does paid encryption software offer any advantages compared to freeware ? the paid software iam considering is kruptos 2, and i am not up to date with the freeware offerings
The answer to that question will NOT be the same every time. Your mission and needs are very unclear. What OS are you using, who are you protecting against, how experienced are the users of the software going to be, etc...... ?
i am using windows 10 x64 but it needs to run on any windows OS from xp onward. i will be using it for personal use and consider myself to be an average user and it will be mostly for my own use. my main concerns are ease of use and reasonable level of security, portability is a bonus but not necessary. i also want to be able to give out my encrypted files as needed without needing anything else other than the password or keyfile to decrypt
Why are you considering what appears to be a UK company engaged in encryption, given the assent for the Investigatory Powers Act?
i am only considering using an encryption software by a UK company because i thought it seemed trusted by others. its only after things have gone wrong that you find out whether it was a good choice or not, but before i wanted to get advice and feedback from other users more knowledgeable than myself and possibly avoid a bad decision and maybe suggest alternatives
Stepping back, I'm wondering why cost (paid-for encryption software vs freeware) is a significant criterion. Given the threat of backdoors, my criterion is a) is this open source and b) has it been audited. I'm not at all clear why you're considering paid-for software - however good it might be - when there are very good open source and audited volume and file encryption alternatives. And no, I wouldn't trust UK commercial encryption software which is neither, and which now has the taint that at any time, the UK can tell it to introduce a backdoor. Just not worth it. Sad for those companies, but then I think they have to move offshore.
the whole point of my question was is paid software worth paying for ?. the argument that a backdoor can be introduced at anytime applies equally to both paid and free software regardless of which country produces it, its just a matter of who caves in to pressure or not and assuming you have some faith in the experience of others it saves a lot of time and possibly trouble to ask
I'm don't know your threat model or what you think worth paying for. Open source software has a chance of being audited. Proprietary does not, at least, not in a way accessible to you, I assume. Rather important in the case of encryption software, no? Nor can the UK authorities compel open source providers - secretly and without appeal - to alter their code, and you can compile from source if you wish. Which they certainly could with a UK based software vendor. Your call.
