Protecting your information with hard disk encryption – what you need to know

Ever wondered what you’d do if your laptop, tablet or smartphone was stolen? While the use of security software to protect you from online attacks is common, what about physical threats to your hardware?

Even with a password-protected operating system (OS) your data is still saved to your hard disk in an unencrypted form. Did you know that it can be accessed easily by reinstalling a new OS the over the top of the existing installation?

That’s a big problem. And a big risk to you – and probably your family and employer as well. It’s impossible to protect yourself against physical theft. But it is possible to prevent criminals from getting their hands on the information on your hard disk. This is where your work documents, personal photos and videos, even critical passwords and online banking data lives. So how do you protect your physical hard disk? The answer is by using a technology known as hard disk encryption.

What is disk encryption?

Encryption is a method of making readable information unreadable to people who shouldn’t have access to it. When you encrypt your information, it must decrypted first before it can be read.

Encryption is part of the field of cryptology, a science which deals with the deliberate scrambling of information. While the cryptographic methods of over 2000 years ago were primitive and basic – simply rearranging a few characters – today’s methods use complex mathematical algorithms.

Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) is the most frequently used algorithm, due to its speed and extremely high level of security. At present, there’s no practical way of attacking AES even though the encryption method is well known.

AES, also known as the Rijndael algorithm after its inventors, divides the information to be encrypted into 128-bit data blocks that are encoded with a key of 128, 192 or 256 bits in length. These blocks are written into a 2D table that various mathematical transformations are then applied to.

The binary data can still be read from the hard disk once it has been encrypted, but it no longer makes any sense at all. It’s not even possible to tell what was encrypted. It could be pictures, text files or executable files. Even if the encryption algorithm is known, the data can’t be decoded without having the correct key. So it will remain hidden from strangers.

 

Is AES secure? Testing all possible combinations (or ‘cracking the code’) of a 128-bit key would take several million years of computing time. However, thanks to modern hardware, accessing encrypted data (in conjunction with the correct key) is almost instantaneous.

In other words, you won’t notice any performance issues when your data is encrypted (while it’s being saved) and decrypted (while it’s being read or unscrambled). That’s because your computer’s CPU works much faster than your hard disk can read or write the data.

Why you should use hard disk encryption?

If someone gets physical access to your computer and you aren’t using disk encryption, they can very easily steal all of your files.

It doesn’t matter if you have a good password because an attacker can simply boot to a new operating system off of a USB stick (and bypass your password) to look at your files. Or they can remove your hard disk and put it in a different computer to gain access.

Computers have become an extension of our lives and private information continually piles up on our hard disks. Your computer probably contains work documents, photos and videos, password databases, web browser histories, and other scattered bits of information that doesn’t belong to anyone but you. You should be running full disk encryption on your computer to keep this information private.

Four good reasons why you should use hard disk encryption:

• Hard disk encryption is built in to all major operating systems.


• It’s the only way to protect your data in case your laptop gets lost or stolen.


• It takes minimal effort to get started and use.


• It makes it impossible for someone who isn’t you to access any of your files.

How does hard disk encryption work?

When you turn your computer on, before your operating system can start, you must unlock your disk by supplying the correct encryption key.

The files that make up your operating system are on your encrypted disk. So there’s no way for your computer to work with them until the disk is unlocked.

Typing in your passphrase won’t unlock the whole disk, it just unlocks an encryption key. And the encryption key then unlocks everything on the disk.

But you need to be careful using hard disk encryption that can only be unlocked with a passphrase you’ve memorized. Forget the passphrase and you’ll be locked out of your own computer forever.

Once your computer is on and you’ve entered your passphrase, your disk encryption is completely transparent. Everything works like normal. Your files open and close. Your programs or applications just work. And you won’t notice any performance impact.

Just remember that when your computer is on and unlocked, whoever’s using it has access to all your files and data. Because the encryption is now transparent.

IMPORTANT: disk encryption doesn’t make your computer ‘secure’

Disk encryption is only useful against attackers who have physical access to your computer. It doesn’t make your computer any harder to attack over a network.

All of the common ways you could become a victim of hacking still apply:

• Attackers can still trick you into installing malware.


• You can still visit malicious websites that exploit software bugs in your software, your web browser, or countless other ways.


• When you visit ‘friendly’ websites, network attackers can still secretly make them malicious by modifying or intercepting the web pages in transit.


• Attackers can still exploit services running on your computer, such as network file sharing, music playlist sharing, or torrent service, to name a few.


• And disk encryption doesn’t do anything to stop internet surveillance.

