Review: Deslock+ 3.2.4 encryption software

We store more personal data than you might think on our computers.

Just as you wouldn’t leave your most personal documents lying on your desk for all to see, you wouldn’t want information such as passwords and bank details available to anyone who might have a casual snoop around your hard drive.

Similarly, you wouldn’t sell your desk on Ebay and ship it off complete with drawers full of paperwork.

Yet it’s not unheard of to discover second-hand hard drives from PCs discarded in the UK turning up in the hands of criminals abroad.

Unfortunately, encrypting your data and making sure it can be easily decrypted by those to whom you choose to grant access can require guru-level geek credentials.

With Deslock+ the process is very much simplified.

Up to 64 encryption keys can be stored on a USB dongle called a DK5 USB Token. Once the system has been set up, plugging in the dongle prompts you for a password.

When you enter the password, you're granted access to all your encrypted data. You then continue to work as normal, using encrypted files and folders as though they had never been protected.

Application load and save dialogues work as normal, as do drag-and-drop operations from the desktop.

Placing a file into an encrypted folder causes the file itself to be encrypted; dragging it out again decrypts it automatically.

Removing the DK5 USB Token causes the folder to be locked again, optionally disappearing from view until an authorised user is logged in, whereupon it will pop back into view.

Encrypting a folder is a simple matter of selecting Encrypt with Deslock+ from the right-click menu on the Windows desktop.

Deslock+ encrypted mountable files are similar to encrypted folders, but appear as new drives.

They’ll appear in My Computer as a new drive letter and are compatible with removable media such as USB flash drives, CDs and DVDs.

Deslock+ archives are designed to protect your files further.

By taking a whole directory tree, compressing it and encrypting it into a single file, it creates a protected archive that can easily be burned onto a CD-R.

You’ll often need to encrypt individual files too, for example if you want to send protected email attachments.

Using the Windows Explorer right-click menu allows you to create an encrypted copy on the desktop, which you can then send via email.

To send encrypted data from one user to another requires the sharing of encryption keys.

It’s just like getting a duplicate door key cut to allow a friend access to your home or office.

Because a USB Token or key file can contain up to 64 keys, you can share the keys to different data with different people.

When encrypting a file, Deslock+ will ask you which of your keys you would like to use to lock the data.

This latest version of Deslock+ allows you to work without a DK5 USB Token, instead using a file to store encryption keys.

This file can be moved from one location to another or stored on your own USB-flash drive.

Using a key file in this way affords you most of the convenience of the USB Token but the hardware key offers additional security features, including configurable lock-outs in the event of repeated incorrect password guesses.

Also new is the Deslock+ Admin tool. Designed for big workgroups or company-wide use, it simplifies the management of keys and licences across a whole organisation.

By communicating directly with the Deslock Web site it works with licences purchased in bulk and allows the administrator to pre-configure key files for multiple users according to user-defined profiles.

Free for personal use, Deslock+ is an extremely effective way of protecting your data.

It can be downloaded directly from Deslock's website and a 60-day trial is available for business users.

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