Very often, users store important information on their media. The most convenient of all media is, of course, a flash drive, but it is easy to lose or steal, and I suggest protecting yourself from such situations using encryption.
There are only 3 ways to protect your media:
- Built-in Bitlocker.
- Hardware protection ( when there is a scoreboard on the flash drive with the input of various characters).
- Third party encryption software.
The most popular solutions to this problem:
- myfolder- allows you to simply set a password for a separate folder, but uses an unreliable encryption algorithm.
- TrueCrypt is the most popular encryption software. Recently, developers reported a vulnerability in its protection algorithm. Therefore, it is better to find a safe analogue.
- Rohos mini drive- a simple program that does not require installation. Perfect for protecting information on your media.
All of them are partially free. I believe that the last of these programs is the best at the moment and will demonstrate it.
Setting a Bitlocker password
This utility is great for securing media. Think of a strong password and remember it. If you forget it, then you most likely will not be able to recover the data.
This method is suitable only for those who have an operating system:
- Windows 7 Ultimate/Enterprise
- Windows Vista Ultimate/Enterprise
- Windows 8
Find out which one you have and if it is suitable, proceed to this instruction. The utility is not present in earlier versions. If the system is not suitable, then proceed to the next method.
This utility does not encrypt individual folders.
It may be more convenient for you to watch a video on how to do it.
Go to My Computer and call the context menu by clicking on the icon of your flash drive. Enable Bitlocker in it. It is built into the Windows system and you do not need to download anything.
In the window that appears, select the blocking method. After entering the password, click next.
Save your recovery key. If you lose your password, the recovery key will give you access to your data. Save it in a file.
This is how it will look like.
Then start the process of encrypting the flash drive.
Wait for the encryption to finish. The process can be long. It all depends on the capacity of your device.
After successful completion, you can unlock your flash drive for your computer and check the encryption. You will be required to enter the password specified before encryption.
You have successfully installed protection. Now I will demonstrate how to remove it. The principle is almost the same.
How to remove encryption
Go to Start Menu >> Control Panel >> Bitlocker Drive Encryption:
In the window that appears, select the line "Turn off Bitlocker" as in the image below.
And then click "Perform disk decryption" and you will remove the password from the flash drive.
Now consider a third-party program.
Setting a password with Rohos Mini Drive
If you have an unsuitable operating system, then use a third-party solution. Download the free program Rohos Mini Drive Portable and unzip the archive.
In the free version of this program, you can only encrypt 2 Gb. I hope this is enough for you. It is lightweight and easy to use. It uses the most popular and reliable AES encryption method.
One very important feature of this program is that it does not require administrative rights for encryption.
Place the program on your flash drive.
I will show an example on my file with the name of my site, and you have your own, respectively. Run the program and close the window that appears. Then go to settings as in the image below.
Now you have to choose which files and how you will protect them. Let me explain what each line means:
- The first line means that you will make an encrypted disk with a maximum capacity of 2 gb ( in the free version).
- The second line means that you will create an already hidden disc with music or video.
- The third line means you will create a hidden partition ( admin rights required).
I chose the first item and now you need to enter a password.
Then you need to add data to the encrypted partition. Click on Import and select the required files.
The ones already added are shown on the right.
Now check if the protection works. Close the program and start again. You will see a window in which you will need to enter a password. Entering it will give you access to the files.
After such a procedure, all information that is stored on the flash drive will be available only with a password. The main thing is to come up with a strong password and do not forget it. Otherwise, you will have to use hacking programs, and they most likely will not help you.
There are also flash drives with built-in protection already on them, but this is only suitable for their owners, and therefore I will not consider them in this article.
Were you able to set a password?
A flash drive is a very strange object: here it is, but suddenly it is not there ... Like any small things, USB flash drives are easily lost. Together with them, information leaks out, which may not be intended for prying eyes and ears. To prevent anyone else from opening your files, protect them with a password, or better yet, encrypt them.
You can put a password on a USB flash drive in different ways - both using specialized software, and using Windows tools without third-party programs. Let's consider both.
