business purposes, it is strongly recommended a different solution be used for your encryption needs, as your information should be considered at risk.
What can be done?
Truecrypt.org recommends you migrate over to use Bitlocker which is a Microsoft product included with Windows. Bitlocker is only available with certain versions of Windows, so it has limited availability depending on what you own.
Netgain has a great encryption product we are proud to offer as a service called McAfee Drive Encryption. It is an industry leading enterprise level product with very robust features. The biggest advantage of this product over free solutions like Bitlocker in addition to the much deeper feature set, is that it is centrally managed by our staff remotely, and the encryption status of any device can be proven at a glance via dashboards and generated reports. This easily satisfies auditors requests when investigating potential HIPAA breach for example if a laptop were stolen, being able to claim the “Safe Harbor” law, and avoid costly fines. Non-centrally managed solutions also become much more burdensome if using more than only a couple devices, because you have to deal with creating and storing per device items such as recovery disks and encryption keys, and making sure they’re securely stored in a safe for example.
We at Netgain care about your safety and security, whether it is through our services or just the sharing of information through communications like this one. Please feel free to contact us if you have any concerns or questions!