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When copying or moving file into TrueCrypt to be encryted, will an unencrypted copy remain somewhere? Is it safer to copy the file into the TrueCrypt volume and then shred the original file?

JCotton
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Cherry
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2 Answers2

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Technically, yes an unencrypted copy of the data will remain on the hard drive until the bits are overwritten by another file or it is 'shredded'. This is doubly so if your hard drive is an SSD, where wear-leveling algorithms spread write operations across cells within the hardware, allowing for bits to still exist on the device long after the original file has been deleted/overwritten.

Ideal scenario is full disk/OS encryption, to protect even temp files that might have been created/stored during the creation of sensitive data. (Tinfoil Hat: Encrypted container within an encrypted disk.)

Justin Pearce
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  • My main concern is to keep a few video or photo files private and the rest of the computer functioning normal. Will creating a volume in truecrypt to store the files and shredding the original file be safe? Will the files remain anywhere else after shredding? Thanks. – Cherry May 05 '11 at 00:38
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    If the video and photo files originated in the locations you are currently storing them, then it should be safe. However, if the video and photo files were downloaded through a web browser or edited with a program, there is the possibility that cache/temp copies of those files are located elsewhere on the hard drive and would have to be shredded as well. Consult relevant program documentation on location of temp/cache files. – Justin Pearce May 05 '11 at 20:14
  • Thanks for your advice. It should be downloaded via Usb,Will that be a problem? will playing the file before encryption cause part of it to reside in temp files somewhere? – Cherry May 05 '11 at 23:59
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A "move" is really a "copy" then "delete original". Remants of a moved file are left over similar to what is left over after a deleted file.

Ideally sensitive data is created within an encrypted container and never copied, moved, or existent outside of the container.

LawrenceC
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