On a lot of computers running Windows, there is a WinRAR archiver, and it has the function of setting a password for the archive. If packing and unpacking files on a portable drive won't take too long, you won't find a better way.
To set a password for a WinRAR archive, do the following:
- Connect the flash drive to your PC's USB port and open the "Computer" folder.
- Right-click the flash drive's context menu and select the "Add to archive" option marked with the WinRAR icon.
- On the General tab, click the Set password button.
- Enter the code word in the marked field and click OK. Optionally check the boxes Show password and Encrypt file names.
After that, all your data will be moved to the archive, and each time you open it, you will have to enter a password. You can access the contents of the drive on any machine where the archiving program is installed. By the way, not only WinRAR, but any other with similar functions. For example, 7-zip .
The advantages of using WinRAR to protect removable media are not only in simplicity and widespread use, but also in the fact that it can be used to put a password on a separate folder or file. And the disadvantage is that the archiving method is convenient only with a small amount of information on a removable disk, otherwise the process of unpacking and packing will be too long.
BitLocker Windows
BitLocker encryption is designed to protect information stored on fixed and portable drives on Windows computers and is part of the operating system itself. The technology is very reliable and not burdensome for the user, but it is not implemented in all, but only in server, professional, corporate and maximum editions of the system. And this is perhaps its most significant drawback. On a PC where, for example, Windows Home is installed, there is no way to open an encrypted disk. And Microsoft does not offer funds for a separate installation of Bitlocker in home OSes.
Using BitLocker to protect flash drives is justified only when you are going to work with them on machines with the aforementioned versions of Windows, as well as under Linux and Mac OS X. For the last two systems, there is a utility developed by enthusiasts that allows you to open and view encrypted drives, but does not allow them to be encrypted.
How to secure a USB device with BitLocker:
- Connect the flash drive to the PC and open the list of disks in Windows Explorer (go to the "Computer" folder).
- Open the context menu of the flash drive and select the "Enable BitLocker" option.
- The first thing the system will offer you is to choose a method for unlocking the media. For home users, the only suitable option is a password. Enter it in the specified field, repeat and click "Next".
- Next, determine how you prefer to store the recovery key, which you will need to access your data in case you lose your password.
- Next, specify which part of the drive should be encrypted.
- In the next window, select the encryption mode. Portable drives that will be used in different versions of operating systems will suit the compatibility mode.
- The last step is to confirm your intention - click "Start Encryption".
The encryption operation will take several minutes, after which the contents of the flash drive will be accessible only with a password. Every new object you store on it will also be automatically encrypted.
The strengths of BitLocker are a very hack-resistant algorithm, no need to install third-party software, and ease of use. Disadvantages - the inability to encrypt a single file or folder of the user's choice (only a partition or the entire drive) and a limited area of \u200b\u200buse.
CyberSafe Top Secret
The CyberSafe Top Secret application, according to experts, is one of the best means of encrypting data on stationary and portable drives. Available in several versions - from free to expensive corporate. For personal use, in particular, encryption of flash drives, a free version (free) or one of the inexpensive paid ones with an extended set of functions is sufficient.
CyberSafe Top Secret Free allows you to encrypt files, containers, disk partitions and removable media using the DES algorithm with a key length of 64 bits (password length limit is 4 characters). Paid versions use more stable algorithms - AES-256 and BlowFish-448, and also support digital signatures, allow you to hide files and folders, compress data to save space, etc. A complete list of the features of different versions of the utility can be found on the official site.
To protect information on a flash drive with CyberSafe Top Secret, just move your fingers a little:
- We open the flash drive in the application as a disk partition: in the left panel, select "Encrypt disk", select the desired media and click "Create".
- Next, set the encryption algorithm and password; determine whether or not to save the file system (if not, the drive will be formatted); specify which area should be encrypted - only the occupied or all available space. After clicking "Accept", the program will begin the encryption process.
You can open an encrypted flash drive only on a computer where CyberSafe Top Secret is installed. Other PCs will see it as a media with an unknown file system.