Ways to encrypt your hard disk

There are many encryption programs available, with the main differences being their level of complexity and whether they are free or paid software. Here are just some of the many options:

Bitlocker Drive Encryption (for Windows)

BitLocker is Microsoft’s disk encryption technology. It’s only included on:

• Ultimate and Enterprise editions of Windows Vista and Windows 7


• Enterprise and Pro editions of Windows 8 and 8.1

To see if BitLocker is supported on your version of Windows:

• Open Windows Explorer


• Right-click on your C-drive,


• Look for the “Turn on BitLocker” option

If you see a “Manage BitLocker” option, your disk is already encrypted.

If you’re a Windows 10 user, here’s how to turn on device encryption.

BitLocker is designed to be used with a Trusted Platform Module. This is a tamper-resistant chip built in to new PCs that can store your disk encryption key. Because BitLocker keys are stored in the TPM (by default) you’re not required to enter a passphrase when booting up.

If your computer doesn’t have a TPM (BitLocker will tell you as soon as you try enabling it), it’s possible to use BitLocker without a TPM. You can use a passphrase or USB stick instead.

If you only rely on your TPM to protect your encryption key, your disk will get automatically unlocked just by turning it on. This means an attacker who steals your computer while it’s fully powered off can simply power it on in order to extract the key.

If you want your disk encryption to be much more secure, in addition to using your TPM you should also set a PIN to unlock your disk or require inserting a USB stick on boot. This is more complicated but it provides an extra layer of security.

Bitlocker’s design is user-friendly and comes with advanced options. If you use one of the correct versions of Windows and don’t need additional features, Bitlocker is a solution with no further cost to you.

Steganos Safe

As the name suggests, Steganos Safe is a virtual vault to “lock” your files inside. For example, you can secure your Office documents by saving them directly to the safe. It’s easy to use and offers some special features such as the ability to hide data in images. Your data can be considered very secure thanks to the use of 384-bit Advanced Encryption Standard (AES).

Think of Steganos Safe as your virtual vault. You can try a free 30-day trial.

Diskcryptor

DiskCryptor is open-source software which means users are free to download and modify its source code. You can also choose the encryption algorithm. DiskCryptor is ideal for beginners with a clean, simple user interface, which makes it very easy to navigate through the menus.

 

Like all good encryption programs, DiskCryptor loads before the OS. Windows will only boot if you enter the correct password, which then automatically grants you access to the data.

Understand the risks with ‘free software’ such as TrueCrypt

TrueCrypt was one of the most frequently recommended encryption programs and was used by millions of people. In May 2014, however, the security community was shocked when the software’s anonymous developers shut down the project. The homepage was replaced with a warning that “using TrueCrypt is not secure as it may contain unfixed security issues.”

TrueCrypt recently underwent a thorough security audit showing that it doesn’t have any backdoors or major security issues. Despite this, we don’t recommend using software that isn’t maintained anymore.

When good freeware goes bad. You can still migrate from TrueCrypt to BitLocker following the instructions on TrueCrypt’s website.

Is cloud storage the solution? Not necessarily …

If you use services like Microsoft’s OneDrive, Google Drive or Apple’s iCloud you’re using a cloud storage service. These are a great way to back-up your data but they do come with some risks:

• Your data’s still with a third-party commercial entity. You must understand their security measures and protocols before trusting them with your information.


• Cloud service providers come and go all the time. If your provider disappears will your data be lost forever or backed up somewhere trustworthy?


• Your cloud service provider might be reliable – but they’re only as reliable as your Internet connection. A poor connection may mean you’re unable to access your data when you need it most.


• Security laws vary in different countries. So you really need to understand where your information actually resides. If the physical storage of your data is in a different country, does it need to comply with your local laws and regulations? If not, what legal recourse do you have (if any) should the provider disappear or fail?

No system is perfect. And cloud storage is just the same. Minimize your risk by choosing a reputable provider and always ensuring your data is encrypted.

So much information – what’s the right thing to do?

If you’re using any computer, laptop, tablet or smartphone, you should be using hard disk encryption technology to encrypt your data and personal information.

The time and effort required is minimal. And even if you don’t feel that your data is important now, it’s possible that it could be used against you in the future. Take the time time to learn about the technology options first. It’s very important you don’t risk losing your data by configuring the encryption software incorrectly.

REMEMBER: Hard disk encryption is only designed to prevent access to your data. It’s there to protect you if someone who shouldn’t gains physical access to your device. Other network threats such as malware can still infect your computer and access your data. Even while your OS is still running!

So in addition to using hard disk encryption, we also recommend the use of proven, reliable and widely-used anti-virus software with real-time protection such as Emsisoft Anti-Malware.

