Mac OS: Click Here. VeraCrypt is a freeware utility used for on-the-fly encryption (OTFE). It can create a virtual encrypted disk within a file or encrypt a partition or (in Windows) the entire storage device with pre-boot authentication. VeraCrypt is a fork of the discontinued TrueCrypt project. Learn how to create and deploy a FileVault recovery key for Mac computers in your company, school, or other institution. If you're using FileVault in Mac OS X Snow Leopard, you can upgrade to FileVault 2 by upgrading to OS X Lion or later. After upgrading OS X, open FileVault preferences and follow the onscreen instructions to upgrade FileVault. However, after several months the internet rolled on and someone decided to pickup the torch and keep running. In this guide I am just running through the installation of Veracrypt, creating Veracrypt containers, and creating hidden Veracrypt cotnainers on Mac OSX El Captain. Install/Setup Veracrypt. Download OSXFuse which is required by Veracrypt. Sep 13, 2018 VeraCrypt is a handy and versatile macOS application that delivers enhanced security to the algorithms used for system and partitions encryption in order to make it resistant to new developments in brute-force attacks. Enables you to quickly and easily create encrypted containers and partitions. It is worth mentioning that the increased security might impact the startup time of the.
In macOS Mojave, you can choose to encrypt and decrypt disks on the fly right from the desktop. Using this convenient Finder option, we're going to show you how to encrypt a USB flash drive (or 'thumb drive'), which is useful if you're traveling light and want to take sensitive data with you for use on another Mac. Finder uses XTS-AES encryption, the same encryption that FileVault 2 uses to prevent access to data on a Mac's startup disk without a password. Note that the following method is only compatible with Macs – you won't be able to access data on the encrypted drive using a Windows machine.
If this is a requirement, you'll need to use a third-party encryption solution like VeraCrypt. With that in mind, here's how to securely encrypt your USB flash drive.
Attach the USB flash drive to your Mac and locate its disk icon on your desktop, in a Finder window, or in the Finder sidebar, then right-click (or Ctrl-click) it and select Encrypt '[USB stick name]'...
Veracrypt Mac Command Line
from the contextual menu.(Note that if you don't see the Encrypt option in the dropdown menu, your USB flash drive hasn't been formatted with a GUID partition map. To resolve this, you'll need to erase and encrypt the USB drive in Disk Utility – before that though, copy any data on the drive to another location for temporary safekeeping.)
When you select Encrypt, Finder will prompt you to create a password, which you'll need to enter the next time you attach the USB flash drive to a Mac. (Don't forget this, otherwise you'll lose access to any data stored on the USB drive!) Once you've chosen a password, verify it, add a meaningful hint if desired, and click Encrypt Disk.
The encryption process depends on how much data you have on the USB flash drive, but you'll know it's completed when its disk icon disappears and re-mounts. You'll now be able to access the contents of the USB flash drive as usual, but if you physically detach it and re-attach it to your Mac you'll be prompted to enter the password.
Note that the prompt includes an option for macOS to remember this password in my keychain. Check the box, and whenever you attach the USB stick to your Mac again you won't be prompted to enter the password and you'll have automatic access to it, just like any other drive.
If you ever want to decrypt the USB flash drive in future, right-click (or Ctrl-click) its disk icon, select Decrypt '[USB stick name]' from the contextual menu, and enter the password to turn off encryption protection.
How to Encrypt a USB Flash Drive in Disk Utility
Veracrypt Mac High Sierra
Before proceeding, make sure you've copied any data on the USB flash drive to a safe location, like your Mac's internal disk.- Launch Disk Utility, located on your Mac in Applications/Utilities.
- In the Disk Utility toolbar, click the View button and select Show All Devices if it isn't already ticked.
- Select your USB flash drive in the sidebar by clicking its top-level device name (i.e. not the volume name that's listed beneath it).
- Click the Erase button in the toolbar.
- Give the USB flash drive a name.
- Next, click the Scheme dropdown menu and select GUID Partition Map. (It's important to do this first before the next step, otherwise you won't see the encryption option in the Format dropdown.)
- Now click the Format dropdown menu and select Mac OS Extended (Journaled, Encrypted).
- Click Erase.
- Enter your new password, enter it once more to verify, include a password hint if desired, then click Choose.
- Click Erase once again, and wait for your disk to be formatted and encrypted.
Tags: security, Encryption
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How to Create and Use a VeraCrypt Container
This chapter contains step-by-step instructions on how to create, mount, and use a VeraCrypt volume. We strongly recommend that you also read the other sections of this manual, as they contain important information.
STEP 1:
If you have not done so, download and install VeraCrypt. Then launch VeraCrypt by double-clicking the file VeraCrypt.exe or by clicking the VeraCrypt shortcut in your Windows Start menu.
