It is a good idea to make sure that no one is able to find and use private files on your computer. I can think of several reasons why it is wise to secure private files. If you are sharing a computer you have multiple users working with it, would not it be embarrassing if your mother (wife, sister, girlfriend..) found your hidden adult picture stash ? A thief would be more than happy to use all the personal information (login details to sites like paypal or ebay for example) to make some extra bucks.
Now, what could you do to prevent a scenario like this to happen ? The answer is: Encrypt your files, Delete files securely, Use mobile devices.
This sounds like a lot of work and it initially is. Once setup it´s no more hassle at all.
The first thing you need to realize is that your data is not safe if it is located on a unencrypted hard drive. They are accessible even if you try to be sneaky and rename the files, hide the folders or partition, use different profiles aso. What you need to realise is that unencrypted files are easy to spot. Just boot from a linux live cd and browse all the contents of the hard drive.
What you need is a safe way to encrypt your files which makes sure that only you (with the masterkey) will be able to decrypt them and use them as usual.
The tool you need is called True Crypt. Click the following link to find a detailed introduction to true crypt. This article walks you through the installation process. You don´t need a portable drive to install true crypt, you could also create an encrypted container on a hard drive. True crypt is able to encrypt and decrypt on the fly, making it mighty useful for everyday work. You decrypt the container with your masterkey. When you are not working on the computer your files are encrypted and no one is able to decrypt it without the masterkey.
Encrypting files is not enough. Many programs have histories of files or urls. It is still embarrassing if your wife discovers that you downloaded a nude teen movie even though she would not be able to start the movie. (because it is located on the encrypted drive).
A good way to prevent this from happening is to use either portable applications or configure the programs that way that they either don´t save those information or save them in the encrypted container. Firefox offers another possibility. It has an option to clear private data when closing the browser. (located in options / privacy)
To sum everything up:
1. Encrypt your private files with true crypt.
2. Use portable applications
3. Make sure profiles and caches are saved on your container file or deleted when you logout
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[...] Blog Name: Google Hacks Article Title: Howto make sure that your files are safe It is a good idea to make sure that no one is able to find and use private files on your computer against you. I can think of several reasons why it is wise to secure private files. If you are sharing a computer you have multiple users working with i… [...]
[...] Tech News has a good article on how to make sure that your files are safe: 1. Encrypt your private files with true crypt. 2. Use portable applications 3. Make sure profiles [...]