It’s a sort of digital security housekeeping step, making sure that you’re not leaving any doors ajar when it comes to data that you’ve once upon a time given other people access to. So say if you set a link to work for a week, anyone who comes across that link and clicks on it a month later won’t be able to access those files. Another precaution that’s available that you might not be aware of is the ability to set expiry dates on shared links. Many of us now use cloud storage services to share files between computers and between people, and these shared files and folders can often be password protected for some additional security. You can then go step by step through the process, guided by the software, but we’d also recommend checking out the help documentation you can find here. ![]() Once you’ve got VeraCrypt up and running on your Windows or macOS system, click Create Volume and then choose Encrypt a non-system partition/drive to do exactly that (the non-system partition/drive being your USB stick). A better option no matter your computer of choice is to use the free and open source VeraCrypt for the job. While both Windows and macOS have native options for this, they’re not particularly straightforward to use-and in the case of Windows, you need the Pro enterprise version of the operating system to use them. Encrypting means locking the data to a password specified by you-without that password, the data on these drives can’t be read, and the files on them can’t be opened. USB flash drives remain useful ways of getting files between two points, whether you’re ferrying them between computers or you’re giving them to someone else. VeraCrypt can do your encrypting for you. That’ll be the case most of the time anyway-if you’re opening files in desktop applications on a Mac with Touch ID functionality attached, for example, then you can use your fingerprint to confirm your identity instead of a password. There’s similar functionality available in the Pages and Numbers applications developed by Apple, where you can select File and Set Password.ĭo make sure you choose a password that you’re not going to forget, though, because in the future, there’s going to be no way to get into your file without it. In Microsoft Word or Excel for Windows, for example, choose File, Info, Protect Document, and then Encrypt with Password. How you go about this is going to depend on the programs that you’re using. It’s particularly worth doing if you often find yourseld moving files around between different devices and between different people. Password protection means that even if someone should come across a file, they can’t actually open it-it’s a useful extra layer of security to go alongside whatever methods you’re using to restrict access to your phone, computer, and cloud accounts. ![]() You can find your hidden files by choosing Albums and Hidden-you’ll need to use the same unlock method as you use to get into your phone (like Face ID or Touch ID) to open the hidden folder. Then, tap the three dots in the lower right corner and choose Hide and confirm the action. Over on iOS, in the Library tab of Apple Photos, tap Select and then pick the photos and videos you want to hide. The same method you use to unlock your handset can be used to get into your locked folder via Utilities under the Library tab. Tap on Move to Locked Folder in the menu below, and (if this is the first time you’ve used the locked folder) you’ll be asked to unlock your phone again before the files are transferred. In Google Photos on Android, press and hold on a photo or video to select it, then select any additional files that you want to move. Should someone else gain access to your handset, whether they’re a friend you know or a stranger you don’t, you can make sure one corner of your media gallery remains hidden from view. Both Android and iOS-or to be more specific, both Google Photos and Apple Photos-now let you hide photos and videos that you really don’t want anyone else taking a peek at.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |