Bitlocker vs TrueCrypt: Security tools compared

Bitlocker and TrueCrypt are two methods that you can use to secure your hard drives against unwanted access. We compare the encryption programs for you so that you can sleep a little more peacefully in the future.

Bitlocker - encryption by and for Windows

• Bitlocker is encryption software that has been included in the scope of delivery for certain versions of Windows since Windows Vista.
• With Vista and 7 you need Ultimate or Enterprise, with Windows 8 and 10 Bitlocker is included in the Pro and Enterprise versions.
• It is encrypted with AES keys that are 128 or 256 bits long.
• Bitlocker uses a Trusted Platform Module to control access, which is now installed in most computers. The program thus ensures that the hard disk is not read on another computer and decrypts it. While this is convenient, it only protects the data to a limited extent.
• In addition, you can and should also use a password and at best secure the disk with a key file. You can combine all of these options with Bitlocker. If your computer does not have a TPM, these options are mandatory.
• The main problem with Bitlocker is that the program is not open source. This means that independent developers have no way of checking the code for weaknesses and consequently fixing them.
• These so-called "audits" are a fundamental criterion of trust, particularly in the development of security software.
• So you have to blindly trust Microsoft that its developers alone have not made any mistakes.

TrueCrypt - The open source classic

• TrueCrypt is an encryption program that was developed until mid-2014. It runs on all Windows versions since Windows 2000 and can also be used for computers with Linux and Mac OS X.
• In addition to AES, Twofish and Serpent can also be used for encryption. You can also combine the algorithms in a cascade.
• In addition to entire hard disks and their partitions, the tool can also create individual protected areas - so-called containers - so that you only have to take on the encryption and decryption work for really sensitive data.
• The main problem with TrueCrypt is that the software is no longer being developed. In the long term, this makes them susceptible to new technologies or points of attack that have not previously been noticed. The latest version is therefore no longer available for encryption, but only for switching to other tools.
• However, TrueCrypt is open source, so the community was able to review the program in great detail. So far, hardly any weaknesses have been found, so version 7.1a is still generally considered very safe.
• A so-called fork of TrueCrypt is VeraCrypt. This means that the software was created from the very successful TrueCrypt framework and is accordingly similarly good.
• Unlike TrueCrypt, VeraCrypt is being developed even further and has even corrected some weaknesses of TrueCrypt.
• VeraCrypt's audits have not yet been as extensive as TrueCrypt's, but due to the roots of the project and its open source, VeraCrypt is believed to be safe.