You Need To Encrypt Your Drives! (Seriously...)

Do you need to encrypt your hard drive or solid state drive using an encryption tool like Bitlocker, FileVault, or Veracrypt for your Windows or MacOS laptop/desktop? ABSOLUTELY! In this Techlore video tutorial/guide, I discuss and demonstrate the reasons why it is an absolutely necessity for you to encrypt your drives in order to properly secure your files, programs, and operating system from a basic attack involving booting into a live Linux distribution and mounting any unencrypted drive without your password. This can lead to viruses, keyloggers, identity theft, stolen documents/files, deleted documents/files, or writing illegal files which don't belong to you.
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This is an extremely fast and simple hack/attack which can be done by any person who has a few minutes of physical access to your computer. This works on any version of Windows, any version of MacOS, and on both laptops and desktops as long as the drive is not encrypted. Even if you have a password to login! (A password is not drive encryption) This is a basic requirement if you hope to protect your digital security and privacy.
How to Make Bootable Linux Drive: • Create Bootable Linux ...
Veracrypt: www.veracrypt....
Veracrypt Tutorial: • Veracrypt Get Started ...
Additional Notes:
1) The absolute best thing you can do to combat this problem is by spreading the message. Make sure to share this video with all of your friends! Odds are they have no idea this is possible and think that a basic login password is enough. Protect your friends and family 👍
2) I am fully aware the both FileVault and BitLocker use proprietary encryption which most likely has backdoors by the company and/or the government. A) Having ANY encryption is still infinitely better than having nothing, B) These are the absolutely simplest ways to encrypt your computer and C) If you want genuinely good open encryption, consider using Veracrypt or a PGP drive encryption tool, although they are a bit trickier to setup.
3) Macs only mount in read-only, so you aren't able to copy files to a Mac computer or modify the Mac files. But you still have the capability of viewing them and copying them to another computer...still a huge risk!
4) Like the video says, adding a password to modify the boot priority and/or access the BIOS at all is an excellent security precaution, but it won't help you at all from someone who physically removes the drive from your computer.
5) A huge security benefit is if your laptop is ever lost or stolen, you know your data is safe :) Loading viruses and keyloggers are very sophisticated and quite honestly uncommon. Simple data robbery is the main attack we're avoiding.
#veracrypt #encryption #hacked

[@techlore]

Additional Notes: 1) The absolute best thing you can do to combat this problem is by spreading the message. Make sure to share this video with all of your friends! Odds are they have no idea this is possible and think that a basic login password is enough. Protect your friends and family 👍 2) I am fully aware the both FileVault and BitLocker use proprietary encryption which most likely has backdoors by the company and/or the government. A) Having ANY encryption is still infinitely better than having nothing, B) These are the absolutely simplest ways to encrypt your computer and C) If you want genuinely good open encryption, consider using Veracrypt or a PGP drive encryption tool, although they are a bit trickier to setup. 3) Macs only mount in read-only, so you aren't able to copy files to a Mac computer or modify the Mac files. But you still have the capability of viewing them and copying them to another computer...still a huge risk! 4) Like the video says, adding a password to modify the boot priority and/or access the BIOS at all is an excellent security precaution, but it won't help you at all from someone who physically removes the drive from your computer. 5) A huge security benefit is if your laptop is ever lost or stolen, you know your data is safe :) Loading viruses and keyloggers are very sophistacted and quite honestly uncommon. Simple data robbery is the main attack we're avoiding.

[@doctor7z]

For VPNs, would you recommend Virtual Shield or Nord?

[@techlore]

I’ve never used Virtual Shield so I really can’t give an opinion on them. Nord has consistently been a very good performer in the testing on the channel. Virtual shield is on the list to review 👍

[@ceruleanphoenix993]

2 things. First, is VeraCrypt encrypting the entire drive or just a part of it? Second, keep in mind and inform people that they can actually get "hacked" without the "hacker" ever touching their computer by simply being connected to the same wifi connection!

[@techlore]

Veracrypt can do both as far I know...individual files and full drive encryption.

[@JoseRodriguez-gw8kg]

how do you get your flash drive to do this? Could you make a video for that

[@zachmcfadden716]

I did this to a school laptop, booted from a live linux usb, changed the magnify to cmd, giving me full admin cmd access without even logging in, typed a few commands, and had my own full access local account in 15 minutes

[@techlore]

Then what you do is change the wallpaper to “Encrypt your drives IT department” and wait for them to get half a clue as to how to properly secure their devices. Shame on them for not encrypting that stuff. Students are logging in every day with personal information...that is just so ridiculous.

[@randomsnow6510]

I was going to do that but coronavirus happened. I would of had to unplug the harddrive to hack the boot order because the bios has security.

[@mlgoverrated745]

My school has the bios locked and I don’t know where the cmos battery is

[@jamesedwards3923]

Softwate encrypting the drive would have stopped you. Wow, your school was lazy.

[@aussiegruber86]

@@mlgoverrated745battery trick does always work

[@NoEgg4u]

Performance considerations: If you use Bitlocker or VeraCrypt, etc, to encrypt your partition(s) (meaning: everything is encrypted), then know that your CPU will always be using cycles to encrypt and decrypt every read and write function, which is significant. So you will see a performance hit. For general use, you might not notice. But if you are, for example, rendering videos (or doing any other type of CPU intensive work that will use all of your CPU cores and CPU cycles), then your work will suffer, as it will take noticeably longer. If you do not need to encrypt 100% of your files, then I suggest that you use VeraCrypt to create an encrypted, virtual drive, and you can store all of your sensitive files in that encrypted, virtual drive. As noted in the video, that encrypted drive (which will be a single file) can be copied by anyone that has physical access to your computer. But as long as you used a proper passphrase, then that file will be useless to them -- it will be gibberish. This will not, however, prevent them from deleting your encrypted drive (file), or screwing with any other files on your computer. So be sure to backup your computer to an external drive, which only you can physically possess. A cloud backup is an option, and is better than no backup. But if your computer will not boot, you will have additional hurdles in copying your cloud files back to your computer for a restore. And do you want a cloud service (a 3rd party) to have copies of your sensitive files? Cheers!

