Practical ways to lock down your USB drive using built-in tools, third-party encryption, and cross-platform options that actually keep your data private.
You wouldn’t use a phone that wasn’t passcode-protected, nor a personal PC. So it’s somewhat surprising that most people don’t think twice about securing the contents of a USB storage device. If someone with light fingers manages to relieve you of your thumbstick, all they need to do is plug it into a computer to access everything it contains — personal documents, photos, and any other exploitable part of your digital life. So let’s say you’ve just bought a brand new large external USB drive and you wanna lock it down like Guantanamo. Hiding your important files by changing the folder names to «Definitely not my important files» isn’t going to cut it. Locking up your digital gold requires encryption.
Encrypting a drive is ridiculously easy these days, no matter which method you use. Encrypted information is virtually inaccessible to anyone who doesn’t have the password; it’s for this reason you should encrypt your emails and stop using unencrypted messengers like Telegram. Encrypting files comes at the cost of sacrificing a couple of extra seconds of your time to decrypt them, plus a few minor roadblocks here or there when it comes to accessing that information on another device, but those inconveniences are worth keeping your information safe. Here are five ways you can secure the information on your USB device.Your drive’s default encryption software
USB storage devices, particularly those from major brands, often come with their own proprietary encryption software. Popular examples are SanDisk’s PrivateAccess, Lexar’s DataShield, and Western Digital’s WD Security. Since these are proprietary solutions, they may be preferred over others on this list because they’re designed for easy setup with your hardware. Some manufacturers preload the install file onto a new drive to make it even easier. In the case of SanDisk’s PrivateAccess, simply drag the install file onto your storage media, double-click it, and follow the steps to set a password.
There are some caveats with this approach. Number one, you may not (depending on the software) be able to access the files without the original encryption software; you’ll need to download the appropriate software to access them on another computer. Number two, once you encrypt your files, you need the password to access them. There’s nothing anyone can do to recover them if you forget it — and that applies to any form of encryption, including those detailed below.
Finally, your encryption software of choice is worth researching. The previous version of SanDisk’s PrivateAccess (known as SanDisk SecureAccess) had a bug that made it easy to crack. The new PrivateAccess has a known vulnerability, too. If the vulnerabilities aren’t putting your data at risk, they may affect usability. You’ll find countless stories on forums of people who can no longer access their files because of bugs. We don’t say this to scare you away from SanDisk specifically.