To get rid of encryption, just format the USB flash drive in any program.
The advantages of CyberSafe Top Secret are power, functionality, free of charge, the ability to encrypt individual folders and files, and no restrictions on disk space. The disadvantage is the inability to use a USB flash drive on a PC where this program is not available.
USB Safeguard
The free version of the USB Safeguard utility allows you to protect flash drives up to 4 GB. Unlike CyberSafe Top Secret, it does not need to be installed on a computer. You need to run it directly from the device that it will "guard".
USB Safeguard does not have a Russian-language interface, but using it is very simple:
- Copy the utility to removable media and double-click to run it. Administrator rights are not needed - the program will work even on those machines where you do not have administrative rights.
- After the first launch of USB Safeguard, you may be prompted to format the flash drive. If you refuse, protection will not be possible, since the utility only supports the NTFS file system.
- After formatting and restarting USB Safeguard, a window will open prompting you to set a password to access the drive's files. In the "New password" field, enter a code word, in the "Confirm" field - repeat it, in "Hint" - specify a reminder hint.
Now the utility will ask for a password each time the USB flash drive is connected to the PC.
Advantages of USB Safeguard - no need for installation and the ability to open a secure USB flash drive on any computer. Disadvantages - limiting the capacity of the device to four gigabytes and only supports the NTFS file system.
Lockngo
The principle of operation of the Lockngo utility resembles USB Safeguard, however, it has no restrictions on the size of the disk and there is a Russian language. You can use it to protect any portable drives, and not only with a USB interface.
The program is aimed at Windows and Mac users - it supports the file systems of both operating systems. Available in Windows-only versions, Mac-only versions, and both. It has the functions of hiding files on protected media, blocking access to it with one click, automatically blocking when the user is inactive, encrypting data in a private directory (uses the AES-256 algorithm), launching the selected program after unlocking.
Lockngo is a paid but very affordable utility. The price of one license, depending on the version, is 200-500 rubles.
How to use Lockngo:
- Transfer the downloaded Lockngo.exe file to a USB flash drive and run it. Enter the unlock password and its confirmation in the indicated fields. After clicking OK, the program will block the drive.
- To resume access to data, enter the same password in the form.
The strengths of Lockngo are simplicity, functionality, fast and efficient operation. There is, perhaps, only one drawback - the inability to test it before buying (the developer does not release trial versions). But in general, the program is very good, and it’s really not a pity to pay some 200 rubles for it.
Many of us have had to store our family photos and other valuable files on a flash drive. It is not uncommon for such incidents to occur when the carrier is lost and falls into the wrong hands. Therefore, in order to protect their data from prying eyes, each user simply needs to know how to put a password on a USB flash drive.
There are at least three ways to protect information on a flash drive:
- Standard operating system tools.
- With the help of third-party applications (utilities).
- The hardware of the device itself.
Let's take a closer look at each of the methods.
Standard OS Tools
Of the standard tools in practice, only two simple proven methods of protecting data on a flash drive are most often used in practice.
- Password-protected archive
- BitLocker Utility
Password-protected archive
If the data on the flash drive is not large, then it is quite possible to protect it with a password, having previously archived it. The standard WinRAR archiver is perfect for this.
Having chosen a folder for packaging, we carry out the archiving process. After the process is completed, you need to go to the menu on the tabs: Advanced - Set a password.
When the password is entered and the corresponding mark is set, all that remains is to click on the OK button.
Please note that you can only put a password on the winrar archive during the archiving process. That is, it is not possible to put a password on the finished archive.
You can find more detailed information about the procedure for setting a password on our website in the article:
Using BitLocker Windows
The BitLocker Windows program has been an integral part of the Windows operating system since the Seven. Moreover, BitLocker is built into the Ultimate and Enterprise versions, as well as in Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows 8, 8.1 and Windows 10. Unfortunately, the BitLocker utility is not available in home versions of Windows.
After making sure that BitLocker is on your system, putting a password on a USB flash drive will be very simple:
- Just right-click on it and select the item in the context menu that appears. "Turn on BitLocker".
