Encryption for Android

[Pat Dixon]

What encryption do you suggest for Android 4.x that will encrypt
selected files and folders?

The encryption should hide the file names when its done.

[troppo]

Been exploring this possibility myself for Android 4.1.2 phone .
Maybe avoid anything written in the US (backdoors likely).
On Windows/Linux I use 7Zip by Igor Pavlov. Does AES-256, will encrypt
filenames. Source code available. Proven to be unbreakable with a strong
password.
There are supposedly 7Zip versions for Android, and plenty of advice
from people who have obviously not tested what they recommend or list.

I tried 7Archiver, used a password, and it opened the encrypted file
WITHOUT the password. Duh ... Also, apparently no option for
encrypting filenames. There's a 7Z add-in for ES File Explorer that
operates exactly the same, eg unzips a password-protected file without
asking for the password, and doesn't encrypt filenames. My solution so
far is, don't carry anything on the phone that is confidential.

[Andrea Bianchi]

Su Mon, 13 Jun 2016 23:01:01 +0000,Pat Dixon scrittura:

> What encryption do you suggest for Android 4.x that will encrypt
> selected files and folders?
>
> The encryption should hide the file names when its done.

Does truecrypt no longer exist?

You simply make an enctypted container of any size or even an
enctyptyed container within a container (a hidden container).

Then you "mount" either of those containers when you want to
use them and you unmount it when you no longer need to use it.

If someone holds a gun to your head, you give them the outside
container's password, and they can't tell that there is a hidden
container.

If Truecrypt exists on Android, why not use that?

--
ciao

[andrze...@gmail.com]

Hello

Hello

I use EDS:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sovworks.eds.android

It works similarly as TrueCrypt.
Its containers are compatible with TrueCrypt (it's even possible to copy them from the phone to PC and open with TrueCrypt there).

Regards
Andrzej Brozi

[Chris]

Andrea Bianchi <AndreaB...@spams.tiscali.it> wrote:
> Su Mon, 13 Jun 2016 23:01:01 +0000,Pat Dixon scrittura:
>
>> What encryption do you suggest for Android 4.x that will encrypt
>> selected files and folders?
>>
>> The encryption should hide the file names when its done.
>
> Does truecrypt no longer exist?

Of a fashion, but the anonymous authors pulled the plug on the project a
while back for no apparent reason. Lots of speculation of whether they were
leant on by government or whether there was a compromise.

New forks have spawned e.g. VeraCrypt, but you can still use TrueCrypt if
you wish.

[parma]

> New forks have spawned e.g. VeraCrypt, but you can still use TrueCrypt if
> you wish.
>
>

But where is the downlowd for truecrypt?
--


----Android NewsGroup Reader----
http://usenet.sinaapp.com/

[Pat Dixon]

andrzej.brozi wrote:

> I use EDS:
> https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sovworks.eds.android
>
> It works similarly as TrueCrypt.
> Its containers are compatible with TrueCrypt (it's even possible to copy them from the phone to PC and open with TrueCrypt there).
>
> Regards
> Andrzej Brozi

I installed EDS Lite on Android.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sovworks.edslite&hl=en

ESD Lite is not anywhere near as easy to use as Truecrypt was.
And EDS is certainly is extremely slow at making a container (hours).

After about four or five hours, it created a "container" but EDS doesn't
seem to have "hidden" containers like TrueCrypt did.

Also EDS doesn't seem to work in the file system but I'm not sure yet.

All I want to do is:
1. Create a container
2. Open that container when I want to access it
2. Put files into that container (when it is open)
3. Take files out of that container (when it is open)

I'm still getting used to EDS Lite but it doesn't seem to do that
from ES File Explorer. And I can't figure out yet how to do that
from inside of EDS Lite.

Maybe you can help me?

How do I put a file inside the container.
How do I then take the file OUT of that container?
Does it hide the file name at all times while the file is inside the container?

I don't know

[Chris]

parma <pa...@it.invalid> wrote:
>
>> New forks have spawned e.g. VeraCrypt, but you can still use TrueCrypt if
>> you wish.
>>
>>
>
> But where is the downlowd for truecrypt?

