Solution for storing backups safely?

Unfortunately, Acronis TrueImage does not provide real encryption (like with AES or Blowfish algorithms) for any backups (yet?). And mere password protection is not a really strong type of protection.

Therefore, my question is: How can I use Acronis TrueImage in connection with any other software so that my backups are stored safely? Can you recommend any such software that would work with external hard disk drives and DVD+/-RW/-RAM media?

 

All the people who have reported here that they can't remember their password would love to hear how you can get around a password protected TrueImage backup file to recover the data.

So far no one has reported doing it successfully.

 

Well I suppose you could restore the backup to an external drive which could then be encrypted.
If you were to use a laptop external drive for this purpose you could keep it about your person where ever you go to ensure physical security or put it in a bank vault.

Xpilot

 

If people forget their passwords, it's their own fault. If they decide to use a password, they need to make sure they don't forget it or if they can't do that, they need to place a note of it in a physically secure place.

Then, I think the fact that no one has reported successfully restoring password TrueImage backups without knowing the passwords doesn't mean much.

A computer novice won't be able to do it but this doesn't mean that it can't done by a hacker. Then, the question is whether the data in the backup are worth the effort of trying to break the password protection. Last but not least, would someone who broke the password protection of a TrueImage backup *with malicious intent* report about it here?

I think there are reasons why there are data backup and hard disk imaging programs which support real encryption (such as Norton Ghost, O&O DiskImage, or DriveSnapshot). But I still prefer Acronis TrueImage because it is just the best amongst its type. However, it could be even better if it provided real encryption for backups.

 

I found out about a free software called TrueCrypt. I guess I could do what you suggested using this software.

However, this would have some definite disadvantages over having encryption directly incorporated into Acronis TrueImage:
1) I cannot access the TrueCrypt encrypted partition without Windows and TrueCrypt. A mere Acronis recovery CD/DVD or the bootable Acronis SecureZone will not allow me to access my backups because they are on a TrueCrypt encrypted partition and I would have to mount this partition first using the TrueCrypt software.
2) I think the software doesn't work so well with media like CD-/DVD+/-RW.

 

Why don't you add this request to the "wish list" for future versions of TI. It has been mentioned before, but perhaps with more requests it will be implemented.

 

A TrueImage .tib file is just a file. What's to prevent you from running it through a file encryption program? Granted, the file sizes are huge and this operation might take a while, but it should tide you over while you're busy trying to convince Acronis to add .tib file encryption to their product.

 

Hello Eggoon,

Thank you for choosing Acronis Disk Backup Software.

Please note that the current version of Acronis True Image doesn’t use image archive encryption, image archives can be protected with password.

We have already received similar requests from other Acronis customers and will take them into consideration for the future versions of Acronis True Image.

Thank you.
--
Michael Fedyulin

 

I would like to add my vote for encryption to be built-in to True Image Home.

I am maintaining my backups on external USB drives. One is kept offsite and as such I want to make sure that if it was ever stolen that I do not have to worry about the data being accessible.

 

If encryption is that important to you, you should be encrypting the source files anyway using Windows' EFS, TrueCrypt etc., which would make backup encryption superfluous.