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Good (free) encryption... without any trouble ?

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Armando:
[A few months later]

OK. Definitive end of AxCrypt.  I lost some valuable data after MS Word crashed. Axcrypt wiped the files before it was recovered by word, and so...

are solutions like truecrypt or folder lock "crash proof" (for example : would a crash in MS Word make the file unrecoverable if encrypted with one of these encryption tool, or would the encryption have absolutely no effect on the file recovery?)

Thanks for any advice...

Armando:
This is not very reassuring :

A: In encrypted data, one corrupted bit usually corrupts the whole ciphertext block in which it occurred. The ciphertext block size used by TrueCrypt is 16 bytes (i.e., 128 bits). The mode of operation used by TrueCrypt ensures that if data corruption occurs within a block, the remaining blocks are not affected.

Due to hardware or software errors/malfunctions, files stored on a TrueCrypt volume may become corrupted. Therefore, we strongly recommend that you backup all your important files regularly (this, of course, applies to any important data, not just to encrypted data stored on TrueCrypt volumes). If you do not have enough free space to backup all files, we highly recommend that you at least backup the volume header, which contains the master key (size of the backup file will be 1024 bytes). If a volume header is damaged, the volume is, in most cases, impossible to mount. To backup a volume header, click Tools -> Backup Volume Header.

See also the question 'What do I do when the encrypted filesystem on my TrueCrypt volume is corrupted?'


--- End quote ---

Of course, what I don't know is if the chances of corruption (in cases of hardware or software errors/malfunctions) are higher -- due to encryption --... or not.

Armando:
OK. I just realised that MS Word encryption got better over the years.  :-[

Anybody here knows if the (native) advanced security options in MS Word (which allows to choose AES and RSA encryption) are any good?

mwb1100:
Due to hardware or software errors/malfunctions, files stored on a TrueCrypt volume may become corrupted. Therefore, we strongly recommend that you backup all your important files regularly (this, of course, applies to any important data, not just to encrypted data stored on TrueCrypt volumes).
-Armando (August 30, 2007, 12:07 PM)
--- End quote ---

Note what it says about "applies to any important data".  One could just as easily say "Due to hardware or software errors/malfunctions, files stored on a disc drive may become corrupted".  In other words, you must have a backup for any important data, whether encrypted or not.  The key issue that encryption adds is that it may make trying to recover non-backed up data more difficult (or impossible). With corruption on non-encrypted data, you often have a good chance of recovering at least some of your document (or whatever) by simply copying out whatever bits might not be corrupted.  This is often impossible with encrypted data.

Also, with encrypted data, you have to have a good system for backing up keys.  On forums for software with encryption support there are always posts of the nature, "how do I get my data back if I've lost my key?".   If the software is any good, the answer will be, "no dice; the data's gone".

As far as TrueCrypt increasing the probability of corruption, that's certainly a possibility, but I must say that my experience has been pretty good.  However, I tend to work in a manner where I copy the files from the TC volume, work on them, then copy back, so I may not be exercising TrueCrypt as much as someone else might.

Armando:
I see. Thanks!
I'll have to think and weight cons/pros.

Any comments about MS Word's "native" AES and RSA encryption (or others)?

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