#Strong mac os x encryption how to
#Strong mac os x encryption install
#Strong mac os x encryption android
#Strong mac os x encryption windows 8.1

You can’t just pop out an Android device’s storage and attempt to crack the user’s passcode.NOTE: This guide is not being actively reviewed or updated, and is currently retired. In an improvement from Android 4.4’s encryption, Android 5.0 uses a hardware-based credential to make this stronger, so brute-force attempts would have to take place on the device itself. Your passcode can be a four-digit PIN, but it could also be a longer password. Like iOS, Android reuses the lock screen passcode for this.

#Strong mac os x encryption how to

RELATED: How to Encrypt Your Android Phone (and Why You Might Want to)Īfter years of offering an optional encryption feature, the latest version of Android - Android 5.0, also known as Android L or Android Lollipop - will now enable encryption by default. If you didn’t require a PIN, it wouldn’t help you - anyone could just boot your phone or tablet right up. This “data protection” is enabled by default, but it’s activated only when you enter a PIN or other device-unlocking passcode. They can’t just remove its storage, connect it to a computer, and attempt to brute-force your short passcode from there. This is used along with your iPhone or iPad’s UID to encrypt your data, so an attacker would have to attempt to brute-force your passcode on the device itself. Your data is protected with your passcode - either a four-digit PIN or a password of any length. It’s just an easy-to-use layer of encryption that makes your Chromebook more secure, even if you have sensitive business documents in your Downloads folder or sensitive emails cached online.

Of course, if someone could change your Google password via a social-engineering attack, they’d be able to gain access to your files - but it isn’t designed to protect against that. This prevents people from accessing the data on them without your Google password, offering more security. RELATED: How a Chromebook is Locked Down to Protect YouĪ Chromebook’s storage is encrypted by default, too. Other Linux distributions generally provide a similar option in their installers.

#Strong mac os x encryption install

For example, Ubuntu prompts you to enable encryption when you install it. It’s not necessarily enabled by default, but you’re prompted to enable it with a quick checkbox while installing your Linux distribution of choice. Linux distributions often offer easy encryption, too. You can choose to print out your recovery key or store a digital copy somewhere locally. However, unlike with Windows 8.1’s encryption, this feature isn’t mandatory. The Mac’s FileVault feature allows you upload a copy of your recovery key to Apple so you can recover your files via your Apple ID if you ever lose your password. All drives are now automatically prepared for FileVault encryption, and you’re prompted to enable it when you set up a new Mac. Mac OS X Yosemite wants you to set up encryption by default when you install it. RELATED: How to Encrypt Your Mac's System Drive, Removable Devices, and Individual Files Professional editions of Windows offer BitLocker, but it isn’t enabled by default - you’ll need to get a more expensive edition of Windows and go out of your way to enable it. Still, device encryption is at least better than no encryption at all. It also forces you to send a copy of your recovery key to Microsoft (or your organization’s exchange server), so this type of encryption is vulnerable to social-engineering attacks as well as law enforcement requests.

#Strong mac os x encryption windows 8.1

It won’t work on all Windows 8.1 systems, especially ones you’ve upgraded to Windows 8.1 from an older version of Windows. Overall, this is the least useful type of encryption here. Windows 8.1 offers a default encryption feature known as “device encryption.” This only works on new hardware that comes with Windows 8.1 as well as other required hardware features.