- Next, check the box next to "Use a password to unlock the drive" and enter the password twice.
Please note that the password must be at least 8 characters long
- Next, you need to save to a file or print the recovery key, which you will need if you decide to change your password.
- After saving the key, you can click "Next" and start encrypting.
- Click "Start encryption" and wait for the operation to complete.
If you want to pause the process, you can use the "Pause" button.
This completes the process of setting a password on a USB flash drive. Now, when you insert the USB flash drive into the device, you will be prompted to enter a password to unlock it.
Third Party Applications
Programmers have released a lot of different programs that allow you to organize high-quality data protection on flash drives. Here are just a few of them:
Rohos Mini Drive
With the help of this compact and free utility, you can effectively password-protect a specific partition on the drive. Alas, it is impossible to "lock" the entire drive with its help. A feature of this utility is that it creates a special section on the flash drive where it writes protected data. The free version of Rohos Mini Drive can handle 8 gigabytes of data.
- After starting the program, press "Encrypt USB Drive"
- Rohos Mini Drive self-identifies the flash drive. Select an item: "Disk Options".
- Next, set the size and drive letter. The file system is better to choose like a flash drive. Press OK to confirm the selected options.
- At this point, enter the password twice and click "Create Disc".
- Now a password-protected sector will appear on your flash drive. To gain access to this sector, you need to run one of the files: run the file Rohos mini.exe if the utility is installed on this computer, or Rohos Disk Portable.exe if this utility is not on the computer.
- After starting the program, all you have to do is enter the password and click "OK".
- The protected drive will appear in the list of hard drives. You can transfer the most valuable data to it.
To hide our secret disk (in our example, disk R), we find the Rohos program icon in the tray, right-click on it and turn off the disk.
To protect yourself in case you forget your password, we recommend that you create a password reset file. To do this, do the following:
- Open the Rohos disk, and select the item "Create a backup".
- Select an item "Password Reset File".
- Next, in the window that opens, enter the password that you created when creating the disk, click "Create File" and choose a location to save it on your computer.
USB Flash Security
Another free program, easy to learn, with a minimum number of settings. However, it allows you to effectively protect the data on the flash drive through a password.
To download this utility, go to the site: and download the program by clicking on the button: "Download Free edition (up to 4GB, v4.1.13.19)"
After starting, the program itself will determine the capacity of the flash drive, its volume and file system. You just have to press the button Install
Next, a warning will appear that during the operation on the flash drive all data will be destroyed, so transfer them to your computer in advance. Of course, this will create some inconvenience when working with a flash drive, but this is the peculiarity of this program.
A window will reappear warning that the disk will be formatted and all data will be deleted. Check the box and click the button "Begin the installation".
Now your flash drive will be displayed in the section: "Devices with removable media"
After opening the USB flash drive, you will find the file "UsbEnter.exe" that you need to run.
In the window that appears, enter the password and click OK.
Now your flash drive has acquired the status of a secret one, and you can transfer the corresponding files to it.
Hardware Protection
There are models of flash drives that are equipped with their own password encryption devices. Control keys are located directly on the body of such devices, with which you can set the desired password.
The cost of such devices, of course, is quite high. But sometimes the value of the data far exceeds the cost of the drive on which it is recorded. Depending on the drive model and settings, data may be immediately erased through formatting if unauthorized access is attempted.
Summary
What conclusion did I come to after testing all of the above methods of setting a password on a USB flash drive. Of the utilities, in my opinion, Rohos Mini Drive showed itself better. Reliable program. The distribution can be easily downloaded from the developer's website. Suitable for all versions of Windows, including home. If you suddenly decide not to use Rohos Mini Drive anymore, the system will allow you to safely remove it.
In this review, I wanted to consider another once very popular TrueCrypt disk encryption program. Unfortunately, the creators of the program announced in May 2014 that they could not guarantee the security when using the application and recommended switching to BitLocker.
