If one believes a survey by the market research institute Aris on behalf of the industry association Bitkom at the end of 2013, about ten percent of users encrypt their data on the respective data carrier. Still a staggering small number given the dust that has spun the NSA affair.
We are introducing some solutions for the mobile user to protect his data on the mobile devices or directly the data streams between the devices. We have focused on the simple and safe operation - because all too often it is too time-consuming or cumbersome use that prevents users from encrypting their data. In addition, we have also put more emphasis on solutions that can be used on smartphones and tablets - because more and more users are traveling with their business data mobile.
Encrypt mobile
A look at the three "big" operating systems for smartphones and tablets shows that both Google on Android and Apple on iOS and Microsoft on Windows Phone have already integrated encryption into the systems:
The most consistent approach has been taken by Apple's developers, who have equipped the operating system and devices with, among other things, hardware-based encryption and technology known as file data protection, which also allows the data to be encrypted in the flash memory of the respective device and protect.
Starting with version 3 of the Android operating system, Google 's operating system also has the option to encrypt all data on such a device. However, such a total encryption can only be canceled by resetting the device to the factory settings - with the result that all data on the device is deleted.
In the new version Windows Phone 8.1, the developers from Redmond have put a special focus on the business features of their smartphone operating system according to their own statements: So now is here also the Bitlocker encryption for the data on the device available. However, this can only be turned on and off by an administrator through an ActiveSync policy. The user can not configure or turn them on, and without the appropriate Exchange infrastructure, they can not be used. Bitlocker encryption can not be used to encrypt SD cards in a Windows Phone.
Apart from the users, who move exclusively in an Apple environment, it is therefore important for all other smartphone and tablet users to install additional apps and programs on their mobile systems to secure the data and use. We would like to introduce these below, first of all in the quick overview:
For the cloud: Sophos Mobile Encryption
Most users who use mobile devices for their work will put their data on one of the many cloud storage offerings. This is not only practical and allows access from almost anywhere, but also provides enough storage space - which is mostly limited to the mobile devices. However, the data is often transferred unencrypted and stored on the cloud storage: Apps like Sophos Mobile Encryption can help.
What can Sophos Mobile Encryption offer?
Free app that is available for Android and iOS in German language for download.
Users can then use this app on their mobile device to easily load locally stored on the device (on Android on the SD card on iOS via iTunes) and encrypted files on the various cloud storage.
Authentication can be done using passwords defined by the user himself.
Conclusion: The Sophos app is easy to install and use. It also makes it very easy to encrypt files and store them on different cloud storage or locally on the device. In detail, however, shows that vendor Sophos sees this free app rather as part of the comprehensive solution Safe Guard Enterprise Encryption: in conjunction with this software, the user then much more extensive options for backing up its files are available.
For many systems: Boxcryptor
Boxcryptor is a Cloud Storage Encryption program that has been available since 2011 and has evolved constantly since that time. It is available as an app for a variety of mobile systems.
Advantages of the Boxcryptor app:
Free app that is available on many mobile platforms - there are also versions for Windows Phone, Windows RT and Blackberry.
All popular cloud providers are supported. It is also possible to leverage the solution on cloud storage that users can access through the Web-based Distributed Authoring and Versioning ( WebDAV) protocol, such as Strato HiDrive
As encryption is coming according to statement of the offerer AES-256 and RSA to the employment. Further information can be found in a technical overview on the website of Boxcryptor.
Conclusion: Even the free version of the Boxcryptor software should be more than sufficient for most users to store data more securely on the various cloud storage devices. In addition to the ease of use, we particularly liked that the Boxcryptor app is equipped with detailed help in German and is available for many platforms. Too bad that there is no Linux version of the software yet .
Safe texts: TextSecure
Obwohl WhatsApp nach wie vor eine der am häufigsten eingesetzten Apps für die Übersendung von Textnachrichten sein dürfte, beschleicht viele Nutzer doch ein gewisses Unbehagen bei ihrem Einsatz: Allzu häufig sind schon Sicherheitslücken bekannt geworden und mit dem Schutz der Nutzerdaten haben es die Anbieter auch nicht immer so genau genommen. Dass Facebook die Firma in der Zwischenzeit übernommen hat, trug auch nicht gerade zur Vertrauenssteigerung bei. Zeit also für eine Alternative, die zudem auch verschlüsselte Übertragungen im Repertoire hat: TextSecure Privater Messenger.