Google it

[Chris]

Pat Dixon <patd...@whyme.net> wrote:
> andrzej.brozi wrote:
>
>> I use EDS:
>> https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sovworks.eds.android
>>
>> It works similarly as TrueCrypt.
>> Its containers are compatible with TrueCrypt (it's even possible to copy
>> them from the phone to PC and open with TrueCrypt there).
>>
>> Regards
>> Andrzej Brozi
>
> I installed EDS Lite on Android.
> https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sovworks.edslite&hl=en
>
> ESD Lite is not anywhere near as easy to use as Truecrypt was.
> And EDS is certainly is extremely slow at making a container (hours).

Unsurprising. encryption is cpu intensive and Arm processors aren't the
fastest, for obvious reasons. Desktop cpus have hardware acceleration to
make it quicker.

> After about four or five hours, it created a "container" but EDS doesn't
> seem to have "hidden" containers like TrueCrypt did.

It's not supported in the lite version. Have a look at this review, it has
lots of useful info
http://www.cloudwards.net/eds-lite-for-android-review-open-truecrypt-containers-on-the-go/

[andrze...@gmail.com]

W dniu środa, 15 czerwca 2016 06:37:31 UTC+2 użytkownik Pat Dixon napisał:
> I installed EDS Lite on Android.
> https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sovworks.edslite&hl=en

When I first installed it, the Lite version didn't support my phone, so I bought the Pro (the author compiled some files specially for my phone). It worked very well. Now, after a few upgrades of Android and the EDS program itself it probably uses some default files (I didn't need any new files compiled).

> ESD Lite is not anywhere near as easy to use as Truecrypt was.

I feel opposite - you open a container, open a file in it, read or write the file, close file, close container and stop the program - that's all - exactly as in TrueCrypt.

> And EDS is certainly is extremely slow at making a container (hours).

I don't exactly remember creating containers - it was quite some time ago, but I certainly don't remember it taking so long. The preparation time wasn't even annoying. But: I use the containers to store text files with passwords and other sensitive data, I don't need more than about 5MB for a container.

> After about four or five hours, it created a "container" but EDS doesn't
> seem to have "hidden" containers like TrueCrypt did.

I never used hidden containers, so cannot tell.

> Also EDS doesn't seem to work in the file system but I'm not sure yet.

As far as I know it's some kind of a service - when you mount the container you may use file manager to work on files in it just as if they were on some disk. EDS has its own file manager.

> All I want to do is:
> 1. Create a container

I have just made a test. And I've just found out that now you can select a container type: TrueCrypt, LUKS, VeraCrypt, Cybersafe and a hidden container.
Creation of a new 100MB container (TrueCrypt compatible) took 5 minutes on my device.

> 2. Open that container when I want to access it
> 2. Put files into that container (when it is open)
> 3. Take files out of that container (when it is open)
>
> I'm still getting used to EDS Lite but it doesn't seem to do that
> from ES File Explorer. And I can't figure out yet how to do that
> from inside of EDS Lite.

Again I'm not sure if it's exactly the same in the Lite version.
Being in the main window of EDS you see a list of available containers. In top row you can switch from tab 'containers' to tab 'device' and browse whatever files you have in memory. You simply copy the file, go back to the container and paste it in.

> Maybe you can help me?
>
> How do I put a file inside the container.
> How do I then take the file OUT of that container?

Same way as copying files into it - switch between tabs 'device' and 'containers'.

> Does it hide the file name at all times while the file is inside the container?

I don't understand this question - why should a file be sometimes in the container and sometimes out of it? The secret files should be in the container at all times. Only sometimes the container should be opened to use the files and then closed when the files are not used any more. Otherwise you risk leaving some working copy of the secret file in nonencrypted area.

Regards
Andrzej Brozi

[parma]

e spawned e.g. VeraCrypt, but you can still use TrueCrypt if
>>> you wish.
>>>
>>>
>>
>> But where is the downlowd for truecrypt?
>
> Google it
>
>

There is no android download for truecrypt.
There is no Android download for veracrypt.

[Arno Welzel]

Chris, 2016-06-14 19:37:

And VeraCrypt is available for Android? Where?