[@jamesedwards3923]

Agreed. I have encrypted my systems. One is a multifunction rig. Primarily for streaming and editing. Your security is in correlation to your threat modeling. If you want to encrypt everything. Which is normally my default for primary drives. I suggest you invest here: 1) Buy the fastest processor you can. 2) By the one with the most cores you can afford. 3) RAM, faster is better always, but in real world applications. There is a limit. Unless you are doing some heavy stuff on it. Most of us are not. Video editing, rendering, etc. For the average users and casual gamers. They will not notice much difference. With every computer I have ever owned. RAM is what I normally consider one of the key upgrades. 4) For your OS partition, a platter drive is more secure. An SSD. Given the technology and how it works at current. Is less secure in most instances, but speeds up performance even on older rigs. Extending their life. There are ways to mitigate security risks with SSDs.

[@jamesedwards3923]

@«tutacat» Look up hardware encryption standards and breaches. Garbage. I use it as a layer. Not as my absolute line of for security. Even Microsoft gives instructions to disable hardware encryption. Software encryption all the way.

[@jamesedwards3923]

@«tutacat» From what I read. Hardware encryption sucks. OPAL was poorly implemented. I use it as weak 2FA. A common thief will steal the drive. Think it is busted. Thus they will either wipe the drive or toss it in the trash in fustration. Fail Safe or Fail Secure? I lean on Fail Secure most of the time. Any mission critical data is typically software encrypted. Either as individual files or an encrypted partition. This will not stop an informed individual. Or a government agency. If somebody broke into my house. I doubt they would have a clue. Also, their are plenty of forms and KZbin Videos on how to bypass the weakest of hardware encryption. With relative ease. Now some are better than others. However, I do not bet the farm on hardware encyrption. winaero.com/disable-hardware-bitlocker-encryption/ linustechtips.com/topic/991420-major-ssd-hardware-encryption-flaws-discovered/ www.digitaltrends.com/computing/western-digital-encryption-flaws/ redmondmag.com/articles/2018/11/06/microsoft-ssd-security-advisory.aspx www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/flaws-in-popular-ssd-drives-bypass-hardware-disk-encryption/ www.tomshardware.com/news/crucial-samsung-ssd-encryption-bypassed,38025.html www.tomshardware.com/news/crucial-samsung-ssd-encryption-bypassed,38025.html www.reddit.com/r/DataHoarder/comments/5z2gmf/do_western_digital_external_drives_still_have/ www.pcworld.com/article/398130/bitlocker-windows-built-in-encryption-tool-no-longer-trusts-your-ssds-hardware-protection.html www.zdnet.com/article/flaws-in-self-encrypting-ssds-let-attackers-bypass-disk-encryption/ www.computerworld.com/article/2995516/western-digital-self-encrypting-hard-disk-drives-have-flaws-that-can-expose-data.html arstechnica.com/information-technology/2015/10/western-digital-self-encrypting-hard-drives-riddled-with-security-flaws/?comments=1

[@jamesedwards3923]

​@«tutacat» Disclaimer: I am not an expert. I read things. Watch KZbin Videos. As well as draw conclusions from my own experiences. LOL, you want to take that risk for senstive data. Knock yourself out. I never suggest long term storage. Of senstive data. On a hardware encrypted drive. My only exception is if the files are individiually encrypted. That is fine. Senstive naked data long term on a hardware encrypted drive? Absolutely not. I Own a few old and new hardware encrypted drives. All of them are on a compromised list. Last I checked, they all had firmware updates. As far as speed. I am generally going agree with you. Since you would also have to account settings both on the OS and and hardware. Not to mention bus speeds. Etc. LOL, if you can afford after. Buy faster. Every milisecond counts. One of the things I learned using VeraCrypt. Is that in some rare instances. There is slow down depending on what I am doing. The best I can do is buy a faster processor with more cores. Which for the moment is not required. For gaming. A faster graphics cand and going above 60Hrtz. Seems to be bottlenecking my FPS. Now what I could do is enable virtual memory. However, that is in itself is a security risks. Granted minimal since the entire drive is encrypted. Also I have not maxed out my RAM. What I have personally observed. Is that during certain processes. Even when I use all the cores on my processor. Opersations that require way more cycles. Before I encrypted the drive. This was not a problem at all. Thus I advise everyone. If you are going total OS drive encryption with VeraCrypt. Which I recommend everybody does. You must buy all the cores you can. Lite users will see absolutely no difference. Casual web browsing. Videos with minor editing. I use bitlocker, but to a limited extent. Only out of convience, nothing more. To people I talk to and or know off line. I tell them. If you are not software encrypting your senstive data. They are fools. Fail Safe or Fail Secure?

[@librepo_onYT]

@@jamesedwards3923 Decently new hardwares would probably be able to encrypt and decrypt simultaneously without a noticable slowdown as long as your CPU have the AES new instruction. I have a laptop from 2016 and with full disk encryption, and it has only been experiencing 2-5 frames drop when playing games.

[@slap_my_hand]

It's crazy to think that there are really people out there who leave their data completely unprotected while I'm deep down in the rabbit hole of encryption and trying to close every tiny loophole that could enable someone with physical access to perform an evil maid attack on me.

[@jamesedwards3923]

Same here dude. I know people who make no effort to encrypt their phones. I know one person who made no effort to wipe a phone after it was completely compromised. Nor did they destroy it and buy a new one. You know what I learned about users? They are not ignorant in the general or laymen sense. They are just lazy. Until they get powned. Most of them will never make even a decent basic effort. Even then, they do not care. If one more person bitches and complains to me offline. Here are my following questions: 1) Did you use a password manger? 2) Did you use complicated and long passwords. For the codes you must remember? 3) Did you enable OTP and FIDO keys for all accounts that allow it? - Did you disable SMS on all accounts that allow you to turn it off? Yes, I acknowledge some accounts you do not have a choice.

