Download TrueCrypt 5.0

Wednesday version 5.0 of Truecrypt was released. Truecrypt is an open source encryption program for Windows 2000 and above, Linux and from this version also for Mac OS X, with which physical volumes (a hard disk or a partition) and virtual volumes (a file accessed as a partition) can be encrypted. A number of different methods can be used for this, including aes (256bit), Blowfish (448bit), CAST5 (128bit), Serpent (256bit), Triple DES and Twofish (256bit). They can also be used sequentially so that, for example, a file is first encrypted with aes and then with Serpent.

The special thing about Truecrypt is the ability to create a hidden volume in the encrypted disk. This second volume is only visible if the correct password is entered. So if you are forced to give the password, you can only give the password that gives access to the entire encrypted disk. The second hidden volume is then completely invisible. More information about this can be found at this page to be found. New in version 5.0 is, among other things, the possibility to encrypt the system partition, the read and write speed under Windows has been greatly improved and there is now also a graphical user interface for Linux. The full changelog of this release looks like this:

New features:

• Ability to encrypt a system partition/drive (ie a partition/drive where Windows is installed) with pre-boot authentication (anyone who wants to gain access and use the system, read and write files, etc., needs to enter the correct password each time before the system starts). For more information, see the chapter System Encryption in the documentation. (Windows Vista/XP/2003)
• Pipelined operations increasing read/write speed by up to 100% (Windows)
• Mac OS X version
• Graphical user interface for the Linux version of TrueCrypt
• XTS mode of operation, which was designed by Phillip Rogaway in 2003 and which was recently approved as the IEEE 1619 standard for cryptographic protection of data on block-oriented storage devices. XTS is faster and more secure than LRW mode (for more information on XTS mode, see the section Modes of Operation in the documentation).
  Note: New volumes created by this version of TrueCrypt can be encrypted only in XTS mode. However, volumes created by previous versions of TrueCrypt can still be mounted using this version of TrueCrypt.
• SHA-512 hash algorithm (replacing SHA-1, which is no longer available when creating new volumes).
• Note: To re-encrypt the header of an existing volume with a header key derived using HMAC-SHA-512 (PRF), select ‘Volumes’ > ‘Set Header Key Derivation Algorithm’.

Improvements, bug fixes, and security enhancements:

• The Linux version of TrueCrypt has been redesigned so that it will no longer be affected by changes to the Linux kernel (kernel upgrades/updates).
• Many other minor improvements, bug fixes, and security enhancements. (Windows and Linux)

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