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Truecrypt Software

October 2, 2007

Securing confidential and sensitive electronic data is the responsibility of every computer user associated with the university. Federal and state regulations protecting individual financial information, personal identities, and student, patient and human research subject information make it necessary to supplement operating system password protection— especially in the area of mobile or removable computing devices (i.e. laptops, USB flash drives, USB/Firewire drives, CD/DVD disks, etc.)

MCG has chosen the product that is to be used to protect data on removable storage devices on the Windows platform. This product is software called Truecrypt. Apple OSX has built in functionality for removable disk encryption. According to the Truecrypt website, Truecrypt is a free open-source disk encryption software for Windows XP/2000/2003 and Linux. It creates a virtual encrypted disk within a file which is then mounted as a real disk. MCG ITSS personnel have customized our own distribution of Truecrypt for use on removable storage devices like thumb drives.

MCG’s implementation of Truecrypt is available for download. It is a self-extracting executable that is copied to the device. The required Truecrypt executables and support files are extracted to the device, leaving all pre-existing files intact. A PDF will open during installation instructing you of further steps needed to setup the encryption device. It is important to note that the program does not remove any data from your device; therefore, it is essential to make sure you have as much free space on the device as possible. It is recommended that you move all data from the device to your computer’s hard drive before installing Truecrypt. This ensures that you maximize the capacity of the newly encrypted storage area. The easiest way to do this is to create a new folder on your windows desktop and move all files from your flash drive to this folder. Once you have successfully mounted the encrypted volume you can move this data back.

ITSS asks you to protect all removable storage used to perform job duties for MCG. With your data protected if you lose your storage device you do not have to worry about someone accessing the sensitive data. Thank you for your help in this important step towards meeting our data protections goals. 

Truecrypt Installer (exe file)

Please copy this file to your removable device and run it. This program will not destroy any data on your device, it simply uses the free space available.

For additional questions, contact the IT Service Desk at 1-4000 or .

You may also visit the Service Desk in person on the first floor of the Greenblatt Library.

Hours of Service:
Monday — Thursday 7:30 a.m. - 7:30 p.m.
Friday 7:30 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Saturday  Noon - 4:00 p.m.
Sunday  2:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.