[@eeaotly]

Every time when I was paranoid I lost important information.

[@B1_GGS]

good job bring this to light everyone should use full disk encryption

[@techlore]

It makes less than a 10% difference on any modern machine, this is not a noticeable difference whatsoever. If you have an SSD, this will be almost no difference.

[@jamesedwards3923]

Upgrades will be completed soon on all devices.

[@Christian-wg7gz]

This youtuber actually makes good and informative content. Keep up the good work!!!!!!!!!

[@techlore]

Thanks for the kind words :)

[@ithound]

Its also worth encrypting the backup drive as when Mac and windows backup encrypted operating systems the backup is not encrypted.

[@jamesedwards3923]

Correct.

[@seelensand]

btw: Windows 10, even the home edition, includes a "disk encryption" feature which will be available in the settings if your device uses a TPM (modern processors can actually have a TPM integrated into the CPU, at least that's the case with my Ryzen and modern laptops usually have some sort of TPM too) and has said TPM activated together with secure boot. Modern laptops often have all of this enabled and might even have the disk encryption feature activated by default. Of course, VeraCrypt is more secure, simply because it's opensource but also a lot more, but disk encryption has the advantage of being easy to use, literally one click on one button on the settings and that's it, no restart required and it does not need the user to remember a strong password and type it in on every boot so it is a lot better for "non tech savvy people" as it's easy and painless.

[@jamesedwards3923]

Disclaimer: I am not a cybers security expert or scientist. I just read casually. I am a layman. Remember this is the internet. Hardware encryption is weak. This has been well documented. Unless you have a absolute minimal assumption of threats in your models. I do not recommend using hardware encryption as a single layer at all. If at all possible software encryption is the preferred option. If you do not believe me. Take a few hours out of your day and run a search on hardware encryption flaws.

[@jamesedwards3923]

TPM are a component of encrypting anything on a computer. I do not even mention it since it is a standard component. Like a math coprocessor. When I talk about hardware encryption. I am referring to the OPAL standard.

[@jamesedwards3923]

If you want to stick with Microsoft Encryption. Research EFS for Microsoft Windows Professional and higher. If you used Windows NT or Windows 2000 back in the day. You should be aware of this. I have incomplete casual data. So I do not know all the strengths and weaknesses. Cumbersome, but not bad for low threat environments.

[@Puchowalkerturner]

This channel is very underrated (in my opinion!)

[@techlore]

Thanks for watching!

[@techlore]

Wow Stephen thanks so much for all the nice comments 😀 Yes, that support link is the best way to give back; I also recently setup Brave Rewards on the KZbin channel itself if you use BAT. You’ve already given back in encouragement and support, so thank you!

[@jamesedwards3923]

That is because he makes harder subjects easier to understand. Telling people how use more powerful tools to further secure their data. Of course it is underrated.

[@ps2hacker]

The only trouble with encrypting your system drive in Windows is that you will have to boot from some other partition that isn't encrypted. Sometimes Windows sets itself up to do that when it installs, but not always. In that case, you will have a hidden partition named SYSTEM_RESERVED, and you will not have the hidden directory BOOT or hidden file BOOTMGR in the root of your system drive, that's how you can tell. In that case, drive encryption won't be an issue.

[@jamesedwards3923]

LOL, I still need to buy a cheap, but vial microSD or flash drive. For my recovery disk. All critical data is not on the primary drive. Two internals and external SSD for backing up daily stuff.

[@jamesedwards3923]

You can install and configure to boot from a flash drive. I have not learned how to do this yet. In time I will and adjust my security protocols accordingly.

[@Flowave-cc5ul]

I'm do dumb coz o was like " oh that mini-fridge is a great Idea to keep drinks and snacks there I'm going to get one " ...just realized its your pc tower

[@SyberPrepper]

Great video. I use Acronis image backup software. If you encrypt the whole drive with Veracrypt, will this prevent using image backup software like Acronis? Thanks.

[@techlore]

Never tested this but my guess is yes. If it somehow does clone they’ll still need a password to decrypt it. Someone chime in if I’m wrong.

[@ps2hacker]

I assume that your Acronis is on some kind of bootable media, like a CD or USB drive. In that case, you can still use it, but the backup images will also be encrypted. But you can copy and restore the encrypted images, and they will still work. There is only one backup/disc imaging program, the one I use, that can make a backup image of the system that it's running on, so doesn't have to be booted in a different os, and it's called SelfImage. If you make a backup using that, in the running system, then the backup will NOT be encrypted. SelfImage is freeware, and makes standard format *.img flat disc images that will work with many different programs, like WinHex, WinImage, and many others.

[@ps2hacker]

@@MarkUnique Which aspect? I'll admit, my drive isn't encrypted, so I have never tried it. But I assume that the decryption takes place at a lower level, so it will be presented to the software the same way as it's presented to the user, and therefore if the system is running, it's decrypted already, and so will be the backup. But like I said, backing up the running system is a trick in itself that I only know of one software that can do at all. Generally speaking, as a rule, you can't backup the running system disc, so you can only backup the disc from another bootable os of some kind.

[@ps2hacker]

@@MarkUnique It shouldn't be a big issue. Generally speaking, backup software has to be it's own bootable os, and it should make brute force backups just fine. If you are making your own backups to restore your system, and you know the password, then it shouldn't be a problem, the software is brute force, sector for sector, so it will copy the drive encrypted. If you know the password, you can use them like normal. But for someone like say, the police, who want to make an image of your drive to gather evidence of some kind against you, it's a problem, without the password, the images are useless.

[@rhymingdinosaur964]

Im so happy i subbed. Techlore ur on point with ur content

[@techlore]

Thanks Rhyming Dinosaur :)

[@ejonesss]

the framing part i doubt would work very well unless you have a police department that does not have access to the advanced forensics lab. most of the really bad stuff that can get someone put in jail like c/sam a halfway forensics department will be able to read the meta data of the files and will see someone from the outside put it there to set you up. it is far easier to swat someone as it is a popular thing to do as a result of being in live streaming but even then many police departments are learning what swatting is and is working with the 911 dispatch centers to trace the false alarms.

