What Does Encryption Mean?

Posted on 29th March 2021

Encryption utilizes a complicated algorithm to transform a message into a line of unreadable characters. The encryption key defines this conversion. This likewise key is later also utilized to transform data back into a readable form.

Encryption is usually classified into two kinds — symmetric and asymmetric (depending on if the encryption key coincides with the decryption key). Asymmetric encryption consists of a public key, which you can give in public and utilize to encrypt data, and a private key, which you need to remain secret. You can utilize a private key to decrypt info that was encrypted with a public key’s help. While your private key is hidden, your encryption system is protected.

USB encryption can be performed in several means: by utilizing specific encryption software or obtaining a flash drive with updated hardware. If thieves pilfer your encrypted flash drive, they won’t be able to admit its contents if they don’t know the decryption key.

There are flash drives that are produced with a tiny in-built chip that needs you to generate a password when you install your drive for the initial time. There is a need to enter the password every time you desire to obtain your files. In other cases, it serves as a conventional flash drive.

If you possess a flash drive with a preliminary established encryption, you have fewer possibilities here because there are no extra available configurations. However, this likewise indicates that you don’t require to install other things or bother about updates.

Likewise, you can encrypt your flash drive with the original software, which is possible on Windows, macOS, or third-party apps. Software encryption enables you to choose encryption algorithms, consequently providing you with more possibilities. This kind of encryption is advised for high-experienced users.

Reasons to Encrypt your Flash Drive

If you need to utilize a flash drive, encryption is one of the most reliable means to protect your sensitive information. Encryption can help protect personal information on an external drive if it appears in the wrong hands because of theft or loss. However, there are also additional causes for encryption. For example, flash drives without encryption can make you defenceless to malware and different device protection dangers.

Still, what does it actually indicate to encrypt your info, and how does it operate? Encryption suggests just those people who have an encryption key file or password will have the possibility to get admittance of the information on an encrypted flash drive.

Therefore, if your flash drive appears in the wrong hands, such unpremeditated third parties won’t have a possibility to get admittance or read the data the drive is keeping and consequently won’t have a possibility to utilize it for nefarious goals.

Suppose you are a businessman or a firm, data protection rules, for example. In that case, the GDPR or HIPAA can be obligatory, indicating you’ll have to encrypt your information and data to shun high-priced penalties. If your business is not connected with these rules, it is necessary to encrypt your flash drives to shun a data leak, which can lead to irremediable harm to your company.

You need to encrypt your own external storage devices, too, particularly when your flash drive possesses files on it comprising confidential, personal, or sensitive data. Such kind of data involves their own private or company details, photographs, identification cards, passwords, login data, and financial data.

In other words, if the information you have saved in your external drive is only for your private utilization, for this reason, you need to encrypt it completely. As such devices do not have big sizes, it is possible to lose or steal them. Constantly encrypt this information and data, and keep in mind to have a backup too. There is no need to remind you; when you encrypt your hard drive, be confident you remember your password or save it in a reliable place.

Encryption on Windows with Bitlocker

Bitlocker is the original encryption means possible on Windows 7 and following versions.

1. Attach a clean USB drive. Remove any information/data or carry it to a secure place if it wasn’t blank.
2. Move to a file explorer and discover your USB.
3. Click the right button of your mouse and choose Turn on BitLocker. It will install BitLocker for you automatically.
4. Select a way you will desire to unlock your drive. You can both utilize a password or a smart card (but in case your drive possesses it). For this section, we will show just how to utilize a password.
5. Insert a powerful password two times. It needs to include numbers, upper-case, and lower-case letters.
6. Select a way you’d prefer to save your recovery key. You can use both stores in the form of a file or print it. There is a need to do this if you lose your password or smart card; that’s why hold it secure!
7. Select Encrypt utilized disk space just.
8. Then, select the encryption mode. If you are sure that you will just utilize it with Windows 10 devices of version 1511 or the following versions, so you can choose New encryption mode. Differently, select Compatible mode, which is most suitable for drives that can be utilized with a previous Windows version.
9. If you are ready to encrypt your drive, choose to Start encrypting. This can need some time, depending on your USB size.
10. Congratulations, now you possess an encrypted USB flash drive!

Encryption on Windows with Veracrypt

Veracrypt is aт excellent BitLocker alternative. It can need several additional actions to encrypt your drive. Still, it proposes more flexibility and enables you to select your encryption algorithms.

1. Download Veracrypt from its official page and install it.
2. Attach your empty USB drive and open VeraCrypt. Choose to Create Volume.
3. Choose to Encrypt a non-system partition or drive.
4. Choose Standard VeraCrypt volume.
5. Below Volume Type, choose to Select Device and discover your flash drive.
6. If your flash drive is blank, choose to create an encrypted volume and format it.
7. On the following page, you can choose hashing and encryption algorithms. If you are not certain what to select, we advise SHA-512 and AES.
8. On the Volume Size window, choose Next because you can’t modify your flash drive size.
9. Fill in a secure password.
10. On the Volume Format window, shift your mouse till the progress bar becomes green. Next, choose Format.
11. Approve the formatting and wait for encryption of your drive. That’s all!

Encryption on MacOS

Like in Windows, MacOS possesses built-in encryption software that you can utilize to protect your USB drive with the help of a password.

1. Inset your drive and transport any files on it somewhere in a secure place.
2. Open the Finder and search for Disk Utility.
3. Select your device from the enumeration on the left-hand side.
4. Move to the Erase tab. In the Format box, select Mac OS Extended (Journaled, Encrypted). You can select a title for your drive.
5. A window will open, requiring you to insert a password. We recommend thinking up a powerful, still unforgettable, as in case if you lose this password, receiving your files back will be challenging, if not impracticable!
6. The deletion and encryption process will start when you select to Choose. When it’s finished, transfer your files back onto the drive. Your files are ready to be encrypted and password-protected.

Conclusions

Whether or not you need to encrypt your USB depends on the significance and kind of data you store there. If your USB keeps photographs of your pet or essays from the educational institution you composed several years before, these are unlikely things that will interest a swindler. Nevertheless, if you hold your work files, legal papers, or agreements and frequently carry them between various devices, we greatly advise USB encryption.

You can utilise different applications to encrypt your drives, such as Cryptsetup, SecurStick, or Lacie. Likewise, you can purchase hardware-encrypted USB drives, which provide quicker admittance and are less likely to attack; still, they can be high-priced.