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Insert a symbol and it takes even longer"p4ssworD!" Would take about 275 days. An even stronger password would be a sentence that is a combination of letters, numbers, symbols and capitalization. Something simple to remember but difficult to guess, such as"mYd0g!sMyp4ssw0rD," would take a PC approximately 3 quintillion years to figure out.Encryption Software: What We Tested, What We FoundMost of the encryption software for Windows we tested lets you combine your encrypted files in one protected place, whether it's a locker, library or vault.

The document encryption software you choose should get the job done quickly, be user friendly and maintain your information safe.PerformanceWe tested all the encryption methods thoroughly using 63 files which totaled 128MB to determine which program has been the best overall. People who converted the files quickly received more charge in the final scores than many others.

Although encrypting such a little batch of documents only took seconds in most situations, some programs took minutes to finish the job. When you're locking up only a few megabytes' worth of information, it's not a huge deal, however if you are encrypting gigabytes of data, you could be looking at hours of waiting.We also clocked the speed of decryption and found that most programs are able to give you access to your documents fairly quickly.

The programs we include in our lineup are complete simple and intuitive, particularly Folder Lock and Secure IT. They both guide you through procedures step by step. Secure IT provides you access to encryption by integrating with the Windows operating platform, so all you have to do is right-click on a file and choose to encrypt it in the menu.In virtually every test, we found these file encryption applications compress files as they encrypt them.

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People who compressed files the most received more credit in scoring.SecurityEncryption software employs different types of ciphers to scramble your information, and each has its own benefits. Advanced Encryption Standard, or 256-bit key AES, is a sort of the Rijndael cipher and is used by the U.S. government, including the National Security Agency, so it's considered one of the strongest encryption ciphers accessible.

Although any one of these ciphers may be broken given enough time and computing power, they are considered almost unbreakable. AES has long been recognized as the superior algorithm, so we gave more credit to the programs this that use AES.Many data programs include an option to shred your files when you are all set to bury data.

To"shred" files, a program overwrites the data with random pieces of data. Data retrieval is a lengthy process, so unless you are in the business of trade secrets or espionage, your hard drives are more probably safe from data recovery.Your documents and information are only as safe and protected as your password.

The longer and more random your password is, the harder it is to break. A password strength meter included in this software is helpful. Many applications need a master password to use the application, and then another password for each vault or collection of files. Password generators are also useful when you don't want to need to think of strong passwords yourself.We sent encrypted documents through email and provided a password to the tester to unlock the files.

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You use your mouse, which prevents potential keyloggers from recording your password as you type it. Your Windows operating system includes a virtual keyboard, and that means you have access to the safety feature, but click resources programs like Folder Lock and Advanced Encryption Package Pro make it easy to access. Stealth mode offers even more privacy anyone else who logs on to a computer or hacks in won't even see that you utilized encryption software.After encrypting documents, some applications allowed us to back up the protected data and connect with upload to a server, like google Drive or Dropbox, which can be called redundant safety.

In reality, you can upload any of your encrypted files into a cloud space and your files remain safe.Top Ten Reviews Aims, whenever possible, to evaluate all goods and services in hands-on tests that simulate as closely as possible the experiences of a normal consumer. We obtained the software in our comparison on loan by the companies and via retail purchase.

Results of our evaluations were not given to the companies in advance of publication.What Else Is Important in Choosing Encryption SoftwareWhile security is the utmost element in picking the right encryption software for you personally, it's always important that you opt for a program which is suitable for your own system. Also, if you run into problems with your software, you may need to contact customer support or have access to online manuals and tutorials.Version CompatibilityIf you are running an older version of Windows, such as Vista or XP, then you want to be certain the app still supports your operating system.