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I am looking to get a new USB drive (my old one took an unauthorized vacation) and am looking into how to secure the data on it. Ideally I would like a visible, unencrypted space that may or maynot be bootable then an encrypted area for low security files followed by a second encrypted space for the most secure files.

Is there a solution that will handle this?

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2 Answers 2

I can't speak for bit locker or iron key, but I use TrueCrypt on a USB key as you describe. Truecrypt allows you to create encrypted volumes in the form of a file. You can store the encrypted file on your USB key and then use TrueCrypt to mount it at will. TrueCrypt will even set up a "Traveler Disk" for you that will create an autorun.inf to automatically start TrueCrypt when the USB key is plugged in. See this link for more info.

Just a note, fat32, which is the default fs on most USB keys, has a file size limit of 4GB limit. I still use fat32 but keep my encrypted partitions below 4GB. Format with NTFS if you need an encrypted FS over 4GB.

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According to wikipedia, the hidden container feature is not available for BitLocker, though you can always create multiple partitions on the USB key, and hide one.


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