[@wannabe-01]

I didden´t know that my laptop missed the TPM. So i had to make a GPO. Greate video !

[@redeyesdrogon786]

Awesome video man! Awesome video! Keep up the good work bro!

[@techlore]

Thanks bro!

[@impermanenthuman8427]

Awesome video as usual! One more thing to growl about windows on this issue though, is when you specifically buy windows 10 pro largely for the convenience of bitlocker capability, then the system tells you that you still can’t use bitlocker because you don’t have a TPM (trusted platform module) on the laptop motherboard...fuming, should have just bought home and used Veracrypt for free which is regarded as more secure, and if you ever want to take the drive out of your laptop for mobility and install it in another system then once unencrypted you can still use the drive, where if it’s bound to the TPM on your motherboard then it makes life hard for you...but then...your even more fuming when you find out your Samsung SSD that you just loaded your new copy of Windows 10 pro onto, is capable of ‘hardware level encryption’ and has a chip in it that does all the encrypt/unencrypt in real time with no performance lag on your system because the process isn’t done by your processor AND there is currently no known way to hack it by any means, whereas there are ways to hack bitlocker and Veracrypt with enough skill time and energy So annoyed Samsung built an awesome feature into their ssd’s and virtually keep it a secret!? marketing really needs to communicate with the engineering dept better, plus I still don’t quite know how to set it up though, instructions for it are sparse and I think I need to use Veracrypt with it too? Would love a decent tutorial on how to set it up with windows and Ubuntu? or at least a proper tech support number to ring so they can walk me through it? please...😬 I wonder how many people there are out there that also have Samsung ssd’s (plus some other premium brand ssd’s) that have no idea there ssd is capable of the best encryption method of all?

[@techlore]

It completely is frustrating! I actually made a tutorial for this though lol: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jYuofYmYp7p4ha8 (It’s old so don’t be too harsh) And yes Samsung totally kept this under the radar which is crazy! I only use Samsung SSDs and having that functionality is absolutely spectacular and doesn’t require crappy bitlocker

[@SpiderRL]

When trying to enable BitLocker, I get an error saying "This device can't use a Trusted Platform Module". How can I fix this?

[@btno222]

CHANGE YOUR EFI OR BIOS AND ENTER HARD DRIVE PASSWORD AND ADMIN PASSWORD THEN ALSO TPM BITLOCK ON WINDOWS, THEN ALSO BLOCK SMB PORTS AND PORT 445, CHANGE YOUR NETWORK 'WORKGROUP' DEFAULT TO SOMETHING ELSE! UTILIZE PFSENSE FROM THE CABLE MODEM, DISABLE THE WIFI ON THE MODEM IF YOU CAN'T GET A DOCSIS 3.0 MODEM..IF YOU DO GET A NEW MODEM ONE YOU BUY ON YOUR OWN YOU WOULD NEED TO REGISTER THAT ONE MODEM DOCSIS 3.0 TYPE WITH YOUR ISP CABLE COMPANY!!! I LIKE MESH WIFI BUT THAT TOO IS A VULNERABILITY SO IF YOU WANT AND ARE PARAZ CAT 5 IT IF YOU WANT IT CAT 6 IT DOWN TO THE FASTER THROUGHPUT LAN TOPOLOGY WITH ITS SERIOUS UPLOAD AND DOWNLOAD 10Gbps ON YOUR LAN GRANTED YOU GOT THE HARDWARE SUPPORT FOR IT... I DUNNO ??? DO YOU

[@stephenajulu]

@techlore i have a dynamic disk full of data and my external drive stopped working, how can i encrypt it without losing data. Bitlocker doesnt support full drive encryption on a dynamic disk, and i think the same applies for veracrypt

[@sambarringer2862]

Will this impact SSD lifetime and/or performance? Also what is the CPU/RAM/GPU overhead (I imagine GPU would be doing nothing) for a ryzen 5 3000 mobile series? EDIT: Would be using VeraCrypt either on Ubuntu, Manjaro or Win 10 Love ur vids!

[@techlore]

It’s very minor. You won’t notice a difference in casual usage with that setup. You could see 10% decrease in performance in intense tasks. Depends on the rig

[@sambarringer2862]

@@techlore Thanks for the answer! Go incognito is great btw and have been listening to ur new show

[@jamesedwards3923]

Follow up to my initial post. Buy the fastest and most efficient specs you can. When using encryption on my rigs. Initial access or opening is the bottleneck. Even when including gaming. Once accessed. No significant speed decrease. Software encryption, all the way.

[@LordHog]

Do you have any videos on encryption programs? It's mentioned to use "PGP drive encryption tool", but after a cursory search I see most that land on the search page are commercial programs (e.g., Symantec Endpoint Encryption). What Gpg4win be an alternative?

[@techlore]

For drive encryption definitely go with Veracrypt. It is considered the go-to program right now. I am still due to make a tutorial on how to use it :( Coming soon!

[@jamesedwards3923]

I always recommend open source options. Yes, all software has flaws and zero days. However, with open source. You will have a much better opportunity to learn what they are.

[@justanotherpxrson]

if i did this, would I still be able to manage files across multiple operating systems? im thinking about switching to linux and this video was thrown in my recommended. more headache to think about for me right now... this just proves how ignorant I am with technology. i have so much to learn and dont know where to start.

[@hotrice4539]

Did I watch a seven minute ad for Linux?

[@bennypr0fane]

One very real risk to your data is also lost passwords, permanently locking yourself out of your device, with no one to reset the password for you. If you're gonna advise people to encrypt their hardware, this advice should come with proper warnings about recovery options in case of forgotten/lost passwords, and how to make sure to prevent these very, very common problems in the first place.