--
Arno Welzel
http://arnowelzel.de
http://de-rec-fahrrad.de
http://fahrradzukunft.de

[Pat Dixon]

Arno Welzel wrote:

> And VeraCrypt is available for Android? Where?

Neither veracrypt nor truecrypt are available for Android
so we are stuck with EDS Lite.

EDS Lite wouldn't be so bad if I could only figure out one
thing.

1. From within EDS Lite, I easily created an EDS Lite "container"
located in
/mnt/extSdCard/data/test/eds_container1

2. In that "test" directory, I used ES File Explorer to put in a
couple of test files:
/mnt/extSdCard/data/test/test1.txt
/mnt/extSdCard/data/test/test1.jpg

Now what?

If I'm "outside" of EDS Lite, I can't seem to get a file "inside"
of EDS Lite. And if I'm inside of EDS Lite, I can't seem to access
the files that are outside EDS Lite.

There is something very basic I'm missing!

What is the "button" I press in EDS Lite to get the files that are
outside the container to get put inside the container?

[Chris]

Pat Dixon <patd...@whyme.net> wrote:
> Arno Welzel wrote:
>
>> And VeraCrypt is available for Android? Where?
>
> Neither veracrypt nor truecrypt are available for Android
> so we are stuck with EDS Lite.

No there's the Pro (non-free) version as well, which enables many extra
features.

> EDS Lite wouldn't be so bad if I could only figure out one
> thing.

DID you read the article I posted to you before? It should answer your
questions.

[Pat Dixon]

Chris wrote:

> DID you read the article I posted to you before? It should answer your
> questions.

No I didn't read the article because I thought it was about EDS Pro.
I have no plans to use more than EDS Lite.
But even EDS Lite should be able to simply encrypt & decrypt a files.

[Pat Dixon]

Chris wrote:

> It's not supported in the lite version. Have a look at this review, it has
> lots of useful info
> http://www.cloudwards.net/eds-lite-for-android-review-open-truecrypt-containers-on-the-go/

I just realized I had read that article when you had posted it
and it didn't tell me what I wanted to know, which is simply
how to put a file into an EDS Lite container, and how to pull
it out (pretty basic stuff, right?).

All I really want from an ecryption program is the following:
1. Create a container of decent size (e.g., DVD size)
2. Put a file into that container (it should basically disappear)
3. Pull a file out of that container

That's pretty much how I had used Truecrypt on Windows.
That's all I would want from Android.

That article can't posibly be right, because EDS Lite seems to recognize my
sd card because that's where it created the container.

THe article was very ineffective.
All I'm looking for is a single person on this newsgroup who has done
three simple things with EDS Lite.

1. created a container (that is easy and even I have done that)
2. PUt a file in the container (how?)
3. Pull the file out of the container (how?)

Hasn't ANYONE ever used encryption on this entire newsgroup?

[Frank Slootweg]

Pat Dixon <patd...@whyme.net> wrote:
[...]

> Hasn't ANYONE ever used encryption on this entire newsgroup?

Yeah, I did, but it made it unreadable [1]!

[1] Not that it's readable in its unencrypted state.

[Pat Dixon]

Pat Dixon wrote:

> No I didn't read the article because I thought it was about EDS Pro.
> I have no plans to use more than EDS Lite.
> But even EDS Lite should be able to simply encrypt & decrypt a files.

The article is confusing as all hell, as it doesn't mention what needs
to be done in EDS lite to do number 2 and number 3 of the main actions:

1. Create a container (easy to do with EDS Lite)
2. Put a file IN that container (the article provides no clue)
3. Take a file OUT of that container (the article provides no clue).

Doesn't anyone here actually *use* EDS Lite encryption?

[Pat Dixon]

Frank Slootweg wrote:

>> Hasn't ANYONE ever used encryption on this entire newsgroup?
>
> Yeah, I did, but it made it unreadable [1]!
>
> [1] Not that it's readable in its unencrypted state.

How do you get a plain text file, called "foo.txt" into the EDS Lite
container at /mnt/extSdCard/data/container/ (foo.txt)?

