CipherShed Download: How to Encrypt Your Data with Free and Open Source Software
If you are looking for a way to protect your sensitive data from unauthorized access, theft, or loss, you might want to consider using encryption software. Encryption software can create secure areas on your hard drive or external storage devices, where you can store your files and folders. These areas are called encrypted volumes, and they can only be accessed with a password or a key. Encryption software can also encrypt your entire drive or partition, making it impossible for anyone to boot your system or access your data without entering the correct password.
There are many encryption software available on the market, but not all of them are reliable, trustworthy, or easy to use. Some of them are proprietary, meaning that you have to pay for them or accept their terms of service. Some of them are closed source, meaning that you cannot inspect their code or verify their security claims. Some of them are outdated, buggy, or abandoned by their developers.
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That's why we recommend using CipherShed, a free and open source encryption software that is based on the popular but discontinued TrueCrypt project. CipherShed is a community-driven project that aims to provide a secure, transparent, and user-friendly encryption solution for Windows, Mac OS X, and GNU/Linux users. In this article, we will show you how to download and install CipherShed on your system, how to create and use encrypted volumes (containers), and how to encrypt your entire drive or partition with CipherShed.
How to create and use a CipherShed container
A CipherShed container is a file that acts as a virtual encrypted disk. You can create a container anywhere on your system or on an external storage device, such as a USB flash drive or an external HDD. You can choose any size, name, and location for your container. You can also choose any encryption algorithm and hash algorithm for your container. Once you create a container, you can mount it as a virtual drive using CipherShed. Then you can copy, move, or delete files to or from the container as if it were a normal disk. When you are done using the container, you can unmount it and close it with CipherShed. The container file will remain encrypted and inaccessible without the correct password.
Creating and using a CipherShed container is very easy and straightforward. Here are the steps you need to follow:
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Download and install CipherShed from the official website: . Choose the version that matches your operating system and follow the instructions to complete the installation.
Launch CipherShed from the Start menu (Windows), the Applications folder (Mac OS X), or the command line (GNU/Linux).
Click on the Create Volume button to launch the CipherShed Volume Creation Wizard. This wizard will guide you through the process of creating a new encrypted volume.
Select the option Create an encrypted file container and click Next. This option will allow you to create a CipherShed container as a file on your system or on an external storage device.
Select the option Standard CipherShed volume and click Next. This option will create a standard encrypted volume that can be mounted and accessed with CipherShed. There is also an option to create a hidden volume, which is a more advanced feature that allows you to create a second encrypted volume within the first one, for extra security and plausible deniability. You can learn more about hidden volumes on the CipherShed website: .
Click on the Select File... button and choose a file name and location for your container. You can create the container anywhere on your system or on an external storage device, such as a USB flash drive or an external HDD. You can also choose any name for your container, but make sure it does not have any file extension, such as .txt or .doc. For example, you can name your container mydata or secretfiles. Click Save and then click Next.
Choose an encryption algorithm and a hash algorithm for your container. These are the algorithms that will be used to encrypt and decrypt your data, as well as to generate and verify passwords. CipherShed offers several options for both encryption and hash algorithms, each with different levels of security and performance. You can learn more about each algorithm on the CipherShed website: . For most users, we recommend using the default options: AES for encryption and SHA-512 for hashing. Click Next.
Specify the size of your container in megabytes (MB) or gigabytes (GB). The size of your container will determine how much data you can store in it. You can choose any size you want, but make sure you have enough free space on your system or on your external storage device. For example, if you want to create a 10 GB container, you need to have at least 10 GB of free space available. Click Next.
Enter a password for your container. This is the password that you will need to enter every time you want to mount and access your container with CipherShed. Choose a strong password that is hard to guess, but easy to remember. A strong password should be at least 20 characters long, and should include a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols. Do not use any personal information, such as your name, birthday, or pet's name, as your password. Do not write down or share your password with anyone. If you forget or lose your password, you will not be able to access your data in the container. Click Next.
Move your mouse randomly within the CipherShed window for at least 30 seconds. This will generate some random data that will be used to strengthen the encryption of your container. The longer you move your mouse, the better. Click Format when you are done.
CipherShed will start creating and formatting your container. This may take some time, depending on the size of your container and the speed of your system or external storage device. Wait until the process is finished and click Exit.
Congratulations! You have successfully created a CipherShed container. Now you can mount it as a virtual drive and use it to store your files and folders securely.
How to mount and use a CipherShed container
To mount and use a CipherShed container, follow these steps:
Launch CipherShed from the Start menu (Windows), the Applications folder (Mac OS X), or the command line (GNU/Linux).
Select an available drive letter from the list of the CipherShed window. This will be the drive letter that will be assigned to your container when you mount it. For example, you can choose Z: or X:.