STEP 2:
The main VeraCrypt window should appear. Click Create Volume (marked with a red rectangle for clarity).
STEP 3:
The VeraCrypt Volume Creation Wizard window should appear.
In this step you need to choose where you wish the VeraCrypt volume to be created. A VeraCrypt volume can reside in a file, which is also called container, in a partition or drive. In this tutorial, we will choose the first option and create a VeraCrypt volume within a file.
As the option is selected by default, you can just click Next.
Note: In the following steps, the screenshots will show only the right-hand part of the Wizard window.
STEP 4:
In this step you need to choose whether to create a standard or hidden VeraCrypt volume. In this tutorial, we will choose the former option and create a standard VeraCrypt volume.
As the option is selected by default, you can just click Next.
STEP 5:
In this step you have to specify where you wish the VeraCrypt volume (file container) to be created. Note that a VeraCrypt container is just like any normal file. It can be, for example, moved or deleted as any normal file. It also needs a filename, which you will choose in the next step.
Click Select File.
The standard Windows file selector should appear (while the window of the VeraCrypt Volume Creation Wizard remains open in the background).
STEP 6:
In this tutorial, we will create our VeraCrypt volume in the folder F:Data and the filename of the volume (container) will be My Volume (as can be seen in the screenshot above). You may, of course, choose any other filename and location you like (for example, on a USB memory stick). Note that the fileMy Volume does not exist yet – VeraCrypt will create it.
IMPORTANT: Note that VeraCrypt will not encrypt any existing files (when creating a VeraCrypt file container). If you select an existing file in this step, it will be overwritten and replaced by the newly created volume (so the overwritten file will be lost, not encrypted). You will be able to encrypt existing files (later on) by moving them to the VeraCrypt volume that we are creating now.*
Select the desired path (where you wish the container to be created) in the file selector. Type the desired container file name in theFilename box.
Click Save.
The file selector window should disappear.
In the following steps, we will return to the VeraCrypt Volume Creation Wizard.
Click Save.
The file selector window should disappear.
In the following steps, we will return to the VeraCrypt Volume Creation Wizard.
* Note that after you copy existing unencrypted files to a VeraCrypt volume, you should securely erase (wipe) the original unencrypted files. There are software tools that can be used for the purpose of secure erasure (many of them are free).
STEP 7:
In the Volume Creation Wizard window, click Next.
STEP 8:
Here you can choose an encryption algorithm and a hash algorithm for the volume. If you are not sure what to select here, you can use the default settings and clickNext (for more information, see chapters Encryption Algorithms and Hash Algorithms).
STEP 9:
Here we specify that we wish the size of our VeraCrypt container to be 250 megabyte. You may, of course, specify a different size. After you type the desired size in the input field (marked with a red rectangle), clickNext.
STEP 10:
This is one of the most important steps. Here you have to choose a good volume password. Read carefully the information displayed in the Wizard window about what is considered a good password.
After you choose a good password, type it in the first input field. Then re-type it in the input field below the first one and clickNext.
Note: The button Next will be disabled until passwords in both input fields are the same.
STEP 11:
Move your mouse as randomly as possible within the Volume Creation Wizard window at least until the randomness indicator becomes green. The longer you move the mouse, the better (moving the mouse for at least 30 seconds is recommended). This significantly increases the cryptographic strength of the encryption keys (which increases security).
Click Format.
Volume creation should begin. VeraCrypt will now create a file called My Volumein the folder F:Data (as we specified in Step 6). This file will be a VeraCrypt container (it will contain the encrypted VeraCrypt volume). Depending on the size of the volume, the volume creation may take a long time. After it finishes, the following dialog box will appear:
Click OK to close the dialog box.
STEP 12:
We have just successfully created a VeraCrypt volume (file container). In the VeraCrypt Volume Creation Wizard window, clickExit.
The Wizard window should disappear.
In the remaining steps, we will mount the volume we just created. We will return to the main VeraCrypt window (which should still be open, but if it is not, repeat Step 1 to launch VeraCrypt and then continue from Step 13.)
STEP 13:
Select a drive letter from the list (marked with a red rectangle). This will be the drive letter to which the VeraCrypt container will be mounted.
Note: In this tutorial, we chose the drive letter M, but you may of course choose any other available drive letter.
STEP 14:
Veracrypt Mac Read Only
Click Select File.
The standard file selector window should appear.
STEP 15:
In the file selector, browse to the container file (which we created in Steps 6-12) and select it. ClickOpen (in the file selector window).
The file selector window should disappear.
In the following steps, we will return to the main VeraCrypt window.
