Hacker 10 – Security Hacker

Tag: Android Truecrypt

  • List of Truecrypt compatible encryption software

    List of Truecrypt compatible encryption software

    In light of recent news about Truecrypt being no longer developed, I compiled a list of other encryption programs that are compatible with it.

    If you have data that was archived with Truecrypt for long term storage, you should be able to decrypt it with any of the following programs.

    tcplay: Fully featured Truecrypt implementation to open and create Truecrypt compatible hidden containers with cascade ciphers and keyfiles. This is a command line utility that works in Linux and DragonflyBSD, you can add a front end graphical interface with zulucrypt or Luksus.

    Luksus: A terminal program for Linux and BSD that lets you encrypt and decrypt data using Geli, LUKS, GnuPG or Truecrypt. A wrapper around tcplay, Geli and cryptsetup, with a front end graphical interface for those who find the command line too difficult.

    Luksus encryption front end
    Luksus encryption front end

    RealCrypt: An open source forked version of Truecrypt for Fedora Linux, it comes as a RPM package and it can be easily installed in Fedora using the repositories. It has a graphical interface and the same capabilities that Truecrypt has, with a different name and logo as requested by Truecrypt licensing terms. There are no significant code differences in between them.

    Encrypted Data Storage (EDS): Android app that can create and open any Truecrypt container but there is no on the fly mode and data will be decrypted to a temporary file, this could be a security risk if you believe that your smartphone can be stolen as temporary data written to solid state disks is recoverable with forensic tools.

    EDS Android Truecrypt
    EDS Android Truecrypt

    TruPax: A Java based program that can open and create Truecrypt compatible encrypted containers. I will work on any operating system that has Java installed, Windows, Mac OS, BSD and Linux. It can be used with a graphical interface or in command line mode to automate tasks.The software is open source, portable and it was coded independently from Truecrypt.

    Truecrypt compatible software TruPax
    Truecrypt compatible software TruPax

    Cryptonite: Open source app that brings EncFS and Truecrypt to your Android phone, the program is still in development and intended for advanced users. Cryptonite can decrypt any Truecrypt container using your smartphone. If you want to run Android in your desktop, there is an open source project that has ported it to PCs and can be installed as if it was a Linux distribution. This will give you a bigger screen when decrypting data.

  • Android Truecrypt compatible app EDS Lite

    Android Truecrypt compatible app EDS Lite

    Encrypted Data Store Lite is an Android app that allows you to save files inside an encrypted container using AES256bit, it can also mount any Truecrypt compatible container from your phone, but to do that you will have to make sure that Truecrypt settings when creating a container are set to Encryption algorithm: AES256, Hash algorithm:SHA-512 and File system:FAT, these are not Truecrypt default settings which are set to Hash algorithm RIPEMD-160, if you use a different algorithms to create a Truecrypt container then EDS Lite will not be able to mount it.

    The app comes with a simple built-in image viewer  that can show pictures and thumbnails, files with the extension .edc, EDS own format, and .tc, Truecrypt file extension, can be associated with the app for easy opening, other options allow the app to prevent your phone or tablet from going into sleep mode to make sure that an encrypted container will not be left open unattended by mistake, EDS Lite can write to an external Secure Digital storage card modifying and deleting files stored inside.

    Android Encrypted Data Storage Lite
    Android Encrypted Data Storage Lite

    A “send to” link can quickly encrypt photos or videos from the gallery, but remember that anything you leave behind if it has not been securely wiped it could still be recovered, while the encryption can not be cracked, when you view a document stored inside the container there will be temporary traces left in the external reader you used, a compromising file name and perhaps a full copy of the confidential document might have been created outside the container by a third party viewer. A full paid for version of the EDS app allows you to play media files inside the container, not leaving temporary data behind, it comes with a search index to find files inside the encrypted container, it can synchronize data with Dropbox and allows for container security using a hand-drawn pattern in succession with a password.

    It is refreshing to see attempts to port Truecrypt compatible encryption to mobile devices, having a standard is very important for long term storage and data transmission, there is nothing more annoying than being forced to download multiple programs to do the same thing and not knowing if it will work in a different platform, I hope other developers come up with similar programs.

    Visit EDS Lite in Google Play

  • Access Truecrypt and EncFS volumes in Android with Cryptonite

    Access Truecrypt and EncFS volumes in Android with Cryptonite

    Cryptonite is an Android app that brings the FUSE based cryptographic filesystem EncFS and TrueCrypt to Android, you can link it to your Dropbox account with a single tap, after that you will be able to read and write on Dropbox EncFS volumes, exporting, viewing or uploading new files. Dropbox claims to keep data already encrypted in their servers but if anyone finds out your password account they will be able to read the files, encrypting them with Cryptonite you are placing a second security layer on top and block Dropbox built-in backdoor to your data.

    To access your files offline sync them to a local folder with an app providing online storage synchronization, e.g. FolderSync. EncFS has a front end interface but Truecrypt is only available as a command line version, rooted phones that support the FUSE kernel, e.g. CyanogenMod, can mount an EncFS or Truecrypt volume, there is a Truecrypt work around to avoid having to use a rooted file browser, by typing “truecrypt –fs-options=”uid=1000,gid=1000,umask=0002″ volume.tc /sdcard/tc“. EncFS will use the encryption ciphers found in the system encryption libraries, Cryptonite allows you to select the encryption method, from a “Quick” Blowfish 128bit up to a “Paranoia” AES256bit with filename block encoding, other preferences include saving temporary files on an external SD card, setting up the mount storage point, clearing the cache and the “Chuck Norris mode” for experienced users that do not want to receive any security warning from the app.

    Android Truecrypt compatible encryption Cryptonite
    Android Truecrypt compatible encryption Cryptonite

    You can browse, export and open encrypted EncFS directories and files on your Dropbox and to your phone, when you open a file from a decrypted EncFS volume Cryptonite will produce a temporary copy in “/data/data/csh.cryptonite/app_open/path_to_your_file”, anyone with access to your phone could recover those files, the app includes a text viewer that works in memory and does not save any temporary copy, there are plans to add an image viewer in the future but right now there isn’t one and if you open an image a temporary copy could be made on the phone outside the encrypted container.

    Note: App still in development and intended for advanced users.

    Visit Cryptonite Android in Google Play