Therefore, based on the foregoing, a simple conclusion suggests itself. We use the Rohos Mini Drive utility if you have a home version of windows or the BitLocker program if a more advanced system is installed on your computer and you do not want to bother installing additional utilities.
That personal data or files stored on USB sticks sometimes needs to be kept under lock and key need not be explained. In this regard, many users have a logical question about how to password protect a flash drive, and even in such a way that even an experienced cracker does not get to the information. To perform such operations, several basic methods can be given, which will be discussed below.
How to password protect a flash drive: the main directions in action
As for blocking access to information on a USB drive, there are several main priorities in modern technologies. For example, you can set a password for access to the device itself (hardware or software method) or encrypt files.
Of course, if the user initially purchases a device that is already equipped with a special hardware security system, you can immediately set a passcode that will need to be entered when trying to view or open information. But such devices are not cheap, so further we will consider only software methods that allow you to protect information on conventional Flash drives.
Protection of office and other documents
The question of how to password-protect a flash drive without programs (meaning specialized utilities), which is of interest to most modern users, can in the simplest case be partially resolved by installing protection on office documents when they are saved or on other files.
In the first case, when using applications like World or Excel, you can use the service section in the file menu when saving, where you select the options menu, and then go to the security tab. Here you can enter a password, and then save the file to removable media or copy it there later.
In the case of operations with other files, the security issue is solved with the help of a small program called Anvide Lock Folder, which can set passwords for individual files and folders. It has a small size and user-friendly interface, so it is ideal for all novice users.
Setting passwords for archives
An equally simple method in the matter of how to password-protect a flash drive, which helps to get a partial solution to a more general problem, is to store data in a packed archive.
When creating them, any modern archiver allows you to set a security code or any other combination that will be required when trying to unpack the desired archive. Of course, the question of how to open a password-protected flash drive in this way can be solved quite simply (if you use password guessing utilities or view the contents of the archive in some editors). However, such actions are not considered for obvious reasons.
Using the BitLocker utility
Now let's go directly to the main problem of how to password-protect a flash drive (namely, the device itself, and not the files on it). Owners of Windows versions of the seventh version, in particular the Enterprise and Ultimate modifications, or systems of a higher rank, are incredibly lucky. The operating system toolkit itself has a built-in tool called BitLocker.
To perform the necessary actions, insert the USB flash drive into the appropriate port of the computer or laptop, after which in the "Explorer" we right-click on the device and select the BitLocker line. In the new window, check the box for using a password to unlock and enter the invented combination. Next, the application will create a special key in case the user forgets his password, which can be saved on a hard drive or printed on a printer. After that, select the part that needs to be encrypted (it is better to use the full encryption method), and activate the start of the process. When finished, a lock image will appear in the file manager on the device.
The program to password-protect a flash drive, Rohos Mini Drive
One of the most advanced utilities of this kind is the Rohos Mini Drive program. The principle of its operation is that it does not encrypt the entire device, but, as it were, creates a kind of secret section on it, in which the encrypted data will be located. Unfortunately, it also has some limitations related to the fact that a drive with a capacity of more than 2 GB cannot be encrypted, but you can create a partition of this size.
Everything is simple here. Install and run the program, after which, with the USB flash drive inserted into the port, select the creation of an encrypted USB drive, then enter the password and specify the size of the encrypted partition, after which we press the button to start the encryption process.
TrueCrypt, MyFolder and USB Safeguard Applications
There are many more programs for protecting USB drives programmatically. For example, the USB Safeguard application installs directly on the media, but the free version has a 2 GB capacity limit. Therefore, to fully encrypt devices with a large volume, you need to use a paid modification.
In addition, the utility is installed exclusively in the NTFS file system, so if there is FAT32 on the flash drive, it will have to be reformatted (the program itself will inform you of the need for such actions).
The other two applications also look quite interesting, but TrueCrypt has a rather complicated interface that an unprepared user may not understand the first time, but it is stable and reliable in terms of encryption. The second utility is very simple, but encrypts only individual objects and uses the Blowfish block cipher algorithm, which is questionable in terms of reliability, with a variable key length.