STEP 16:
In the main VeraCrypt window, click Mount. Password prompt dialog window should appear.
STEP 17:
Type the password (which you specified in Step 10) in the password input field (marked with a red rectangle).
STEP 18:
Select the PRF algorithm that was used during the creation of the volume (SHA-512 is the default PRF used by VeraCrypt). If you don’t remember which PRF was used, just leave it set to “autodetection” but the mounting process will take more time. Click OK after entering the password.
VeraCrypt will now attempt to mount the volume. If the password is incorrect (for example, if you typed it incorrectly), VeraCrypt will notify you and you will need to repeat the previous step (type the password again and clickOK). If the password is correct, the volume will be mounted.
FINAL STEP:
We have just successfully mounted the container as a virtual disk M:
The virtual disk is entirely encrypted (including file names, allocation tables, free space, etc.) and behaves like a real disk. You can save (or copy, move, etc.) files to this virtual disk and they will be encrypted on the fly as they are being written.
If you open a file stored on a VeraCrypt volume, for example, in media player, the file will be automatically decrypted to RAM (memory) on the fly while it is being read.
Important: Note that when you open a file stored on a VeraCrypt volume (or when you write/copy a file to/from the VeraCrypt volume) you will not be asked to enter the password again. You need to enter the correct password only when mounting the volume.
You can open the mounted volume, for example, by selecting it on the list as shown in the screenshot above (blue selection) and then double-clicking on the selected item.
You can also browse to the mounted volume the way you normally browse to any other types of volumes. For example, by opening the ‘Computer’ (or ‘My Computer’) list and double clicking the corresponding drive letter (in this case, it is the letter M).
You can copy files (or folders) to and from the VeraCrypt volume just as you would copy them to any normal disk (for example, by simple drag-and-drop operations). Files that are being read or copied from the encrypted VeraCrypt volume are automatically decrypted on the fly in RAM (memory). Similarly, files that are being written or copied to the VeraCrypt volume are automatically encrypted on the fly in RAM (right before they are written to the disk).
Note that VeraCrypt never saves any decrypted data to a disk – it only stores them temporarily in RAM (memory). Even when the volume is mounted, data stored in the volume is still encrypted. When you restart Windows or turn off your computer, the volume will be dismounted and all files stored on it will be inaccessible (and encrypted). Even when power supply is suddenly interrupted (without proper system shut down), all files stored on the volume will be inaccessible (and encrypted). To make them accessible again, you have to mount the volume. To do so, repeat Steps 13-18.
You can copy files (or folders) to and from the VeraCrypt volume just as you would copy them to any normal disk (for example, by simple drag-and-drop operations). Files that are being read or copied from the encrypted VeraCrypt volume are automatically decrypted on the fly in RAM (memory). Similarly, files that are being written or copied to the VeraCrypt volume are automatically encrypted on the fly in RAM (right before they are written to the disk).
Note that VeraCrypt never saves any decrypted data to a disk – it only stores them temporarily in RAM (memory). Even when the volume is mounted, data stored in the volume is still encrypted. When you restart Windows or turn off your computer, the volume will be dismounted and all files stored on it will be inaccessible (and encrypted). Even when power supply is suddenly interrupted (without proper system shut down), all files stored on the volume will be inaccessible (and encrypted). To make them accessible again, you have to mount the volume. To do so, repeat Steps 13-18.
If you want to close the volume and make files stored on it inaccessible, either restart your operating system or dismount the volume. To do so, follow these steps:
Select the volume from the list of mounted volumes in the main VeraCrypt window (marked with a red rectangle in the screenshot above) and then clickDismount (also marked with a red rectangle in the screenshot above). To make files stored on the volume accessible again, you will have to mount the volume. To do so, repeat Steps 13-18.
Select the volume from the list of mounted volumes in the main VeraCrypt window (marked with a red rectangle in the screenshot above) and then clickDismount (also marked with a red rectangle in the screenshot above). To make files stored on the volume accessible again, you will have to mount the volume. To do so, repeat Steps 13-18.
How to Create and Use a VeraCrypt-Encrypted Partition/Device
Instead of creating file containers, you can also encrypt physical partitions or drives (i.e., create VeraCrypt device-hosted volumes). To do so, repeat the steps 1-3 but in the step 3 select the second or third option. Then follow the remaining instructions in the wizard. When you create a device-hosted VeraCrypt volume within a non-systempartition/drive, you can mount it by clicking Auto-Mount Devices in the main VeraCrypt window. For information pertaining to encryptedsystem partition/drives, see the chapter System Encryption.
Important: We strongly recommend that you also read the other chapters of this manual, as they contain important information that has been omitted in this tutorial for simplicity.