Features of Messengers TextSecure:
Very clear free solution that comes with an end-to-end encryption. The provider Open Whisper Systems emphasizes that there is no access to the data from the server and the transmitted data is not stored.
By entering a local password for security, the user can use the app to protect the user's data and messages most effectively: the data is encrypted locally on the system and thus protected even if the mobile device is lost.
TextSecure users have the option of signing themselves using a public key and then exchanging signed messages with each other. This can also be done very easily by scanning a QR code .
Conclusion: The TextSecure app offers all the security settings and options that make popular apps like WhatsApp painfully miss. In addition, it is clear and simple and accordingly easy to use. The developer and the company Open Whisper provide the software open so that the encryption process can be viewed and reviewed. It is a pity that the app is unfortunately only available for Android systems and therefore not very common - which significantly limits the transmission of secure messages to many recipients.
Replace TrueCrypt
When it comes to protecting data on USB sticks and mobile hard drives and notebooks , until the end of May 2014 there was still good advice to use the free software TrueCrypt. But just when we wanted to end the research for this amount, a message appeared on the web page of TrueCrypt developers, which suggests that this software will not exist in the previously known form: In the message, the developers give Tips on how users can convert their previously TrueCrypt-protected drives to Microsoft's Bitlocker . Except for the indication that TrueCrypt is "not secure" because it contains "unfixed security issues", they remain guilty of further explanations so far.
For many users, the question now arises as to how they can create and use secure data containers on their USB sticks and notebook systems. We looked around the web and found a whole range of solutions that offer similar functionalities. Unfortunately, with most of these programs, it's also not final security to say whether the vendors really did not have backdoors or were perhaps negligent in the development, so there could be security holes. Unfortunately, many providers give only scant or no information on the encryption mechanisms they use .
Transparent alternative: SecurStick
Eine sehr gute freie Lösung, bei der auch alle wichtigen Hintergrunddaten und der Source-Code offengelegt werden, ist SecurStick. Mir ihr können Nutzer verschiedene Datenträger und USB-Sticks verschlüsseln. Die dabei zum Einsatz kommende etwas ungewöhnliche Methode macht sie aber gerade für Anwender mit nur geringen IT-Kenntnissen etwas unhandlich im Einsatz. Bei dieser Software wird der gesicherte Bereich auf einem Datenträger, in dem sich die verschlüsselten Daten befinden, über einen lokalen Web-Server mittels WebDAV-Freigabe angebunden. Vorteil dabei: Die Lösung kann auf diese Weise auch über Systemgrenzen hinweg und durch die integrierte Möglichkeit den WebDAV-Cache zu löschen, auch sicher auf öffentlichen Systemen eingesetzt werden. Der Entwickler stellt zudem Hilfetexte bereit, die auch weniger erfahrene Anwender bei der Installation und beim Einsatz der Software sinnvoll unterstützten.
For the whole partition: DiskCryptor
One of the great strengths of TrueCrypt has always been that with the help of this solution, users were able to easily secure entire partitions and also the area of the hard disk on which the operating system was located by means of encryption. Although this option was also integrated into the modern operating systems such as Windows 7 and Windows 8 with Microsoft's Bitlocker , those who prefer to use an open source solution independent of the operating system provider should take a look at DiskCryptor . It offers the following possibilities, among others:
Can secure the system partition with AES, Serpent, or Twofish encryption algorithms .
All other partitions as well as volumes on external data media such as USB sticks can be encrypted.
Available under GNU GPLv3 open.
Although the interface is still somewhat Spartan and is currently available only in English, but this software is a good alternative to encryption of hard drives for those users who do not want to rely on the solution of a large commercial provider. Although the software is still under development, it can already boast many features and we could easily use it for encryption and decryption during a short test run. However, the solution currently only supports Windows operating systems from the Windows 2000 release.
Conclusion: Those who distrust the solutions from the hands of American suppliers will certainly not see Microsoft's Bitlocker as an alternative. But even with the solutions presented here, it is possible that security experts sooner or later find corresponding gaps or backdoors. For the "everyday use", so for example to protect the data from too curious glances at theft of a device, but they are always worth. (sh)