Using passwords for removable memory cards on mobile devices
Finally, a few words about how to password protect a flash drive on Android. There are several ways here. For example, you can use the above methods when connecting an SD card to a computer.
However, such actions can also be performed through the menu of the mobile devices themselves (some Samsung models have such a function, and you can find it through location and security in the personal data storage section, where the access combination is set). In the case when, after encryption, the question arises of how to open a password-protected Micro-SD flash drive on another device, there will be nothing left but to enter the password, since the information on it simply will not be visible.
On the other hand, not all gadgets have such an opportunity, so it is better to use third-party software. Here the essence of the matter is that it will not work to open the device even if there is a valid password without a decoder installed.
Password recovery
Finally, let's consider another burning issue related to the recovery of passwords used to protect removable media. In the simplest case, to get free access to the device, you can format it, but in this case all data will be lost. Naturally, if you use programs like R.Saver, you can recover information, but the process will take a long time.
To protect yourself from such situations, even if you lose your password, you can use recovery keys in the same way as provided in the BitLocker program.
True, some workshops involved in the repair of mobile equipment offer such services, and as a tool they use special devices called unlockers (Unlocker). This is a device, not a program, and it costs about 10-20 US dollars. But, as well as software intervention, the use of unlockers is fraught with completely unpredictable consequences. By the way, using applications for selecting passwords and combinations is also not recommended.
A USB flash drive is a data storage device that is connected via a special interface. You can transfer and save any information and in different quantities to a USB flash drive. Users on flash drives store photos and videos, important documents and software, OS installation files and passwords, etc. Sometimes very important information is stored in a small storage device. A flash drive can be dropped from a pocket, it can simply be stolen. And then the personal information stored on this device will be available to strangers. To protect yourself from these common occurrences, it is important to protect the data on your storage device.
Setting access to information by password
You can set passwords on flash drives in two ways.
- This can be done using BitLocker Drive Encryption. This is the name of the technology that allows you to encrypt OS data. This program is preinstalled in new versions of Windows ("seven" and "eight"). But a feature of the technology is that it encrypts information on the entire disk, and not on a separate element of the file system. You can also protect the information on the flash drive.
- You can protect user data by using applications that you need to download to your computer. There are plenty of these special tools and we will provide a choice of the three most convenient utilities. The functionality of these applications will help protect with a password not only the entire flash drive, but also individual information on it (file, folder).
Flash drive protection in Windows
If you have Windows 8 or later, BitLocker is available pre-installed. To protect important information on a flash drive or the entire drive, you need to follow eight steps.
So, how to encrypt USB storage data, step by step guide:
Free data protection software
Now we will talk about three free utilities.
TrueCrypt
This utility is free and in demand among users, but difficult to master. But if you are looking for a reliable tool with which you can password-protect individual elements and the entire drive, learn how it works.
Rohos Mini Drive
This utility has two versions - free and professional. The first version is easy to use, reliable, but allows you to zaporirovat small flash drive. For home users who store personal information on storage devices, it is quite enough.
MyFolder
This utility has a simple user interface, can password-protect certain elements, works fast, but encrypts not so securely. The algorithm used by the utility is inferior to the others presented above.
Setting a password for a separate folder
Sometimes it is necessary to encrypt not the entire USB drive, but only a separate part of the information, for example, the one stored in a specific folder. It will not be difficult to do this if you use a special utility. From a huge number of software, we chose Anvide Lock Folder.
Download Anvide Lock Folder and run it right away. All interface elements are clear even to an unprepared user. After starting the utility is ready to work. Select an individual item on the drive or PC and click on the corresponding lock icon. It remains only to type the password. Now, if you need to view the contents of the password-protected folder, run the utility. For greater reliability, you can also come up with a complex password for the utility itself.
Setting a password on a USB flash drive without a program
Different models of USB flash drives provide data protection using hardware methods. But this protection requires pre-activation when you first start using the storage device. Then you need to come up with a password for the USB drive. The more complex the password, the more secure it is. Therefore, it is recommended to mix letters with numbers and add special characters to them.
