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Do you handle top-secret information that needs to be protected and safeguarded? Maybe information that your competitors, the government, or a curious neighbor might be interested in stealing?  Well, if that's your case, I'll show you a practical and simple way to encrypt all or part of your USB flash drive so you can store that valuable information safely. |
Surfing the Internet I was able to discover this simple tutorial in which the user amzertech explains how to do it. The video is in English but it is very easy to follow.
For those who prefer to follow the instructions in written form and in Spanish, here it goes.
Steps to follow
1. Install the cryptsetup package from Synaptic or using a terminal:
sudo apt-get install cryptsetup
2. Insert your USB memory stick.
3. Go to System > Administration > Disk Utility
4. Before continuing, it is recommended to back up the information contained in the USB memory since we are going to format it in order to create the encrypted partition.
5. Select the USB drive and then click the Unmount Volume button and then the Delete Partition button.
6. Since top-secret information doesn't usually take up much space (it's generally documents), it might be convenient to encrypt only a portion of the available space, not all of it. This way, you'll end up with two partitions on your USB drive: a small (encrypted) one where you store sensitive information and a larger one where you store less important and more temporary information (of course, don't forget that a USB drive is, after all, used to transfer data from one place to another).
To create the encrypted partition, click the Create Partition button. Under Size , choose the option that best suits your needs. In my opinion, 10% of the total available space is a good amount. Remember, this is the encrypted partition. Under Type , I usually prefer FAT partitions for USB drives since it's a file system supported by Windows. Under Name , enter a descriptive name for the partition: "XFiles," "Secret Files," or something similar. Finally, don't forget to select the Encrypt the underlying device option and click the Create button . You'll be prompted to enter a password, which will be the same one you'll need to access this partition. Click Create.
Wait a little while until the dirty work is done.
Once that's finished, create the second partition: the one that will NOT be encrypted and that you'll use to transfer information. Click on the diagram showing the different memory partitions, specifically on the part that says "Free XXX MB" (this is usually in the middle of the screen). Once you've selected the free space, you'll be able to click the " Create partition" button . This time, make sure the new partition uses all the available space. For the type, select the one that best suits your needs; as I mentioned, I always prefer FAT. Finally, enter a descriptive name for the new partition. Click the "Create" button.
Sit down, have a mate and wait.
7. Close Disk Utility . Remove and reconnect the USB drive. As you will see, the unprotected partition was automatically mounted, and the system is asking you to enter the password to mount the encrypted partition. You will not be able to access the data on this partition until you enter the corresponding password.
Now, every time you mount the encrypted partition, you will see that it appears with an open padlock, indicating that you entered the correct password and that it is accessing an encrypted drive.
Note : I don't know if it's a bug or what, but NEVER safely eject any of the partitions. First, eject one of them. Once both are unmounted, then, if you want, you can safely remove the entire drive. Otherwise, you'll get an error. If you follow this advice, everything will work perfectly.
8. In case you were wondering, it is possible to access our encrypted partition from Windows using the FreeOTFE program , as long as it is a partition supported by Windows (FAT or NTFS).