TrueCrypt

TrueCrypt was a groundbreaking piece of software that allowed users to create and manage encrypted drives with what's known as "on the fly" encryption. This meant that your files were automatically scrambled into unreadable code as soon as you saved them, and just as seamlessly decrypted when you needed to access them all without you having to lift a finger. Without the right password or encryption key, the data inside a TrueCrypt volume looked like nothing more than a jumble of random characters. Everything was protected: file names, folders, the content of each file, and even the empty space.

It was especially popular for keeping laptop data safe from prying eyes. Among its standout features, TrueCrypt could create a virtual encrypted disk that behaved like a real one, encrypt entire partitions or devices like USB drives, and even secure the partition where Windows was installed, requiring a password before the system could boot up.

One of its most talked about qualities was plausible deniability. If someone pressured you for your password, you could point them to a decoy volume while keeping your truly sensitive files hidden away in a second, invisible container. The encryption itself was top notch for its time, using algorithms like AES 256, Serpent, and Twofish in XTS mode.

However, it’s important to note that the developers themselves warned that TrueCrypt might contain unfixed security flaws. Development officially stopped back in May 2014, and since then, experts strongly recommend moving any data still encrypted with TrueCrypt to a modern, supported alternative.

So while it was once the gold standard in disk encryption, these days it’s better to use something actively maintained and updated.