[@jamesedwards3923]

Passwords are easier to backup than entire drives.

[@genkiferal7178]

@@jamesedwards3923 yeah, i got locked oout of a USB because i forgot to capitalize one letter. My memory came back, but it was a scary, sad week

[@jamesedwards3923]

That is part of the problem. In my experience most users. They know what to do. They do not want to do it. People prefer convenience over security. One of the biggest jokes in cyber security: Biometrics. Something that can not be changed or replaced. Stupid. Also, as part of a single factor is worse.

[@jamesedwards3923]

@@genkiferal7178 I hope you chose a password manager. Then back it up.

[@bradjones5132]

Your channel has amazing coverage of how to stay safe online. Looking forward to seeing your channel grow! P.S. You remind me of Steve Jobs so much lol (No offence intended)

[@techlore]

Glad to have you on board and I'm happy you enjoy it :) As for being like Steve Jobs...I am not much of a revolutionary thinker lol, just a presenter of information. I am glad you think so though!

[@dubesor]

Definitely encrypt your laptops. And don't use USB drives with bank data or other super sensitive stuff and then use fast format ffs, literally every cheap freeware can restore that stuff. For someone who is not super paranoid or mistrusting making a small encrypted container in your HD is really easy and convenient to do. Kinda treat it like a locked safe to put all your super sensitive data into (banking stuff, browser-data, resumes, love letters, you name it) Functions just like a small extra HD that is locked away and hidden unless you mount it. Unfortunaly I also found a lot of free snakeoil type of encryption wares, that do more harm than good to the average user. Can vouch for Veracrypt though, I already liked TrueCrypt. Good for on the fly stuff.

[@jamesedwards3923]

I transitioned to VeraCrypt years ago. I tried to access a file. Did not remember what it was. A true or vera file. Currupted the data. Do you know of any program that fix it? Most of that data can be rebuilt, but that is time consuming.

[@unguidedone]

you also need to explain how cold boot attacks can happen to booted and how it effects encrypted computers. Just because its encrypted DOES NOT MEAN ITS SAFE. ya i needed to use caps for that. Want a totally safe computer? POWER DOWN the computer with the keys / have encrypted memory / securely overwrite memory / use a tpm / use very strong keys. Ok totally safe does not exist it just reduces your odds of human error.

[@danielson_9211]

TPM, Bitlocker with encryption, Acronis with encryption. If you can crack it you are in the wrong line of work. Will it slow down your system, yes by like 3.7% average. Can always try to brute force it but good luck with that 256bit the sun will go dim first. People go after your keys and if they want it bad enough they can eventually get them, either by being sneaky or just straight out violent means. Can sub Bitlocker and Acronis with 2 others, just saying triple layer protection.

[@jamesedwards3923]

Password protecting the UEFI aka BIOS. Is a good first step. If you 'software' encrypt the drive. Which is something most people do not even think about. You greatly mitigate the threats. Correct, about the RAM issue. First off why most of my encryption involves VeraCrypt, since they use limited encryption of the keys. It is a yes/no option when you type in the password. I do not know if Windows Bitlocker does it at all. I use Bitlocker for lower threat modeled threats. I have to do more research. Let us be honest. Most smash and grab thieves will have no fucking idea what we are talking about. You are correct enabling TPM is useful. Laptops come with it. Modern CPUs have a it built in. You can also buy an independent TPM for desktops. Also when dealing with laptops. Enabling UEFI password. Will turn your laptop into a brick. So unless they are going to flash hack it or replace the chip. Which again, most common thieves will not. At best they will sell it for parts.

[@startingfromabsolute]

Great tips. Encrypting my machines as i am typing this.

[@jamesedwards3923]

Finishing up building and upgrading my devices this week. Yea, I have been busy. Too busy.

[@cookieneko6398]

I've used this technique for a long time, not for malicious proposes, just to help someone idiots, it's like entering your home via a portal.

[@anyone7605]

Sorry dad. On a completely seperate note; Can I change my operating system completely? and then encrypt my drives? Your content is always really good by the way, thank you for sharing it. Much appreciated.

[@techlore]

Yeah of course. Major OSes have drive encryption support like Linux and MacOS

[@anyone7605]

@@techlore Is it still safe and anonymous to browse Tor if I was to use a boot up version of Linux or would it be better to just fully convert to Linux?

[@psssantosh]

But if just because I have NO luck , I forget the password for the Drive Encryption....my hard drive files are gone

[@techlore]

And this is why you perform regular backups 👍

[@PitbullRexO]

What was the linux flash drive loaded with only ubuntu to be able to enter a none encrypted pc ?

[@techlore]

What?

[@footage6402]

How do you remember the password you set on your whole encrypted hard drive though?

[@IngolfLau]

It's called "a brain".

[@footage6402]

@@IngolfLau I have a mental disability tho

[@IngolfLau]

@@footage6402 Then write it down somewhere.

[@genkiferal7178]

@@footage6402 use that sentence, "IHaveAMentalDisability"

[@imtorrescarlos]

How can you encrypt your drive Beacuse I do not have Pro but doesn't it only have bitlocker

[@jamesedwards3923]

I would really love to see you do a full tutorial on cryptomator and PGP. PGP is an open standard that most people I talk to. Have never even haerd of. It was old when I was in high school. I am getting old by the way.

[@dumpsterdiverspcreclamation]

One more thing... To do what we just saw in this video the "bad guy" still has to have physical access to your PC FIRST... Before he or she can pull all those nasties.

[@redouaneofficial]

What was that orange usb thing

[@اكتشف-غ2د]

hi techlore with all you said in your video about be more anonymous but you cant avoid google finger printing it always behind you am an android developer i need to open more developer account but every time google close them every time they tracking me is there any solution for that

[@techlore]

No, unfortunately not. I will have a video coming soon about a topic which ties to this though....some things are impossible to be "anonymous" for. You need to use your legit information. The purpose of creating pseudonyms and what not is to separate your different activities from your personal life so there is very little tied to your personal life. All we're doing when we're talking about anonymity is creating new identities.