Click on the Select File... button and browse to the location of your container file. Select the file and click Open.
Click on the Mount button. CipherShed will ask you to enter the password for your container. Type the password and click OK.
If you entered the correct password, CipherShed will mount your container as a virtual drive with the drive letter that you selected. You can see the status of your mounted container in the CipherShed window, such as the file name, size, encryption algorithm, and hash algorithm.
Now you can access your container as if it were a normal disk. You can open it from the File Explorer (Windows), the Finder (Mac OS X), or the file manager (GNU/Linux). You can copy, move, or delete files to or from your container as you wish. You can also create new folders or subfolders in your container. All the data that you store in your container will be encrypted automatically and transparently by CipherShed.
When you are done using your container, you should unmount it and close it with CipherShed. To do so, select your mounted container from the list in the CipherShed window and click on the Dismount button. You can also dismount all mounted containers at once by clicking on the Dismount All button. This will prevent anyone from accessing your data in the container without your password.
How to encrypt an entire drive or partition with CipherShed
Besides creating and using encrypted containers, CipherShed also allows you to encrypt an entire drive or partition on your system. This means that you can encrypt your system drive (where your operating system is installed) or any other drive or partition (such as a data drive or a recovery partition). By encrypting an entire drive or partition, you can protect all the data on it from unauthorized access, theft, or loss. You can also prevent anyone from booting your system or accessing your data without entering the correct password.
Encrypting an entire drive or partition with CipherShed is a more advanced and complex process than creating and using encrypted containers. It requires more time, resources, and precautions. It also involves some risks, such as losing access to your data if something goes wrong during the encryption process or if you forget or lose your password. Therefore, we recommend that you backup all your important data before encrypting an entire drive or partition with CipherShed. We also recommend that you read the documentation and follow the instructions carefully when using this feature of CipherShed.
Here are the steps you need to follow to encrypt an entire drive or partition with CipherShed:
Download and install CipherShed from the official website: . Choose the version that matches your operating system and follow the instructions to complete the installation.
Launch CipherShed from the Start menu (Windows), the Applications folder (Mac OS X), or the command line (GNU/Linux).
Click on the Create Volume button to launch the CipherShed Volume Creation Wizard. This wizard will guide you through the process of creating a new encrypted volume.
Select the option Encrypt a non-system partition/drive if you want to encrypt a drive or partition other than your system drive (where your operating system is installed). Select the option Encrypt the system partition or entire system drive if you want to encrypt your system drive. Click Next.
If you selected to encrypt a non-system partition/drive, choose whether you want to create a standard volume or a hidden volume. A standard volume will encrypt the entire drive or partition with one password. A hidden volume will create a second encrypted volume within the first one, with a different password, for extra security and plausible deniability. You can learn more about hidden volumes on the CipherShed website: . Click Next.
If you selected to encrypt a non-system partition/drive, select whether you want to encrypt an entire device (such as a USB flash drive or an external HDD) or a partition within a device (such as a data partition on an internal HDD). Click Select Device... and choose the device or partition that you want to encrypt. Click OK and then click Next.
If you selected to encrypt the system partition or entire system drive, choose whether you want to create a normal system encryption or a hidden system encryption. A normal system encryption will encrypt your entire system drive with one password. A hidden system encryption will create a second encrypted system within the first one, with a different password, for extra security and plausible deniability. You can learn more about hidden system encryption on the CipherShed website: . Click Next.
Choose an encryption algorithm and a hash algorithm for your drive or partition. These are the algorithms that will be used to encrypt and decrypt your data, as well as to generate and verify passwords. CipherShed offers several options for both encryption and hash algorithms, each with different levels of security and performance. You can learn more about each algorithm on the CipherShed website: . For most users, we recommend using the default options: AES for encryption and SHA-512 for hashing. Click Next.
Create a rescue disk and backup the header of your drive or partition. A rescue disk is a CD or DVD that contains a backup of the CipherShed bootloader and the encryption keys of your drive or partition. A header is a part of your drive or partition that contains essential information for CipherShed to access your data. Creating a rescue disk and backing up the header are very important steps, as they can help you recover your data in case of an emergency, such as a power outage, a hardware failure, or a malware attack. Follow the instructions on the CipherShed Volume Creation Wizard to create a rescue disk and backup the header. Click Next when you are done.
Encrypt your drive or partition and restart your system. CipherShed will start encrypting your drive or partition with the chosen algorithm and password. This may take a long time, depending on the size of your drive or partition and the speed of your system. Do not interrupt the encryption process or turn off your system, as this may result in data loss or corruption. Wait until the process is finished and click Restart Now. Your system will restart and ask you to enter the password for your encrypted drive or partition.
