Going abroad - need to store my life online saftely

S

steve1234

Registered User
Messages
60
Hi
Im moving abroad soon and need to store pretty much everything online somewhere that i can have access to abroad.
Ill be using alot of internet cafe's in different countries so im aware i cant really trust them.
What would people recommend to do.
i was thinking of creating a zipped folder of all my files then encrypting it somehow and saving it on an email account.
Then if i ever needed it i could download the zip file - unencrypt it with my key and access the files.

what have other people done?
how would i go about encrypting this folder and then unencrypting it.
I will be carrying my own laptop but i was thinking what happens if that gets stolen somewhere.

i was also thinking of saving all the stuff on a usb key - but the chances are i could loose it or have it stolen.

Items i need to store:
Copies of passports, visas, flight tickets, reservations
sim backup ,Contact phone numbers
bank account details
website passwords
Copies of letters, qualifications, certifications, cv's etc..

Thanks,
Steve
 
Email is not secure for this. For a start nearly all email is unencrypted, it doesnt run over SSL. However you could encrypt your zip file, but the internet cafe PC would then need winzip or whatever to open it.

Sorry I cant recommend anything to use though.
 
whatever you do have some of your main numbers in .txt files and passpord in wordpad file so any type of laptop will open them.

i use the doc section of ireland.com email and also gmail. secure as any.
 
Thanks
I signed up for an ireland.com email address - looks good nice and easy to use and its free again
One thing the login is secure i.e https but after login it goes back to http
Do you think this is ok this way - Is there any others that use https always?
 
Thats the thing, most of them dont use https. Hotmail, gmail etc dont. But banking sites do.
 
steve1234 said:
Do you think this is ok this way - Is there any others that use https always?
Click to expand...

Just (PK RIP) Zip the documents up with Winzip etc, in password protected files. Windows XP and better have ability to unzip built in and will prompt for the password. They do not however have the ability to password protect files using their built in version of ZIP.
 
aristotle25 said:
Thats the thing, most of them dont use https. Hotmail, gmail etc dont. But banking sites do.
Click to expand...

ok anybody know of an email address or storage area (free one) that uses https only?


winzip costs money so i downloaded this instead '7zip' from here: http://www.7-zip.org/download.html (found it on another forum)
so i right clicked on the folder , selected 7zip -selected add to archive
gave it a name - then in the password box i entered a password and choose an encryption type clicked ok then created the zip file.
but when i go to open the file - it didnt ask for a password even though i entered one. i can now see all the files without entering a password.
 
We lived in Oz for many years and travelled back to the UK and Ireland for long periods on a few occasions but would never store important information online. We carry it on our person and in hand luggage which never leaves our sight.
 
Can you keep it in a memory stick, encrypt it and just keep the memory stick with you.
 
steve1234 said:
ok anybody know of an email address or storage area (free one) that uses https only?
Click to expand...

Email is always sent plain text.

Password protected zip files are very easy to crack.

You need a real encryption program like pgp.

Hardware encrypted pen drive is my tip.
 
I keep a personal web space with a reputable hosting company.
I store lots of stuff there, encrypted and zipped.
I use FileZila FTP client to access and maintain as if it was on my local PC.
Would this work for you?
R
 
You can get memory cards and USB sticks with built in encryption... check on DABS.ie for examples... one called the IronKey I think even has a self destruct on tampering mode... some of them can be quite expensive, but the encryption is built in, you'd have to check if software needs to be loaded onto the PC, this might create problems as even though the software / drivers may be on the USB device you may still need administrator rights or something which isn't likely in internet cafes...

But you may not, the encryption software may also be built into the USB device somehow...


edited to add...
for example.. this one says no Admin rights or anything is needed
Ok, tried to provide a link, not working..
So instead, you can go to www.dabs.ie and search for 'Kingston 2GB DataTraveler Blackbox USB'.. it's a secure USB stick with encryption.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
jebus just install Truecrypt on your home PC, create an encrypted volume on a normal USB memory stick and put everything in there.
virtually uncrackable and truecrypt comes also in a portable version that is only a few hundred KBs.
 
I use SSL email at [broken link removed]
Note that you could send yourself (@fastmail.fm) an email in a secure session which will use SSL all the way.

There is also file storage which you can save those files using SSL to put them there and also take them down.

It's not free but $15 for a year is hardly going to break the bank.
 
nmesisca wrote:
jebus just install Truecrypt on your home PC, create an encrypted volume on a normal USB memory stick and put everything in there.
virtually uncrackable and truecrypt comes also in a portable version that is only a few hundred KBs.
Click to expand...

The way to go.
 
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