[@jamesedwards3923]

Or you can buy digital locks with builtin cameras. If your system has video. Have them show their photo ID. A lot of systems have builtin logs. If you have to send them a digital key of some sort. Log their finger prints if you have bioscanner. Thumb print scanners are cheap. Keep it on file.

[@btno222]

VERACRYPT CONTAINERS YOU CAN LOAD VIRTUAL MACHINES ALSO!!! CAN YOU DISABLE PORTS ON THE WINDOWS AND NOT SHARE YOUR WINDOWS OS 10 ON YOUR NETWORK AND THEN LOAD VIRTUAL BOX AND LOAD WINDOWS, AS THAT, IS THAT ON ITS OWN LIKE SANDBOXING???

[@jamesedwards3923]

I have not played with Virtual Machines much. I know many IT guys and Linux use them. I am concerned about going totally Linux. Learning Virtual Machines for academic and or professional. Fine, for daily driver. I will try to run it on two seperate drives. A lot of new motherboards allow for costomized boot configurations.

[@sudiptosarkar5711]

As usual great video brother.... Please make videos on hacking, viruses and malware...

[@ahmedyasser4350]

If I use veracrypt on windows to encrypt everything, what happens when I make a new file? Do I need to keep reencrypting, if not, how does it work?

[@techlore]

No, once full disk encryption is setup you can modify it in any way and it won’t affect the encrypted volume.

[@jamesedwards3923]

Do not overthink it. You will be fine.

[@nullmc3092]

What about zip with 256 AES ?

[@kevinmcguinness6526]

Fantastic video!

[@Artimidorus]

Well, that's it. Going to turn my system into a vhdx booted drive with a bios password. Should simplify my security proceed and make backups easier. :)

[@techlore]

👍

[@jamesedwards3923]

LOL, a bit of work. Not a bad option though.

[@msarricchiojr]

You can do this in ANY OS on a USB or CD rom. (Windows 10, MacOS, and Linux). You don't even need a bootable OS, as long as you got the bootable install .iso or .dmg. With the install, you can use the space on that SSD or HDD all ready there to install the OS. You then can use another partition or USB to alter and copy files. Thats why I encrypted my HDDs and SSDs! lol

[@jamesedwards3923]

You are correct. In an Evil Maid attack. There are easy ways to defend against this. Let us talk about the classic literal example of an evil maid attack. 1) You encrypt every drive on the computer. 2) Password protect your BIOS. A lot of people especially common Apple users. Do not password protect their BIOS. Some have asked me, "why would you password protect your BIOS? If I have done a full encryption of the drives on it?" Deterrent and layering. An Evil Maid, would have enough sense to not even bother. Since most people do not password protect the BIOS. In my experience most people who password protect the BIOS have disabled both 'wake on LAN' and alternate boot priority. So you would have to either software hack the BIOS. Or take apart the computer. Those take time. I think I have a public playlist [if not I will enable public viewing]. That involves traveling. All those people robbed. Airbnb and Hotels. Let me ask you a question? How many of those used passwords to encrypt their drives, tablets, and laptops? Answer, probably a handful at best. In my offline and online experience most users use numeric PIN codes. Especially Apple users. Once those hashes are extracted. A lot easier to brute force that stuff. All hashes can be deciphered and encryption can be broken. All it takes is time. 3) I use hardware encrypted drives. More a deterrent and layering. So use the same example. The weaknesses in many hardware encrypted drives. Are publicly known. O rare occasion. I have no choice but to use unencrypted drives. if the file has anything a criminal would want. Or could use. I make an effort to encrypt that file. The threat modeling suggest that a typical smash and grab robber is not going to physically bypass my hardware encryption; depending on the model of the drive. Then brute force the files. 4) Remember the best password is the one you do not know. 5) Certain files have certain limitations on how you can encrypt them. I think we all know many of the common limitations. You now have SSDs that can do 1TB to 4TB. FYI, I'd be careful which drives you choose. Plenty of adaptors and enclosures. You could install multiple OSes and between script kiddy knowledge or even retail software. Created a multiple partition. And it fits in your pocket.

[@idankcai7787]

Fiiiurrrssst. Been waiting for this video!!

[@techlore]

I’ve been waiting for you 😛

[@idankcai7787]

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

[@virtumind]

Does it affect gaming on windows

[@brianbayer4868]

new subscriber ✋✋✋

[@dave24-73]

If you are hacked, even if the drive is encrypted it’s unencrypted when they log in as you. Encryption only helps if they haven’t hacked you and computer was turned off. Otherwise you wouldn’t be able to access your own files.

[@FGV_Gravity]

no you can set a password on it if its your secondary drive

[@dave24-73]

@@FGV_Gravity I’m referring to the average person, most people don’t want to be entering passwords every time the use an additional drive.

[@dave24-73]

@@FGV_Gravity once they have access to your main drive it’s easy to install keyloggers and Rats.

[@mechan1sm_]

What about Self-encrypting drives (aka Hardware-based full disk encryption)?

[@jamesedwards3923]

I own a few of them. The OPAL standard is garbage. I use them as a layer. I software encrypt the partition. A common thief will think the drive is broke. Which means either they will wipe it and use it. Or will throw it out. Thinking it was garbage. Most common thieves will not know what to make of it.

[@AFiB1999]

I would stick with Bitlocker IMO, since veracrypt eat half of the speed og my M.2s. Kinda sucks tho. Awesome tips!

[@jamesedwards3923]

I am looking into doing gaming and multimedia on my two computers. I wish somebody would do videos on that. You say VeraCrypt eats up system resources? Please elaborate.

[@teemuvesala9575]

@@jamesedwards3923 Veracrypt is much slower than Bitlocker. They just do things differently... Veracrypt is probably more secure than Bitlocker, but its so much slower that normal people should just use Bitlocker. Only if you're afraid of government or something should you use Veracrypt.