Mount and access your encrypted drive or partition. If you entered the correct password, CipherShed will mount your encrypted drive or partition and allow you to access your data normally. You can see the status of your mounted drive or partition in the CipherShed window, such as the drive letter, size, encryption algorithm, and hash algorithm.
Conclusion
In this article, we have shown you how to download and install CipherShed on your system, how to create and use encrypted containers, and how to encrypt your entire drive or partition with CipherShed. CipherShed is a free and open source encryption software that can help you protect your sensitive data from unauthorized access, theft, or loss. It is based on the popular but discontinued TrueCrypt project, and it offers many features and benefits for Windows, Mac OS X, and GNU/Linux users.
Using CipherShed is easy and straightforward, but it also requires some caution and responsibility. You should always backup your important data before encrypting it with CipherShed, as well as create a rescue disk and backup the header of your drive or partition. You should also choose a strong password for your encrypted volumes, and never forget or lose it. If you do, you will not be able to access your data in the volumes.
We hope that this article has been helpful and informative for you. If you want to learn more about CipherShed, you can visit their official website: . There you can find more documentation, tutorials, FAQs, forums, and support options. You can also contribute to the development of CipherShed by reporting bugs, suggesting features, donating money, or joining the team.
Thank you for reading this article and using CipherShed. We hope that you enjoy using this free and open source encryption software to secure your data.
FAQs
What are some alternatives to CipherShed?
If you are looking for some alternatives to CipherShed, you might want to check out these encryption software:
: VeraCrypt is another free and open source encryption software that is based on TrueCrypt. It is compatible with TrueCrypt and CipherShed volumes, but it also offers some improvements and features, such as more encryption algorithms, enhanced security, and support for Windows 10.
: BitLocker is a built-in encryption software that comes with some versions of Windows, such as Windows 10 Pro and Enterprise. It can encrypt your entire drive or partition, as well as external storage devices. It is integrated with the Windows system and easy to use, but it is not open source and it may have some compatibility issues with other operating systems.
: FileVault is a built-in encryption software that comes with Mac OS X. It can encrypt your entire system drive or partition, as well as external storage devices. It is integrated with the Mac OS X system and easy to use, but it is not open source and it may have some compatibility issues with other operating systems.
: LUKS is a free and open source encryption software that comes with some versions of GNU/Linux, such as Ubuntu and Fedora. It can encrypt your entire drive or partition, as well as external storage devices. It is integrated with the GNU/Linux system and easy to use, but it may have some compatibility issues with other operating systems.
Is CipherShed compatible with TrueCrypt?
Yes, CipherShed is compatible with TrueCrypt volumes. This means that you can mount and access TrueCrypt volumes with CipherShed, and vice versa. You can also convert TrueCrypt volumes to CipherShed volumes, or create new CipherShed volumes that are compatible with TrueCrypt. However, you should be aware that TrueCrypt is no longer maintained or supported by its developers, and it may have some security vulnerabilities or bugs. Therefore, we recommend that you use CipherShed instead of TrueCrypt for your data encryption needs.
How secure is CipherShed?
CipherShed is designed to be secure and reliable. It uses strong encryption algorithms and hash algorithms to protect your data from unauthorized access, theft, or loss. It also uses various techniques to prevent brute-force attacks, keyloggers, cold boot attacks, and other threats. However, no encryption software can guarantee absolute security or immunity from all possible attacks. Therefore, you should always follow some best practices when using CipherShed, such as:
Choose a strong password for your encrypted volumes and never forget or lose it.
Create a rescue disk and backup the header of your drive or partition before encrypting it.
Backup your important data regularly and store it in a safe place.
Keep your system and software updated and protected from malware.
Do not leave your system or storage device unattended or exposed to physical damage or theft.
Do not share your password or rescue disk with anyone or store them in an insecure location.
Can I use CipherShed on a USB flash drive or external HDD?
Yes, you can use CipherShed on a USB flash drive or external HDD. You can create an encrypted container on the USB flash drive or external HDD and store your files and folders in it. You can also encrypt the entire USB flash drive or external HDD with CipherShed. This way, you can carry your data securely wherever you go, and access it on any system that has CipherShed installed. However, you should be careful not to lose or damage your USB flash drive or external HDD, as this may result in data loss or corruption.
What if I forget my password or lose my rescue disk?
If you forget your password or lose your rescue disk, you will not be able to access your data in the encrypted volume. CipherShed does not have any backdoor or recovery mechanism to bypass the encryption or reset the password. Therefore, you should always remember your password and keep your rescue disk in a safe place. If you think you might forget your password, you can use a password manager software to store it securely. If you think you might lose your rescue disk, you can make a copy of it and store it in a different location. 44f88ac181
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