 

Related Posts:

• Protect your laptop data from theft – Here’s how


• Why antivirus uses so much RAM – And why that is…


• Decrypter for HydraCrypt and UmbreCrypt available


• How it’s done right: Emsisoft’s Behavior Blocker


• Keysweeper: proof that it’s relatively simple to hack…

Protecting your information with hard disk encryption – what you need to know

The big ‘R’: Ransomware. Why businesses and institutions are at risk and what to do about it

Normally you would expect a ‘state of emergency’ at a hospital. And you’d expect to find cyber criminality somewhere else. But just imagine for a second: what, if the two met in the same place?

A hospital is a place where you’d go to seek advice, help, safety. Where you rely on the doctor’s knowledge and profession to make things better. But what if that place of shelter got in the center of a ‘cyber state of emergency’? No, we’re not trying to make up some scary stories. To give you a real life example, no embellished facts:

In February 2016 (just 3 months ago, that is), Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Centre was forced to declare an ‘internal state of emergency’ because of a ransomware held their files hostage. The incident left employees unable to access patient files and, in particular, emails. As a result, the hospital was unable to continue its day to day operations. Again, just imagine for a second: What, if Doctors could not access information about their patients anymore, their medical histories or the latest lab reports. No communication between other medical centers or medical staff was possible. In brief, it was a disaster.

According to an NBC news report, the Hospital paid a ransom of approximately US $17,000. Hospital CEO, Allen Stefanek, stated that paying the ransom of 40 bitcoins was “the quickest and most efficient way to restore our systems and administrative functions.” He said the hospital did it in the interest of restoring normal operations. In other words, their priority was saving lives.

To allow a better understanding of how this happened, let’s look at the timeline. The malware was initially noticed on the hospital computer on 5 February. It took another ten days for the hospital system to be restored to normal, after paying the ransom fee. For the third time in a row, just sit back and imagine, ‘what, if’ a hospital was unable to commence its daily business from one minute to the next – simply because of a ‘computer problem’. The Presbyterian Medical Centre in Hollywood was lucky – in the end – as fortunately, patient care was not affected, and there’s no evidence patient data was compromised, the hospital said in a statement.

Unfortunately, this story is just one of many. Smaller US Police Departments have also been affected, along with tens of thousands of home computers around the world on a daily basis. Most of the cases don’t even reach to the public surface as businesses want to avoid facing a loss of customers due to a lack of trust. Understandable, but it also plays into the hands of ransomware hackers who take advantage of the fear and silence their tactics create.

But, what exactly are we talking about?

Ransomware – a complex and difficult battlefield

In the ‘good old days’ of ransomware, a scam would simply lock the users’ screen and ask for a payment of $100 – $200 to unlock the screen. Simple. However, unlocking software solutions were often available and a ransom could be avoided. Nowadays, ransomware is infinitely more complex and difficult to decrypt. And here is why.

It is a ticking time bomb. Literally.

Modern ransomware often uses a countdown timer that puts pressure on the user / IT departments to pay the ransom within a short period, such as 48 hours. The victim has little time to search for a solution, which often results in them being forced to pay the ransom, or lose their data.

You cannot reach an attacker that lives in the cloud(s).

Modern ransomware often can’t be decrypted without paying the ransom. This is because all encryption info is stored on servers somewhere in the cloud which can’t be accessed in reasonable time – or at all. Cracking the password by brute force (this means to test all possible variants) is simply impossible as it uses strong encryption that cannot be cracked in a reasonable amount of time – even with the best supercomputer in the world.

Apparently, there is a perfect crime.

We can hear, read and fear as much as we want about the world being under constant surveillance. In this case, truly unfortunately, ‘Big Brother’ does not know everything. In fact, extortion payments via Bitcoin give attackers a method of payment that is impossible to trace.

If you see this, you’ll need to act fast.

The perfect ransomware victims: Businesses

According to Security Magazine and the United States FBI, ransomware is on the rise in 2016. To hackers and cyber-criminals, it makes more sense to target businesses and institutions over home users.

Why are businesses such great targets?

• Blocking or theft of data from a business or institution can cost a business vast sums of money within a short timeframe.


• Businesses also have a reputation to lose – and word-of-mouth travels fast.


• Businesses not only have more to lose – they also have bigger funds than your neighbor next door.


• Last but not least, and the worst part of all: With the endless and trace-less paths of the World Wide Web, hackers use Bitcoin as a ransom payment, which makes the transaction virtually untraceable.

Ramsonware – a global threat to home & business users

What does ‘freedom’ from ransomware cost?

