Security Issues - Encryption of the SD Card

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Hi, there!

Like many others, I have only recently switched from WM6.5 to Android (with my new HTC Desire).

WM 6 introduced the possibility to encrypt the SD Card, making it only readable in the PPC it was originally encrypted in. I found this a very helpful tool and had bought a respective app from Spritesoft. Unfortunately, their Android software is still in the beginning status, and therefore, I bought yesterday the app from WaveSecure.

I was surprised, however, that they do not offer an encryption for the SD card as I know it from my old TyTN II.

Is anybody here who can advice - tweak, app, or whatever?

I mean, it's nice to secure the phone - but the sensible data are being stored in files on the SD card in the end. And if you lose your device, it may well be broke, but the SD card lives and cannot be wyped in a broken device either.

I couldn't agree more. There are a few applications that either offer individual file passwords, which is not very secure, or just offer encryption of its own text files, like OI Safe. I used to use a commercial application on Windows Mobile, Sentry 2020, which allowed you to create a an encrypted volume within your storage, internal or external. This was ideal, as it allowed you to store any kind of files in this. After a timeout period, the volume was automatically closed and your files were secure. It is a shame that the last activity in Sentry's website is in 2007.

I should be receiving a desire very shortly and am very concerned by the current lack of device level encryption.


Does anyone know if there are any products in development that will soon allow device encryption?

Is the hardware and OS itself capable of supporting full device encryption?

hi, i want to reopen this issue because today i asked myself the same question.
i have tested several apps but most of them are not useable for a large number of files or folders.... what we really need is a secret partition and something like truecrypt.... i didn´t find anything in the net... so if somebody has an idea or solution for that, i would be happy...

thank you!

Originally Posted by htclerman

hi, i want to reopen this issue because today i asked myself the same question.
i have tested several apps but most of them are not useable for a large number of files or folders.... what we really need is a secret partition and something like truecrypt.... i didn´t find anything in the net... so if somebody has an idea or solution for that, i would be happy...

thank you!

did you encounter anything using AES/Rijndael or at least Blowfish or Twofish algorithm? I need something to encrypt single files/folders only. TIA!

Originally Posted by wizja

did you encounter anything using AES/Rijndael or at least Blowfish or Twofish algorithm? I npartitioneed something to encrypt single files/folders only. TIA!

Do you speak about apps?
If yes, there is nothing out there
I know that is working fast with a big number of files. There must be an option to encrypt a whole partition,
That's the only thing that would make sense.

Sent from my HTC Desire using XDA App

http://tasker.dinglisch.net/tour.html

Claims to support encryption, kind of complicated through.

Originally Posted by htclerman

Do you speak about apps?
If yes, there is nothing out there
I know that is working fast with a big number of files. There must be an option to encrypt a whole partition,
That's the only thing that would make sense.

Sent from my HTC Desire using XDA App

With the ability to put apps on the SDCard this is going to be an unlikely feature to work well....

Your best bet is looking for something with a good remote wipe/lock feature.

If you have a partition formatted with ext2/3/4, it's only a matter of copying over static binaries of lvm, device-mapper and cryptsetup, and creating a script called via initrc or controlled via /etc/init.d

I've posted about a similar solution for /data. Search for it.

Push for implementating it in Android:

Using dm-crypt to Encrypt the SD Card...? - xda-developers

Using dm-crypt to Encrypt the SD Card...? - CyanogenMod Forum

Issue 11211 - android - Android too insecure - Encryption of the SDcard is crucial - Project Hosting on Google Code

Issue 3748 - android - Add support for partition/block device encryption - Project Hosting on Google Code