[@jamesedwards3923]

@@teemuvesala9575 I want encryption with no back doors.

[@teemuvesala9575]

@@jamesedwards3923 Then you'd be best off with VeraCrypt. Just keep in mind it will be slower than BitLocker.

[@jamesedwards3923]

@@teemuvesala9575 VeraCrypt does it a larger percentage of speed transfers. I analized the data using 'crystal'. Not by any signficant amount. Plus I brought M.1 type SSDs for most of my working and gaming. For exactly that reason. I did decide on VeraCrypt. Marginally more secure. Bitlocker, I use it at a limited capacity. Do you have how many articles I had to go throught? To figure how disable stuff on it. Not to mention enabling 256bit as opposed to the standard 128bit? It is like Microsoft watered down and disable security to the bare minimal.

[@rclrcs8767]

How to make that pendrive.... Which can access all files

[@realsn9ke216]

Whats that USB that allows u access to any computer files without password

[@teemuvesala9575]

basically any bootable linux live usb

[@jamesedwards3923]

Linux on a flash drive.

[@HPMIKE55]

thanks & keep up the great job!

[@Canadian789119]

I use Gnu/linux. You can encrypt windows with Vera crypt but It's better just to store data in Gnu/linux. Windows is an open box anyway. I don't use web browsers on windows. I remove all of them for security. Or what little you have on windows to begin with.

[@soldierofchrist7343]

Every distro has LUKS built into which you can activate at installation. I has better encryption than Bitlocker lol.

[@karmaakabane7679]

What does your flashdrive contain btw?

[@DEESHOOM]

Linux

[@happytofu5]

It is even possible to bypass the windows login password without a Linux flashdrive. And its a feature, not a bug!

[@Malware01]

I don't know about Windows and MacOS. I setup like this BIOS-password protected Grub-password protected Disk Encryption Signal user mode

[@jamesedwards3923]

Grub-Password?

[@jamesedwards3923]

Ahh Linux.

[@stephenjimenez5828]

Awesome pls, post that video tutorial soon I'm hella scared now lol

[@Guilherme-gi3wk]

Will my laptop get slower with an encrypted drive?

[@techlore]

Yes but negligibly

[@Billy123bobzzz]

Way out of date. All the newer versions of macOS ask you to set an encryption password (Filevault 2) when you first power it up ) so this is way out of date. If you have an older Mac that does not have FileVault or FileVault 2 turned on then do so now. Also set a password on your screensaver and a firmware password so that no one with physical access to your Mac cannot do anything with it.

[@jamesedwards3923]

The point of software encrypting a drive. Is in case someone has physical access to it. VeraCrypt.

[@Billy123bobzzz]

@@jamesedwards3923 Veracrypt is not secure, it has been exposed to have dozens of security flaws that hackers could exploit effortlessly, so its useless, plus its unknown to the vast majority of users so its useless.

[@jamesedwards3923]

@@Billy123bobzzz VeraCrypt is open sources. All security applications have flaws. I own a bunch of old and new OPAL drives. That I secure with software encryption of course. At least you can learn what the flaws are. As opposed to closed source apps. In my experience users are too damn lazy. Even with basic security. Keep in mind. Even when they know better; most do! They do nothing. I can not help people who refuse to try. I have tried. They are too damn lazy.

[@lienartoism]

Hacker plan a virus, keylogger etc to your unencrypted computer is only true if they have physical access to your computer. The problem is most of the virus came from the internet. Clicking suspicious link, download suspicious attachment from email. Download crack/illegally software. Visiting website you should not etc. These kind of things encryptions don't protect. Encryption is useful, but it should be combined with another security measures.

[@jamesedwards3923]

Correct.

[@honeymourn4315]

You know you can trust someone when they have Stranger Things and IT Funko Pops!!

[@patrickmaris]

Where can I find that USB drive

[@techlore]

You can make any USB drive just like mine.

[@ZambonieDude]

Only problem. Spent alot of money on an SSD & want to use a solution like Veracrypt? Say goodbye to your read/write speeds even if you remove the decryption the damage is still done. EDIT: a word

[@Psy8cho]

How so?

[@joshuamoe5485]

password protect bios removing the cmos battery does nothing on newer boards, encrypt drive, physically lock your doors, 2 factor authentication, phrase passwords 3-4 words that make no sense.

[@genkiferal7178]

2FA using your phone is being hacked now by social engineers using a SIM card scam. I think I overheard my roommate doing this to her mom when the mother kicked the son out of the house. The two of them were having the greatest fun doing it. Now the trouble maker is living here with his sister and I am worried about my stuff!

[@weiyuan20]

When I was little, I was actually able to gain access to and switch the password on my mom’s MacBook to watch KZbin and lock her out lmao. I was able to do that just with the apple service forums that I would look at on my daily allowance of computer time.

[@jamesedwards3923]

Does she know this now? Yet another example. In my experience there are two types of Apple Users. Ignorant or IT Cyber Expert. In my direct experience Apple Users enjoy being ignorant of their technology. They figured, 'I paid a fortune it must be secure.' You proved me right again. I normally meet graphical designers and a few IT Professionals. The vast majority of Apple users I have met or know. Barely know how to make a phone call with their device.

[@isyrk]

How do you encrypt a Chrome OS?

[@gomezadams9900]

I want to know how to install in 2nd level encryption on my Mac if that's possible. I have already enabled fire wall and fire vault but I still feel vulnerable to attacks from China's 50 cent army. (Believe me it's real!) They have already attacked my Facebook account. What is your suggestion?

[@vipulkumar2845]

how about secure boot

[@BennoKushnir]

So how would you repaire your encrypted system?

[@jamesedwards3923]

LOL, Fail Safe or Fail Secure. Depends on the damage. You might be able to use a recovery disk.

[@pepesabermaster]

great video

[@williampaul8874]

YOOO, those are HD600s in the background. My mans an audiophile.

[@AshNonokPlays]

I don't need to encrypt my drive, because I've already encrypt my bios and I'm running mint!

