Encryption? Security?

[Cike]

Hi all,

Coming from the iPad world, I never had to worry much about securing data because 1) although the iPad had access to various cloud services, it didn't hold much data locally, and 2) I could wipe it remotely if it got lost.

Now, with the much more functional Surface Pro, I can (and want to) keep things local--especially since there is no cellular access. But given the size of the device and how often I plan to carry it around, I worry about losing it and thus putting data a risk to exposure. I've already faced this once because my first SP died with the infamous "Security Boot Screen" loop. Try as I might, I could not get access to the hard drive to erase the data--but that doesn't mean that I'm comfortable that no one else could either. I ended up having to return it with the hope that the SSD really was broken and that given how un-repairable these devices are, the whole thing would end up in a shredder.

So, I'm wondering if there are any recommended ways to keep data secure that would really work on the SP. I see the Win8 has an encryption option, but I'm not sure what risks there are to enabling it (there must be some downside, or wouldn't it be on by default?)

Any thoughts?
C

 

[Garyjk]

check this out. it's been used long before surface pro was introduced.

Surface Pro Encrypt HD/Flash drive with Windows 8 BitLocker | Microsoft Surface tablet

 

[Nuspieds]

I use BestCrypt Volume Encryption to not only encrypt my MicroSDXC card but also the C: drive. It works great and I highly recommend it.

When the Boot/C: drive is encrypted, a password is required at boot/restart in order to mount the volume and make it accessible. I'm like you and am also very security-concious, so I certainly do not want to potentially expose my data in the event I have to send it in for repair or something. Thankfully, BestCrypt Volume Encryption solves that concern for me.

 

[null4end]

I am using BitLocker on mine. It is company policy and works great. Just make sure to backup and print your keys as some BIOS updates require you to re-enter the long key.

 

[Cike]

It seems like BitLocker is the way to go since it's already installed. I'm a little bit nervous, though. Are there any downsides (e.g., performance hits, incompatibilities, etc.)? Why wouldn't everyone automatically encrypt their drives?

 

[mph]

Since this question pops up rather regularly: Does anyone have a tutorial on hand oncerning complete discencryption on the Surface Pro via TrueCrypt?

 

[vinumsv]

Here you go

How to Encrypt a Full Disk with TrueCrypt

its for Win7 but should be same for Win8 too


and for Bitlocker

[video=youtube;voWj542eEKQ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=voWj542eEKQ[/video]

Use BitLocker for Encryption in Windows 8

as for the performance there will slight performance hit in initial stages as its encrypting the whole driver once thats is completed you shouldn't see any major differences..

 

[MaxSurface]

I use Bitlocker on my c: drive and have not noticed any performance difference between now and before I started using it. I haven't benchmarked it, but it felt fast before I enabled bitlocker and it still feels fast now with it enabled. On my microsd card I have truecrypt on it in portable mode and have created an encrypted container where I keep anything sensitive. This setup works great for my needs.

 

[heed]

I use a Truecrypt container for sensitive stuff. Works well. I have it set to bring up the mount prompt when I boot my machine. Maybe I'll enable BL too just in case I forget to put files where they belong.