How to protect the sensitive files on your computer


Unauthorised access to the information on your computer or portable storage devices can be carried out remotely, if the 'intruder' is able to read or modify your data over the Internet; or physically, if he manages to get hold of your hardware. You can protect yourself against either type of threat by improving the physical and network security of your data, as discussed in Chapter 1: How to protect your computer from malware and hackers and Chapter 2: How to protect your information from physical threats. It is always best to have several layers of defence, however, which is why you should also protect the files themselves. That way, your sensitive information is likely to remain safe even if your other security efforts prove inadequate.

There are two general approaches to the challenge of securing your data in this way. You can encrypt your files, making them unreadable to anyone but you, or you can hide them in the hope that an...