1. I can't find a menu item inside of EDS Lite that will put that
file "foo.txt" into an existing container created by EDS Lite
/mnt/extSdCard/data/container/

2. I can't get ES File Explorer which is outside of EDS Lite to put
the file "foo.txt" into EDS Lite's container.

What app do you use to put the file "foo.txt" into the container "container"?
What button or menu item do you select to do that?

[Frank Slootweg]

Pat Dixon <patd...@whyme.net> wrote:
> Frank Slootweg wrote:
>
> >> Hasn't ANYONE ever used encryption on this entire newsgroup?
> >
> > Yeah, I did, but it made it unreadable [1]!
> >
> > [1] Not that it's readable in its unencrypted state.
>
> How do you get a plain text file, called "foo.txt" into the EDS Lite
> container at /mnt/extSdCard/data/container/ (foo.txt)?

<whoosh>

[...]

[Pat Dixon]

Frank Slootweg wrote:

> <whoosh>
>
> [...]

You've never done it if you can't explain what button to
press inside of EDS Lite.

You'd think the "pin" button would work; but it doesn't seem to.

So, if you're so helpful, what's the button you press in
EDS Lite to "import" a plain text file so that it becomes
ciphertext inside the EDS Lite container?

[Frank Slootweg]

Dear confused, please carefully (re-)read what *you* wrote. Perhaps
then you'll understand my response and your subsequent whoosh.

Because you've cut the relevant text, I'll make it easy for you:

<rewind>

Pat Dixon <patd...@whyme.net> wrote:
[...]

> Hasn't ANYONE ever used encryption on this entire newsgroup?

Yeah, I did, but it made it unreadable [1]!

[1] Not that it's readable in its unencrypted state.

</rewind>

[Pat Dixon]

Frank Slootweg wrote:

> Dear confused, please carefully (re-)read what *you* wrote. Perhaps
> then you'll understand my response and your subsequent whoosh.

You make zero sense.
I asked if anyone used encryption.
Someone wrote that it made the clear text into cypher text.
They were making a bad joke and it didn't help matters.
Then you repeat that joke.
Twice.
And you throw a whooosh there besides.

You don't know how to use EDS Lite any more than I do.
Otherwise you would have shown how to do it.

In summary, nobody here has used EDS Lite because nobody can explain
how to get a clear text file (say "foo.txt") into an EDS Lite container
(say "eds_container") such that it's encrypted and no longer visible
to casual observers.

Not one person explained how to do that, and clearly you don't
know how.

All you can do is make bad jokes about cypher text being encrypted text
and clear text not being encrypted text, which even Caesar knew when
he was fighting the Gauls.

[musika]

On 23/06/2016 02:34, Pat Dixon wrote:
> Frank Slootweg wrote:
>
>> Dear confused, please carefully (re-)read what *you* wrote.
>> Perhaps then you'll understand my response and your subsequent
>> whoosh.
>
> You make zero sense. I asked if anyone used encryption. Someone wrote
> that it made the clear text into cypher text. They were making a bad
> joke and it didn't help matters. Then you repeat that joke. Twice.
> And you throw a whooosh there besides.
>
> You don't know how to use EDS Lite any more than I do. Otherwise you
> would have shown how to do it.
>
> In summary, nobody here has used EDS Lite because nobody can explain
> how to get a clear text file (say "foo.txt") into an EDS Lite
> container (say "eds_container") such that it's encrypted and no
> longer visible to casual observers.
>
> Not one person explained how to do that, and clearly you don't know
> how.
>

Have you tried navigating to the file in ES then pressing and holding
the filename then selecting <Move> and navigating to the container?


--
Ray
UK

[Frank Slootweg]

Pat Dixon <patd...@whyme.net> wrote:
> Frank Slootweg wrote:
>
> > Dear confused, please carefully (re-)read what *you* wrote. Perhaps
> > then you'll understand my response and your subsequent whoosh.
>
> You make zero sense.

No, you don't understand *and* do not follow *specific* instructions
("carefully (re-)read what *you* wrote").

Your snipping of the relevant text does not help.

While explaining a pun is no fun, let's give it another go:

You wrote:

> Hasn't ANYONE ever used encryption on this entire newsgroup?

You didn't mean to write that sentence *that* way, did you?

[...]

