Bits - ActMask - Drive Encryption - problems in encyption claims

[Steven Avery]

Hi Folks,

ActMask has a product on Bits Du Jour today.

Drive Encryption - Protect Your Removable Media!
http://www.bitsdujour.com/software/driver-encryption/

The posts by Keith Anderson have brought into question whether the product actually encypts the drive, or just the FAT.

The developer, Thomas Lee, has already acknowledged:
"The DriveEncryption encrypts the File Allocation Table for FAT format drive only."

This alone would be enough to deep-six the product, if it is not clearly indicated on the website.
Keith then reports he then found the same problem on the NTSF volume.
Kudos to Keith for doing extra homework.

Strange.  Why would an encryption product actually encrypt the FAT and not the drive ?  Why risk a stable of products on one that doesn't do what is advertised ?

Notice pidgin English in a company with a San Diego addy.
"Almost support all kind of Removable, Fixed, USB storage drive and Memory Card"
"It has ability to encrypt for each Logistic Disk"

Did a software middleman in San Diego get fooled by some Chinese (or others with limited English) software developers ?

Should we recommend to Nick to withdraw this Bits ? 

Your thoughts ?

Shalom,
Steven

[Darwin]

Did a software middleman in San Diego get fooled by some Chinese (or others with limited English) software developers ?

I teach at a college in Canada and I can tell you that the majority of people can barely write a coherent sentence... Heck, a lot of published authors are dreadful writers -witness the book I'm presently reading. Anyway, my gut reaction to those kinds of structural errors is like yours - red flag goes up - but I suspect that often what we're really seeing is the result of a one man (or woman) show and that the software author simply can't write prose that well...

[TomColvin]

I visited the developer's homepage to learn more about the product.  There's virtually nothing there -- only the same stuff that is reprinted at GAOTD.  With something as ciritcal as encryption, I'd want more information about the product.  Frankly, I'd be scared to install and use it.

[cranioscopical]

Heck, a lot of published authors are dreadful writers -witness the book I'm presently reading.

i donnot agree we writ what we done reel good an we dont never messup. our new book not here yet comming presently you try read electric handbook it be current.

[Darwin]

our new book not here yet comming presently you try read electric handbook it be current

Looking forward to it!

[wraith808]

My stance on this stuff is always try it... *shrugs*  I'm sure some vetting is done, but to get software deals every day, sometimes something of questionable quality is going to slip through.  Personally, I instantly look past most of the offerings in this vein.

[f0dder]

I visited the developer's homepage to learn more about the product.  There's virtually nothing there -- only the same stuff that is reprinted at GAOTD.  With something as ciritcal as encryption, I'd want more information about the product.  Frankly, I'd be scared to install and use it.

Amen to that!

And how that TrueCrypt supports Full-Disk Encryption of boot volumes, I wouldn't even consider anything else.

[J-Mac]

And how that TrueCrypt supports Full-Disk Encryption of boot volumes, I wouldn't even consider anything else.

Hey f0dder!

I take it from your comment that you have used True Crypt for Full Disk Encryption?  I have used it on a USB Flash drive, but I was holding off on trying it on any of my hard drives until there was more available in the way of user reviews saying how well it wiorked for them.

Is it working well for you?

Thanks!

Jim

[f0dder]

I use full-disk encryption on my external harddrive, and I've played around with boot-partition encryption in vmware - which, so far, works just fine.

I haven't done any speed-hit benchmarks though, and those would be interesting; with my CPU, the encryption should be able to run at full disk bandwidth without problems, so the question is if there's any programmatic bottlenecks in the TrueCrypt driver.