Sums vary widely, and it appears they range from smaller sums of $300 for home-users. Larger sums, such as the $17,000 paid by Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Centre above are being seen more often.

We have written many articles about ransomware and it’s ever-changing variations. Emsisoft first covered a story about ransomware in 2011 . We updated this with a further story about ransomware in 2013 along with dozens of posts about specific ransomware varieties on our blog. It is not only our conclusion that ransomware is continuing to become more complex, and more of a threat – unfortunately, it’s also the conclusion of many of the world’s leading news sources.

Enough scary words, let’s face life: What can YOU do to avoid a ransomware attack?

For starters, to avoid ransomware, it’s vital to update all computer software programs to their latest version. For example Adobe Reader or Skype. Do it right now. We mean it.

Then, installing high-quality, up-to-date anti-malware software, such as Emsisoft Anti-Malware or Emsisoft Internet Security will help detect unusual behavior and will often avoid an attack. Having said that, there is no software that can protect you 100% from ransomware, because of its’ nature.

How does Emsisoft help prevent ransomware on your computer?

Any ransomware that is being executed on an updated (again, do it right now!) system with Emsisoft Anti-Malware or Emsisoft Internet Security running, will be stopped before it can even begin to encrypt any user data. The Emsisoft behavior blocker is trained to detect any type of ransomware. As a demonstration, we recorded how Emsisoft responds to 20 well-known ransomware examples.

What to do if you’ve been attacked by ransomware

Our research team, in particular, Fabian Wosar, develops decrypters for new versions ransomware that has just emerged. We suggest you bookmark this page to get the latest ransomware decrypters from Emsisoft.

Further help and support can be found with our respected friends and at Bleeping Computer, where Emsisoft’s ransomware decrypters are often featured.

At Emsisoft we care about you, your business and possible threats. Immediately, no questions asked. If you get in trouble – get in touch!

Related Posts:

• Stay one step ahead of ransomware – Emsisoft’s…


• Ransomware “Locker” automatically decrypts all…


• Updated ‘Cryptowall 2.0’ Targets Windows Using…


• Warning: File Encrypting Ransomware, Now on Android


• CryptoWall Malvertisments on Yahoo, AOL, Match.com and More

The big ‘R’: Ransomware. Why businesses and institutions are at risk and what to do about it

Stay one step ahead of ransomware – Emsisoft’s Decrypter page

At Emsisoft, we do not simply care about our products. We are also pretty freaking excited about our work, because we love what we do. With that passion for our industry we are proud to have a bunch of dedicated ransomware geeks aboard who spend a lot of time cracking new encryptions. We call them masterminds, internally, because we think they are. So, if these masterminds come across a new crypter they instantly find out if it’s crackable – and how to. If so, we’ll build a decrypter.

If a ransomware attack happens it’s all about time. Usually the victims have only one choice: Pay, or lose the data. In a very short amount of time. That is why our masterminds scan and check for new ransomware every day, mornings, evenings – even at night. The faster a solution is widely available to the public to decrypt a specific fraud, the less criminal hackers will get.

Stay ahead of ransomware – check for decrypter on Emsisoft’s Decrypter page

A decrypter can help victims of these scams instantly to regain access to their computer. Just drag the decrypted file into the decrypter that has affected your data. Best part: At Emsisoft, you’ll get those for free. Because in the end, we do simply care about you. Check out our new Emsisoft Decrypter page for all currently available decrypters. Speaking of – we’re out, searching for new threats, and ways to decrypt them.

>> Meanwhile, see it for yourself: Emsisoft Ransomware Decrypter Downloads

Because: We’re here to fix that!

Related Posts:

• Decrypter for HydraCrypt and UmbreCrypt available


• New Ransomware Alert: CryptoLocker copycat PClock discovered


• Strong indications that ransomware devs don’t like…


• New Cryptolocker copycat PClock2 discovered that targets…


• CryptoDefense: The story of insecure ransomware keys and…

Stay one step ahead of ransomware – Emsisoft’s Decrypter page

Three misconceptions surrounding firewalls

Everyone knows what a firewall is, right? Wrong…

Let’s take a real-life example; does your Mother actually know (or care) what a firewall is? Does your little sister really need a firewall to protect her from the world of online criminals? By clearing up three misconceptions about firewalls, we hope our less-experienced users will understand the place of firewalls in the modern arsenal of online protection options.

Firstly, for our more experienced Emsisoft users, we’ve written previously about the technical definitions and applications of firewalls. After all, firewalls used to be the main way people protected their PCs from nasty programs and spying.

However, things have changed. Nowadays, most online threats behave in a way that makes it impossible for a firewall to protect the majority of everyday Internet users.

