File Encryption

Dance Commander

So I'm getting to a point where I have enough important numbers and passwords (online bank accounting stuff, etc.) that I would like to do something other than just keep them all in my head. I've done OK so far, but needing to remember 10+ 8-12 digit numbers is starting to drive me nuts.
I would like to keep them in a file, on my computer, because it seems more secure than paper, and I can easily replicate it to a couple of different drives.
Obviously I want to encrypt the file in the most secure way possible. It's going to be very small, so RSA seems appropriate, given my extremely limited knowledge of encryption algorithms.
So, can anyone recommend good, free (not paying to encrypt one file), file encryption software?

japan

http://www.truecrypt.org/

AngelHedgie

Dance Commander wrote: »

So I'm getting to a point where I have enough important numbers and passwords (online bank accounting stuff, etc.) that I would like to do something other than just keep them all in my head. I've done OK so far, but needing to remember 10+ 8-12 digit numbers is starting to drive me nuts.
I would like to keep them in a file, on my computer, because it seems more secure than paper, and I can easily replicate it to a couple of different drives.
Obviously I want to encrypt the file in the most secure way possible. It's going to be very small, so RSA seems appropriate, given my extremely limited knowledge of encryption algorithms.
So, can anyone recommend good, free (not paying to encrypt one file), file encryption software?

The better solution, methinks, is a better password scheme. Considering your issues, I'd go with a seed-based system -

1. Think up a 6-8 character string that you can remember. This is the seed.
2. For each new password, think up a 3-5 character unique string. This is the modifier.
3. Determine how you're going to couple the seed and modifier - will it be seed then modifier, modifier then seed, modifier in seed, etc.
4. Replace your passwords with the new ones. This way, you're only remembering small unique strings, not long ones.

tardcore

Buy a small USB portable flash drive. Encrypt your files and put them all in there. Keep that drive safe.

Echo

japan wrote: »

http://www.truecrypt.org/

Truecrypt is good, but a bit overkill just for storing passwords. (Truecrypt lets you make a virtual filesystem stored in an encrypted file.)

My preferred method of generating passwords is to take two words, "l33tify" them and change the case at one or two places.

Example: the two most recent words of the day at dictionary.com were "sombra" and "trece". So from that I'd get "s0mbRatr3cE" as a password.

DrFrylock

Why don't you just put password.txt in a password-protected ZIP file. If you have WinXP or better, I don't even think this needs extra software. Now, ZIP encryption isn't exactly military grade, but it should be adequate for your purposes.

Bob Sapp

You could give keepass a look. It's a password manager that optionally allows you to put a file on a keydrive that makes it so you need to have the keydrive in as well as the enter the correct password in order to access the password database. Of course it has encryption too. It's free.

http://keepass.info/

Dance Commander

Thanks for all the advice, but I'm not just trying to store passwords but a whole bunch of personal information I need kept private. Anyway truecrypt is exactly the kind of thing I was looking for, although it's a bit overkill for storing just the one file, but I don't care, the overhead on a 500kb container isn't exactly huge. This can be locked.