C720 external drive encryption

wehoward3
wehoward3 Member Posts: 3 New User

I'd like to have an external drive that I can use to share files between my C720 Chromebook, Linux Mint, and Windows, but I want the information on the drive (USB or HD) to be encrypted so that if I lose it, the files are not accessible to strangers. I know I can use the cloud, but I want to be able to share using a real device when there is no internet available. Something like Apricorn Aegis Padlock 1 TB USB Hardware Encrypted Portable External Hard Drive seems like it would work just fine, but I'm looking for a less expensive solution. Truecrypt works for Linux and Windows, but I've not seen a Chromebook app.

 

Does anyone have any ideas on how to make this happen?

Answers

  • Ryanrr
    Ryanrr Member Posts: 831 Practitioner WiFi Icon

    To my knowledge the Chromebook does not currently support encrypted external USB storage devices. However, Chromebook does provide encryption for locally stored data. For more information on the Chromebook encryption, read Protecting Cached User Data.

  • wehoward3
    wehoward3 Member Posts: 3 New User

    Yes. Quite sad. My opinion is that many people want to have external drives with encryption, such as truecrypt provides for most other platforms. My conclusion is that only hardware encryption will provide a solution for all platforms: Chromebook, Win, Mac, Linux. I just found StarTech.com 2.5-Inch Encrypted Hard Drive Enclosure - Portable External HDD Enclosure SATA to USB 3.0 (S2510BU3PW) where you only need to add your own hard drive, and suddenly you have a portable encryption solution. I'm testing it out right now, and will report the results. I still prefer a software solution, but Google says no.

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