[@ryzyooritzz]

You could remove the drive and put it in another computer

[@teemuvesala9575]

You can't encrypt your BIOS. All you've done is password protect your BIOS which doesn't change the fact your hard drive could be physically taken and plugged into another computer. Only hard drive encryption protects your data in that case.

[@jamesedwards3923]

Wrong. Your u encrypted drive can be removed and read. A BIOS is a stop gap measure. Helps against minimal attacks. I always recommend password BIOS for laptops and tablets.

[@n.593]

Install windows 10 pro, use a script to activate it for free and enable bit locker and you’re all set.

[@shane_gentle]

The fact that windows charges more just to have your files encrypted is pure greed.

[@soldierofchrist7343]

Good thing us Linux users have LUKS which is free and comes with basically every distro, and you can set it up at installation. Plus it's ironically better than Bitlocker witch you have to pay for. Seriously Microsoft not even basic encryption for your regular users? Your competitors which or free do a better job than you do?

[@reginalddubois5015]

eye opening, ths dude

[@elJim5]

if they get on your computer they can also just take out the fucking drives, i got my bios password protected, that way nobody can just boot a live os, my home pc isnt encrypted but my laptop is, because someone might actually steal that

[@cyberp0et]

Bios passwords will do.

[@gansteryoyo]

I'm am now woke. Thx

[@Gigachad-mc5qz]

all i have on my pc are games, if i need anything encrypted id do it but meh idc rn

[@jamesedwards3923]

Do you have passwords? Do you have virtual memory enabled? Do you use the same passwords for everything?

[@Gigachad-mc5qz]

@@jamesedwards3923 no i dont use zhe same password, i have a hardware key to open a database with all my passwords

[@jamesedwards3923]

@@Gigachad-mc5qz Password Safe or KeePass? I go with KeePass, but you have tweak your file for each app you use. I prefer old school. Password and a keyfiles You can get addons. I decided for stuff like that. I will use Password Safe. More straight forward. Since Password Safe, did it from the ground up. The problem is I have had issues with the database conversion. Which means I have to rebuild the database from scratch for Password Safe. Yes, I tried the KeePass 1.x conversion .CSV. Except it did not work at all.

[@Gigachad-mc5qz]

@@jamesedwards3923 keepassxc

[@jamesedwards3923]

​@@Gigachad-mc5qz I do not think its a bad app. It is oversimplifed. They give you almost no information on the security attributes of the file. I have played with it. I had to water down a lot of the security. I could not use most of the higher hashing functions and encryption. I have experimented with it. For Windows and Linux when I start learning how to use it. I will use KeePass 2.x. Android. I use two different applications. Never had a problem. It has PGP and the like. All good there. The GUI and lack of options in chosing the features. As well as the details are horrible. I only keep it on my rig as a backup measure. Not my daily driver.

[@cargopants4930]

who else wants that drive

[@kiranprogamer]

Im using kali Linux

[@johanherrera6413]

KiranProGamer as a standard OS? What for? Sure is a great pentesting OS solid based on Debían but for daily use? Too much of a hassle, other distros more friendly to daily life use are just as safe if not better! Kali was made for pentesting purposes and is optimized to do just that that's why it sucks as a daily runner.

[@kiranprogamer]

Johan Herrera Actually I'm a programmer, So kali linux is perfect for me. Yes it is difficult to switch to linux from windows environment but it gives us complete control on what we are doing.. It is better to dual boot for gaming and for using other software.. But Linux never betrays you like Windows (ransomware, malwares...)

[@johanherrera6413]

KiranProGamer well if you really know what you are doing then scratching Debían and Ubuntu repositories might patch Kali to make it usable as a daily runner. I'm an IT spec, although my area of expertise is more focused on hardware and automatization. May I ask why kali with all the hassle and not something like Arch? Is about the same ammount of work but the by the end you get modularity and more stability on you side. I mean with arch you can build almost anything including a daily runner productivity distro and black arch repositories have almost as many pentesting tools as kali. Some even better from the modular perspective. Best regards M8, have a good one.

[@mihir.mishra]

Are there any other GNU/Linux nerds?

[@luigicaracho401]

My drives are hidden xD and not connected

[@techlore]

Do you keep them in your sock?

[@luigicaracho401]

Techlore you could say that, more or less

[@tutacat]

Evil maid attack

[@bob69927]

bios settings ;)

[@ooof5281]

I just do fresh installs every 3 months

[@techlore]

This doesn't stop someone from gaining unauthorized access to your device though

[@ikaeye]

thats linux tho

[@pmAdministrator]

0:36: "... encryption, Bill?"*, actually. Punctuation, dude. Hey -- by the way; why can't you just install Windows 10 Pro? All you need is a cheap key that you can buy online. Windows 10 Pro is the best version of Windows every one should have in the first place. Getting it should not be a problem these days.

[@subzakk4226]

Windows 10 has too much "telemetry" (its more than telemetry that they collect) same as google they collect everything

[@IngolfLau]

If you don't trust the people who have direct access to your home, and therefore your PC, you have a whole load of other problems. If you have a legitimate fear of law enforcement or criminals gaining physical access to your hardware, you should know any of this, without resorting to watching KZbin videos.

[@genkiferal7178]

everyone is a jerk. women with no intention to steal will sometimes go through your stuff just out of curiosity and probably for something to make fun of you for. We are already seeing that what is acceptable in one decade may not be a decade later and you can get fired for it or ostracized publicly. PC and cancel culture means we are all at risk.

[@LummyTum]

6:53 wtf he's looking at attractive women, that's it, I'm calling the police

[@ArchangelTyrael]

If they can load a keylogger they can just do it while it is encrypted, get your password and decrypt everything.

[@sarcophiIus]

I got hacked by MrSqar

[@JeanRuiz-z3o]

I want this USB kkkkk

[@OVXX666]

thanks for telling me how to frame people

[@Thiago-pj2iv]

Please IVPN review

[@hugo-g5r]

Magical XD