External Hard Drive Storage - Security / Software

Hi

I've recently purchased a 500 gig external usb iomega hard drive and
was wondering is there any security / software that people can
recommend.

I am looking for the type of system such as the U3 system that they
have on ScanDisk storage. I have a ScanDisk Cruzer 2 gig usb key and
it has the U3 launcher with great password protection and a range of
software you can install to be run off the disk.

Freeware would be ideal but if the software does the right job i
wouldnt mind parting with the few quid.

Thanks

Ben

Previously Ben <1059107@gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi

> I've recently purchased a 500 gig external usb iomega hard drive and
> was wondering is there any security / software that people can
> recommend.

> I am looking for the type of system such as the U3 system that they
> have on ScanDisk storage. I have a ScanDisk Cruzer 2 gig usb key and
> it has the U3 launcher with great password protection and a range of
> software you can install to be run off the disk.

So you are not interested in real recurity, just some simple,
maybe kid-proof password scheme? AFAIK U3 does not encrypt
and is basically broken...

> Freeware would be ideal but if the software does the right job i
> wouldnt mind parting with the few quid.

Since U3 is broken, the question is what you really want.

Arno

On Jul 23, 12:48 pm, Arno Wagner <m...@privacy.net> wrote:
> Previously Ben <1059...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > Hi
> > I've recently purchased a 500 gig external usb iomega hard drive and
> > was wondering is there any security / software that people can
> > recommend.
> > I am looking for the type of system such as the U3 system that they
> > have on ScanDisk storage. I have a ScanDisk Cruzer 2 gig usb key and
> > it has the U3 launcher with great password protection and a range of
> > software you can install to be run off the disk.
>
> So you are not interested in real recurity, just some simple,
> maybe kid-proof password scheme? AFAIK U3 does not encrypt
> and is basically broken...
>
> > Freeware would be ideal but if the software does the right job i
> > wouldnt mind parting with the few quid.
>
> Since U3 is broken, the question is what you really want.
>
> Arno

Im looking to have a similar system as U3 with regards to the software
install onto the disc and the fact that it has password protection.
Just want to know what people are using on theirs so i can download
and run the same. Yes i want something secure but its not the end of
the world of some little chinese kid half way across the globe can
crack my external HD

Answers on postcards...
ben

Previously Ben <1059107@gmail.com> wrote:
> On Jul 23, 12:48 pm, Arno Wagner <m...@privacy.net> wrote:
>> Previously Ben <1059...@gmail.com> wrote:
>> > Hi
>> > I've recently purchased a 500 gig external usb iomega hard drive and
>> > was wondering is there any security / software that people can
>> > recommend.
>> > I am looking for the type of system such as the U3 system that they
>> > have on ScanDisk storage. I have a ScanDisk Cruzer 2 gig usb key and
>> > it has the U3 launcher with great password protection and a range of
>> > software you can install to be run off the disk.
>>
>> So you are not interested in real recurity, just some simple,
>> maybe kid-proof password scheme? AFAIK U3 does not encrypt
>> and is basically broken...
>>
>> > Freeware would be ideal but if the software does the right job i
>> > wouldnt mind parting with the few quid.
>>
>> Since U3 is broken, the question is what you really want.
>>
>> Arno

> Im looking to have a similar system as U3 with regards to the software
> install onto the disc and the fact that it has password protection.
> Just want to know what people are using on theirs so i can download
> and run the same. Yes i want something secure but its not the end of
> the world of some little chinese kid half way across the globe can
> crack my external HD

Ok, that is difficult. The problem is that U3 does the password thing
actually in hardware and the U3 flash drives have an extra
microcontroller and a second partition for this. You cannot easily
replicate this with a harddisk.

One thing you can use is truecrupt (free software, http://www.truecrypt.org/).
It does require installation though and its security-level will bve
overkill.

Arno

On Jul 24, 11:41 am, Arno Wagner <m...@privacy.net> wrote:
> Previously Ben <1059...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > On Jul 23, 12:48 pm, Arno Wagner <m...@privacy.net> wrote:
> >> Previously Ben <1059...@gmail.com> wrote:
> >> > Hi
> >> > I've recently purchased a 500 gig external usb iomega hard drive and
> >> > was wondering is there any security / software that people can
> >> > recommend.
> >> > I am looking for the type of system such as the U3 system that they
> >> > have on ScanDisk storage. I have a ScanDisk Cruzer 2 gig usb key and
> >> > it has the U3 launcher with great password protection and a range of
> >> > software you can install to be run off the disk.
>
> >> So you are not interested in real recurity, just some simple,
> >> maybe kid-proof password scheme? AFAIK U3 does not encrypt
> >> and is basically broken...
>
> >> > Freeware would be ideal but if the software does the right job i
> >> > wouldnt mind parting with the few quid.
>
> >> Since U3 is broken, the question is what you really want.
>
> >> Arno
> > Im looking to have a similar system as U3 with regards to the software
> > install onto the disc and the fact that it has password protection.
> > Just want to know what people are using on theirs so i can download
> > and run the same. Yes i want something secure but its not the end of
> > the world of some little chinese kid half way across the globe can
> > crack my external HD
>
> Ok, that is difficult. The problem is that U3 does the password thing
> actually in hardware and the U3 flash drives have an extra
> microcontroller and a second partition for this. You cannot easily
> replicate this with a harddisk.
>
> One thing you can use is truecrupt (free software,http://www.truecrypt.org/).
> It does require installation though and its security-level will bve
> overkill.
>
> Arno- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

Thanks for your reply

By overkill do you mean the simple transfer of files will incur a
password prompt 20 times?

