This is both advantageous and disadvantageous as well. There are people out there who are taking wrong advantages of the technology. Therefore it is extremely important to take essential steps to protect data from the scammers. There are many techniques which people are using to protect their data.
But the most popular is the encryption of the folders and files which keeps the important data secure and locks the password. Here are the steps explained how to encrypt a folder of file. This is the method by which you can protect your personal data from the unwanted access. EFS are a feature that allows users to store their information on the hard disk in the encrypted format. This is one of the strongest ways to protect your data that windows provide to keep your data fully protected from the hackers and scammers.
If you are encrypting your folders and files for the first time then it is important that you should create backup of your encryption certificate. If your keys and certificate are damaged or lost then you will not be able to use your encrypted files again. So make sure that you create a backup. Here is the way how to encrypt your files and folders. Finally, passwords are almost always the weakest link in a security chain. A password strength checker can be of great use here. Online tools like The Password Meter and my1login are great tools to use here.
While strong password protection will be enough for most users, if you have sensitive data, then more advanced methods such as third-party encryption tools can be used to safeguard data. Beyond regular password protection, you can also use disk-encryption software that offers more robust security measures. These tools can block even the most advanced cold-boot and brute-force attacks, which try to crack passwords and encryption keys using different combinations. This free, open source software can be used on any computer, and virtually any Windows system.
It is essentially a file archiver that uses high compression and strong AES encryption. Your files are protected by being compressed and encrypted, so when you go to access them yourself, you simply need to decompress the file first. To secure your data with 7-Zip , follow these steps:. Download the latest version of 7-Zip. Run the installation program. In your Windows directory, select 7-Zip File Manager.
From the 7-Zip control panel, select the file or folder you would like to protect, and click the Add button. Choose your compression options see image below. A - Type in the name you would like the encrypted file to be named. D - Click OK. Click the Extract button. With support for AES, Serpent, and TwoFish keys, VeraCrypt is a free, cross-platform data security tool that can encrypt your files any way you require.
VeraCrypt comes with full disk encryption but can encrypt at the volume level as well. Users can decide whether they want specific folders encrypted or entire systems. The software works something like the Daemon tools that can create a virtual CD drive on your computer. Download the setup file for Windows and install the software, then follow these instructions:. To start, you will need to create a volume — essentially an encrypted folder where your data will go.
Click on Create Volume. Select Create an encrypted file container and click Next. VeraCrypt gives you the option to create a normal, visible container or an invisible one.
Click Select File and navigate to where you want to store your encrypted container. Click Save. The next section essentially asks what encryption method you want to use. Again, we suggest AES, the strongest encryption used today. Then click Next. Assign how much space you wish the encrypted folder to have. Finally, enter the password you wish to use for your volume and click Next. VeraCrypt is now ready to create your container.
Remarkably, the tool can use random mouse movements to create your encryption key and to encrypt the folder. Feel free to move your mouse around a lot because that makes the encryption key stronger — do this until the bar at the bottom reaches the end. Then click Format. To mount your volume, choose a drive number from any one of the drives available on the VeraCrypt home screen. Click on any one of the letters in your highlighted volume name, click Select File, and navigate to the folder where you saved your encrypted container.
Click Open to select the volume. Next click Mount to mount the volume to the selected drive. Enter your password and click OK.
Your container is ready. Double-click on the mounted drive to open another window of the container. You should also see the container in This PC along with your other drives. You now know what it takes to password protect and encrypt your files and folders in Windows. However, as we have established, it all boils down to keeping your passwords safe and having good security habits in place.
Consider what might happen if you lost your master password, or if your encryption software got corrupted, or if the files themselves got lost. Backing up your data regularly and using a password manager can help you ensure you are never caught unawares.
Some of the utilities mentioned above such as Folder Lock come with their own cloud-based data backup solutions. Of course the biggest problem with passwords is remembering them. The common alternative — creating easy to remember, uninventive passwords — is just as bad.
Weak and common passwords are fairly easy to hack using programs that literally cycle through different key combinations at unfathomable speed. These brute force attacks, or dictionary attacks are highly advanced. In , hackers created a computer cluster that guesses passwords at a rate billion per second.
Besides, this software can hide, lock, protect, and encrypt files, folders, or even a whole hard drive in Windows 7 comprehensively. You can download this password-protecting software and secure your files and folders with encryption. Step 1. Step 2. Click Protecting File under the Local Disk. Select Protect File s , Folder or drive from the right panel.
Click on the Protect Drive to add drive you want to protect. Select drive and click OK. Step 3. Check and confirm the files, folder, and drive that you want to protect. If you want to unprotect the selected files, folder, or drive, tick the target data and click on the Unprotect button.
Windows 7 has a built-in tool - Folder Properties. With it, you can encrypt your folders and all the files within them. To encrypt a file or folder in Windows 7, 8, or 10, follow these steps:. Right-click the target folder that saves your essential files, select "Properties".
Once you navigate to the encrypted folder, you will see a small yellow lock on the file icon. Also, when you add new content to that folder, it will automatically be password protected too. This method works in almost all Windows versions. But the process is a little bit difficult for computer novices.
Follow the steps below to password-protect your folders and files in Windows 7. First, copy the code below:.
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