TrueCrypt encrypts hard drives and creates virtual encrypted disks for secure file storage, compatible with Windows, Mac OSX, and Linux.
TrueCrypt is a discontinued source-available freeware utility used for on-the-fly encryption (OTFE). It can create a virtual encrypted disk within a file or encrypt a partition or an entire hard drive. First released in 2004, TrueCrypt was initially based on Encrypting File System (EFS) code in Windows 2000, but completely rewritten by 2008. The software enables encryption of whole disks as well as virtual disks stored as files on mounted partitions or devices. Volumes created by TrueCrypt can be mounted as drives. The contained data is secured via strong encryption.
TrueCrypt supports AES, Serpent, Twofish encryption ciphers and combinations thereof for algorithm cascading. Its cryptographic security was reviewed by security audits funded by the European Commission and subsequently integrated into the software.
Originally released for Microsoft Windows, TrueCrypt has been ported to macOS, Linux, FreeBSD, NetBSD, Solaris and OpenSolaris. Starting with version 6.0, released in February 2012, TrueCrypt only supports Windows 7/Vista/XP, ending support for older versions of Windows as well as all non-Windows operating systems.
On 28 May 2014, the TrueCrypt website announced that the project was no longer maintained and its developers could no longer guarantee the security of the software. Some in the infosec community speculated that the announcement could imply that the developers were acting under coercion or that a silent unfixable vulnerability had been discovered in the encryption program. Afterwards, a first code audit of TrueCrypt 7.1a confirmed multiple critical security issues with the software.
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