[Justin Tyme]

On 23 Jun 2016 18:57:37 GMT, Frank Slootweg <th...@ddress.is.invalid>
wrote:

Frank

Watching this from the sidelines. Bud you are a total dork and perhaps
a goof!
--
JT

[Pat Dixon]

musika wrote:

> Have you tried navigating to the file in ES then pressing and holding
> the filename then selecting <Move> and navigating to the container?

Thank you for actually trying to help answer the question,
instead of saying "whoosh" (which is even less than unhelpful).

Here's what I tried, using EDS Lite:
1. I start EDS Lite on a non-rooted Android 4.3 S3
2. The EDS Lite GUI says "There are no registered containers"
3. I press the "key-plus" icon in EDS Lite
4. A "Create new container" form pops up
- Select path: file:///mnt/extSdCard/data/stuff
- Container size: 2Mb
- Container password: snafu
- Encryption algorithm: AES
- Hash algorithm: SHA-512
- [x]Fill free space with random data
OK
This creates the container called "stuff".

5. I open ES File Explorer & navigate to my external SD card
/mnt/extSdCard/
6. In ES File Explorer, I press "+" & then "File" to create the file:
/mnt/extSdCard/data/text/foo.txt
7. In ES File Explorer, I press "Open as text" and select the
"Jota Text Editor", & enter in "Hello world" & save the file.
8. In ES File Ecplorer, I selected the file "foo.txt" and pressed
the ellipses "More" icon and selected "Move to"
This creates and populates the file called "foo.txt".

9. In ES File Explorer I long press on "foo.txt" and then
select the "More" button and then "Move to"
10. But no matter how hard I try to select the path:
/storate/extSdCard/data/stuff
ES File Explorer will *not* select that "stuff" container.

So it doesn't appear that ES File Explorer has any knowledge of
what the newly created "stuff" container is.

[Pat Dixon]

musika wrote:

> Have you tried navigating to the file in ES then pressing and holding
> the filename then selecting <Move> and navigating to the container?

Thank you for actually trying to help answer the question,
instead of saying "whoosh" (which is even less than unhelpful).

Here's what I tried, using EDS Lite:
1. I start EDS Lite on a non-rooted Android 4.3 S3
2. The EDS Lite GUI says "There are no registered containers"
3. I press the "key-plus" icon in EDS Lite
4. A "Create new container" form pops up
- Select path: file:///mnt/extSdCard/data/stuff
- Container size: 2Mb
- Container password: snafu
- Encryption algorithm: AES
- Hash algorithm: SHA-512
- [x]Fill free space with random data
OK
This creates the container called "stuff".

5. I open ES File Explorer & navigate to my external SD card
/mnt/extSdCard/
6. In ES File Explorer, I press "+" & then "File" to create the file:
/mnt/extSdCard/data/text/foo.txt
7. In ES File Explorer, I press "Open as text" and select the
"Jota Text Editor", & enter in "Hello world" & save the file.

This creates and populates the file called "foo.txt".

8. In ES File Explorer I long press on "foo.txt" and then

select the "More" button and then "Move to"

9. But no matter how hard I try to select the path:

/storate/extSdCard/data/stuff
ES File Explorer will *not* select that "stuff" container.

The file can be moved, but not "into" that "stuff" container.

[Pat Dixon]

Justin Tyme wrote:

> Watching this from the sidelines.

All I'm asking is whether anyone here has ever used encryption on
Android, and specifically the EDS Lite encryption.

If they have used it, I would like to know how they got a text file
into the EDS Lite container.

[Chris]

That makes complete sense. If ES exporter could access the container then
it wouldn't be very secure would it?

Try RTFM. The help clearly states that 'to encrypt a file you have to copy
it from the device to the container'. There's no need to leave EDS.

So in EDS lite create a container, like you have, then - still in EDS -
select the 'device' tab and navigate to your foo.txt file. Long click on
the file name and choose 'copy' from the context menu. Now, go back to the
'containers' tab, open your container file, select the menu (top right
three shots) and select paste. Your file will now be copied to your
container and will be encrypted. The original file.txt should probably be
deleted now.

Job done.

[Cheryl K.]