Thanks

Previously Ben <1059107@gmail.com> wrote:
> On Jul 24, 11:41 am, Arno Wagner <m...@privacy.net> wrote:
>> Previously Ben <1059...@gmail.com> wrote:
>> > On Jul 23, 12:48 pm, Arno Wagner <m...@privacy.net> wrote:
>> >> Previously Ben <1059...@gmail.com> wrote:
>> >> > Hi
>> >> > I've recently purchased a 500 gig external usb iomega hard drive and
>> >> > was wondering is there any security / software that people can
>> >> > recommend.
>> >> > I am looking for the type of system such as the U3 system that they
>> >> > have on ScanDisk storage. I have a ScanDisk Cruzer 2 gig usb key and
>> >> > it has the U3 launcher with great password protection and a range of
>> >> > software you can install to be run off the disk.
>>
>> >> So you are not interested in real recurity, just some simple,
>> >> maybe kid-proof password scheme? AFAIK U3 does not encrypt
>> >> and is basically broken...
>>
>> >> > Freeware would be ideal but if the software does the right job i
>> >> > wouldnt mind parting with the few quid.
>>
>> >> Since U3 is broken, the question is what you really want.
>>
>> >> Arno
>> > Im looking to have a similar system as U3 with regards to the software
>> > install onto the disc and the fact that it has password protection.
>> > Just want to know what people are using on theirs so i can download
>> > and run the same. Yes i want something secure but its not the end of
>> > the world of some little chinese kid half way across the globe can
>> > crack my external HD
>>
>> Ok, that is difficult. The problem is that U3 does the password thing
>> actually in hardware and the U3 flash drives have an extra
>> microcontroller and a second partition for this. You cannot easily
>> replicate this with a harddisk.
>>
>> One thing you can use is truecrupt (free software,http://www.truecrypt.org/).
>> It does require installation though and its security-level will bve
>> overkill.
>>
>> Arno- Hide quoted text -
>>
>> - Show quoted text -

> Thanks for your reply

> By overkill do you mean the simple transfer of files will incur a
> password prompt 20 times?

Hehe. No. I mean that you get a very high security level.
As far as I understand you ''mount'' a volume once with truecrypt and
then you can access it just as a regular volume until you remove it
again.

This ''ask password very often to make the user believe it is secure''
is a Microsoft-only insanity.

Arno

Ben <1059107@gmail.com> wrote in news:1185181830.066534.297690@
57g2000hsv.googlegroups.com:

> Hi
>
> I've recently purchased a 500 gig external usb iomega hard drive and
> was wondering is there any security / software that people can
> recommend.

http://www.truecrypt.org/

I think you may have a problem with permissions if you try to use it on
somone else's computer.

On Jul 24, 1:11 pm, bealoid <sig...@bealoid.co.uk> wrote:
> Ben <1059...@gmail.com> wrote in news:1185181830.066534.297690@
> 57g2000hsv.googlegroups.com:
>
> > Hi
>
> > I've recently purchased a 500 gig external usb iomega hard drive and
> > was wondering is there any security / software that people can
> > recommend.
>
> http://www.truecrypt.org/
>
> I think you may have a problem with permissions if you try to use it on
> somone else's computer.

Thanks for your replies

As in truecrypt's security will only be associated with my computer?

I wouldve thought that this would have been a simple procedure with
lots of people using external hard drives but google doesnt throw up a
lot either!

Ben

Previously Ben <1059107@gmail.com> wrote:
> On Jul 24, 1:11 pm, bealoid <sig...@bealoid.co.uk> wrote:
>> Ben <1059...@gmail.com> wrote in news:1185181830.066534.297690@
>> 57g2000hsv.googlegroups.com:
>>
>> > Hi
>>
>> > I've recently purchased a 500 gig external usb iomega hard drive and
>> > was wondering is there any security / software that people can
>> > recommend.
>>
>> http://www.truecrypt.org/
>>
>> I think you may have a problem with permissions if you try to use it on
>> somone else's computer.

> Thanks for your replies

> As in truecrypt's security will only be associated with my computer?

I don't think so. That would, for example, make the drive unusable if
your main drive crashed. A grave design error. AFAIK truecrypt
will work if you know the passphrase for your drive.

> I wouldve thought that this would have been a simple procedure with
> lots of people using external hard drives but google doesnt throw up a
> lot either!

People are mostly ignorant about security, so it is not a
large market.

Arno