3 Misconceptions about firewalls

Misconception 1: Firewall was a good movie(!)

Whilst your Mother may have enjoyed handsome Harrison Ford’s appearance on the 2008 movie Firewall, it’s likely she will admit the film had a rather predictable plot. Sure, Firewall highlighted some of the threats in the online world, but I think you’ll agree that Firewall wasn’t an Oscar-nominating moment for Harrison Ford. Enough said.

Misconception 2: Firewalls protect your computer by detecting malware

Firewalls can provide a false sense of security in the modern online world. Allow us to explain: The main purpose of a software firewall is to eliminate potential entry points attackers could use to get onto your computer. However, what if you put up the firewall when you already have malware active on your PC? You may think you’re protected, but you already have a malware infection and the firewall won’t make it go away.

This is because software firewalls are simply not designed to detect malware that is already active on your PC.

Even with a firewall, malware could be actively communicating your data with a hacker on the other side of the world.

Also, common malware infection methods don’t require using any sort of brute-force methods of breaking into your computer. They infect using methods that a firewall can’t block in the first place, such as convincing the user to run an application that is other than what they think they’re getting.

But, why don’t firewalls detect malware?

While a modern software firewall can stop some outgoing connections from malware, if the malware managed to get into your PC in the first place, it probably also managed to disable your entire firewall to allow the malware to communicate. It’s too late to simply add a firewall. Instead, you’ll need to consider anti-malware software which will actively detect malware hijacking your computer.

For the record, this is not because firewalls are incompetent – it is simply because they are not designed to block malware.

Blocking malware is the task of anti-malware software such as Emsisoft Anti-Malware. A firewall instead ‘hides you’ from the outside, by denying communication with other programs through certain ‘channels’ or ports.

Misconception 3: Firewalls are always HIPS (host-based intrusion prevention systems)

Not so long ago, all software firewall products did exactly what users expected them to do: Filter network data. Today, that’s still the classic definition of the term ‘firewall’; however, firewall technology was soon ‘developed to death’ (= no more space for innovation -> all vendors offering a similar level of quality). Therefore, vendors started to add new and often overkill features to their firewall products, such as monitoring of all sorts of operating system changes and detecting thousands of other ‘suspect’ things.

The major problem with these technologies is that for all their monitoring and detection capability they are relatively clumsy. They tend to raise an alert for each and every action that could possibly lead to an attack, but the truth is that about 99.9% of all such alerted actions are not malicious.

As mentioned earlier, such alerts are annoying and even dangerous because they can train users to click ‘Allow’, day in, day out.

Eventually, the users’ well-intended and complacent clicking of ‘allow’ is likely to allow an intruder through the gate.

HIPS are therefore recommended for experts only, who can fully understand the large amount of alerts they produce and take advantage of the extra protection layer this can provide.

HIPS are the forebearers of modern anti-malware software

A lot of credit is due to HIPS: Firewall technology doesn’t make HIPS irrelevant to everyday users. In fact, the technology behind HIPS is what eventually evolved into behavior blocking, an essential component of modern anti-malware. Thanks to what behavior blocking borrows from HIPS, false alarms from antivirus software using the technology are now extremely rare. Behavior blocking isn’t HIPS though, and neither is the term freely interchangeable with ‘firewall’.

For our less experienced users (such as your Mother) nowadays, it’s sufficient to say that most PC users can be protected by high-quality Internet security software which not only protects your computer, but also detects active malware.

What should most everyday computer users do?

In conclusion; if you are a computer user that frequently travels and connects your laptop to different networks such as public WiFi and Cafes, we recommend running Emsisoft Internet Security (which has a built-in software firewall). If you mostly run your computer on the same Internet connection, you can simply run Emsisoft Anti-Malware (Windows 7 and above has a built-in software firewall).

With either Emsisoft product, you will be protected, and you can be sure both versions will detect any malware active on your computer: Firewall or no firewall.

A reminder to our existing customers: Should you wish to upgrade from Emsisoft Anti-Malware to Emsisoft Internet Security at any stage, you can do this at any time via the ‘renewal’ button. On the other hand, should you ever wish to ‘downgrade’ from Emsisoft Internet Security to Emsisoft Anti-Malware, our customer service team would be happy to assist you.

In the meantime, have a nice, well protected day!

Related Posts:

• What’s the point of having a firewall?


• Emsisoft Online Armor support roadmap


• Warning: There’s a rabid POODLE running loose in SSL


• Stable update: Emsisoft Anti-Malware and Internet Security…


• Emsisoft Anti-Malware & Emsisoft Internet Security…

Three misconceptions surrounding firewalls