Let Me Ax You Something Else

Edited
Buon giorno. In my business, keeping secrets is paramount. Sometimes when I send Lela and Nicky out to collect payments, they have no idea who they are calling on until they get most of the way there. But never mind about that now.

For what I am about to say, I received no vig. Why should I? It's Open Source, and free.

On another computer, I had a copy of AxCrypt by Axantum. This little dandy lets you encrypt your files so that nobody can get at them (even Hal the Hacker was impressed). You can make a self-extracting .EXE file and pass it along. This is quite different from TrueCrypt (also Open Source), which "mounts" a virtual drive on your computer, and knows how not to be seen. Bit of a steep learning curve for the details, though, but exceptionally secure. AxCrypt, in its default state, does not hide the fact that a file is encrypted. But so what?

I was impressed earlier today when I found a leftover archived encrypted file (yeah, big words again, but you have to learn them sometime). This file had been shuffled from hard drive to portable hard drive to another portable hard drive. The original Windows XP system was long gone, and I was looking at it on a 64 bit Windows 7 computer. I could see several reasons why this would have to be deleted.

I looked up AxCrypt's site. They have AxDecrypt now, in addition to their main installed piece. And it worked! I had the password and it was accepted because it was built in to the encrypted file, so to speak. This impressed me because the company was being so consistent.

They've expanded since I last checked in. As I said, they have the decrypter. But they also have a portable version (no, I haven't tested it yet), and the company has Xecrets. Isn't that a clever name? Anyway, this one is a subscription service that stores your files "in the cloud" (that is, online...why are people hung up on sky images for this stuff?), so you can access them anywhere. I don't feel the need for "cloud" stuff like that one because I have KeePass, the Open Source password safe. They have a portable version, so I can store the main file (or a copy) online or on a flash drive or other portable device. Like the Lord of the Rings, one password to rule them all, and then store all of your passwords in it. As well as your other information, it's quite safe.

Do you want a "back door"? Pervert. No, I'm talking about a back door to get into the software and recover your information in case you lose your passwords. If that happens, I will refer you to the ancient philosopher Lao Tzu, who said, "Sucks to be you". Ain't got no.

So there you have it, an update on some very useful ways to keep things secret. Even knowing what I use won't help you, though. Arrivederci, Baby!