Pat Dixon wisely stated:

> All I'm asking is whether anyone here has ever used encryption on
> Android, and specifically the EDS Lite encryption.
>
> If they have used it, I would like to know how they got a text file
> into the EDS Lite container.

I believe the answers you were given were all wrong.

You can't do it from outside of EDS Lite (as in ES File Manager).
The only way, I think, you can do it is from inside of EDS Lite.

I think you have to use the EDS Lite browser to move the file into
the EDS Lite/Truecrypt container.

I haven't done it though, but I will try and let you know if it
works.

[Pat Dixon]

On Mon, 27 Jun 2016 16:04:20 +0000, Cheryl K. wrote:

> I haven't done it though, but I will try and let you know if it
> works.

OK. I tested it and conclude (at least in the first pass) that
EDS Lite is virtually worthless (compared to TrueCrypt).
http://i.cubeupload.com/YCD9qG.gif

It doesn't seem anyone actually uses encryption on Android,
because nobody can put a file into the container.

Here's what I did where I failed in a few places.

- I created a file "my taxes.txt" using Jota Lite.
- Jota saved that file in /mnt/extSdCard/data/tax/my taxes.txt
-
- I started EDS Lite v1.2.0.35
- I clicked the EDS Lite pin icon
- That started the EDS Lite file browser
- In EDS Lite I browsed to /mnt/extSdCard/data/tax/
- I selected the blue button to the right of the file name
- I pressed the Select button on the bottom of the screen
- Nothing happened - but I presumed something happened.
- If I hit the EDS Lite "back" button, I see "my taxes"
listed as a "container".
- That's not what I wanted, but, I guess that's what it does.
- But, what's the password?
- Where's the encryption?
- What happened to the original file?

Looking for the original file, I see it untouched!
Huh? OK. So I deleted the original file in ES File Explorer.

Now what?
I go into EDS Lite, and there's the file name "my taxes",
which, by the way, is stupid because the file is supposed
to be hidden inside a container - not out there in the clear!

Worse. I click on the file name "my taxes" in EDS Lite and
up pops a Password dialog. Huh? What password? Who gave it
a password? I didn't. It didn't ask when I put it there.

So, I put in abcd (not knowing *what* to put in there).

I get the error: /mnt/extSdCard/data/tax/my taxes.txt
Open failed. ENOENT. No such file or directory.
http://i.cubeupload.com/YCD9qG.gif

I try again with a different password. Same error.
Huh?

No matter what password you use, you get the same
message. So you accomplished absolutely nothing.

Clearly "I" don't know how to use encryption.
But just as clearly, neither does anyone else on this entire ng.
Sigh.

Isn't there anyone on this ng who knows how to use
EDS Lite to just encrypt a single file on Android?

[Chris]

Pat Dixon <patd...@whyme1.net> wrote:
>
>
> Clearly "I" don't know how to use encryption.
> But just as clearly, neither does anyone else on this entire ng.
> Sigh.
>
> Isn't there anyone on this ng who knows how to use
> EDS Lite to just encrypt a single file on Android?

Out of interest I tried it out on Monday and gave you instructions on how
to do it. Did you not read my post? It's not the most obvious thing, but it
can do what you want. It took me about 10min to do it.

I think a lot of people who use encryption, encrypt the whole filesystem
rather than use containers on Android. Would that suit you better?

[Anssi Saari]

Pat Dixon <patd...@whyme1.net> writes:

> Isn't there anyone on this ng who knows how to use
> EDS Lite to just encrypt a single file on Android?

Well, I tried it. It opened with a containers tab saying there are no
registered containers. So I tapped the little icon with a key and + sign
which creates a new container. Didn't touch the defaults, gave name foo
for container. The container was created as /storage/emulated/0/foo.

So, back to containers tab, it shows my foo container. I tapped on it
and since I didn't give a password it accepted an empty password.

So then there's the device tab, I navigated to a folder where I saved
some travel documents for a recent trip. Long press, select all, then
dot menu and copy. Back to containers and foo (the little diamond shaped
icon with an arrow seems to be "home" of sorts for EDS lite, back button
seems to work weirdly), dot menu and paste. Files went in the container.

So I think I just managed to do what you asked, had no issues. Managed
to set a password for my 'foo' container too.