Create Secure Storage Space on a USB Flash Drive with TrueCrypt

Carrying around data on an unprotected USB Flash Drive can lead to all kinds of problems if the flash drive gets lost (or stolen). Anyone finding it could plug it into the next computer to access all data that is stored on the storage device. The main problem is that anyone can access the data if the date is not secured on the USB Flash Drive.

While this might not be a problem if the stick contains a software collection it could very well be a privacy or security risk if the data on the stick is personal. Think of photos, documents and private information like Credit Card numbers, contacts or emails.

The only practicable way or preventing this from happening is to secure all or some of the data on the USB Flash Drive. Secured data can only be accessed after providing a pass phrase that was selected during creation.

One of the best free tools for the job is the Open Source software TrueCrypt. TrueCrypt is compatible with several Microsoft operating systems like Windows XP or Windows Vista but also Mac OS X and Linux. This makes the tool excellent even if it has to be accessed on computers running different operating systems.

The latest version of TrueCrypt can be downloaded from the developer’s website for all supported operating systems. TrueCrypt can not only be used to create a secure storage space but also to encrypt entire hard drives or partitions. It uses automatic, real-time and transparent encryption.

The above image is showing the TrueCrypt interface after installation. A click on the Create Volume button will start the process of creating a new secure storage space. TrueCrypt will ask about the kind of volume to be created.

The option to create an encrypted file container will be used to create the secure storage space. An alternative would be to select Encrypt a non-system partition / drive to encrypt the complete Flash Drive.

Select to create a standard TrueCrypt volume.

Select the location of the secure file in the next step. A click on the Select File button will open a file browser. Browse to the drive letter of the USB Flash Drive and enter a name as the filename. It does not have to be anything special, just make sure it follows the file naming conventions of the operating system. Something like test, drive or docs would do. It is possible to enter the name right in the Volume Location field.

It is now time to select the encryption and hash algorithm. All available algorithms are secure which basically means it is up to the user to pick one. A good choice is to keep AES as the encryption algorithm and pick SHA-512 as the Hash algorithm.

Select a size for the secure storage on the USB Flash Drive. The maximum size is the free space that is currently available on the device.

Now it is time to select a secure password that will be used to access the data that is stored in the secure storage space. The password should be relatively long and contain lower case, upper case, numbers and special characters. It is advised to use at least 20 characters.

Move the mouse around in the next window to create the random pool. Moving the mouse longer around will increase the strength of the encryption key. A click on format will start the creating process.

This can take a few minutes depending on the size of the volume. A message that the volume was successfully created will appear and end the process.

Whenever data has to be accessed on the volume it has to be mounted using the password that was selected during creation.
To mount a volume select a free drive letter in the main TrueCrypt interface and click on Select Device. Navigate to the location of the filename that has been picked during the creation of the volume. The last step is simply to select Mount from the main interface again which asks for the password. If the password is supplied the volume will be mounted which will make the data accessible.

Once a device or file has been mounted it can be used like any other device on the system. It is possible to copy, move, delete, edit or create data.