Generate An Encrypted Key File For Veracrypt

12.12.2020
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  1. Generate An Encrypted Key File For Veracrypt Windows 7
  2. Key File To Ppt

VeraCrypt keyfile is a file whose content is combined with a password. The user can use any kind of file as a VeraCrypt keyfile. The user can also generate a keyfile using the built-in keyfile generator, which utilizes the VeraCrypt RNG to generate a file with random content (for more information, see the section Random Number Generator).

Jul 30, 2019  Generate encrypted system and non-system volumes and easily mount them on your system. Access several encryption methods and control the process in. Jan 23, 2016 File encryption is the simplest mode to encrypt our data. We are going to create an 'encrypted file container', which is a file that will work as a virtual encrypted disk and contain all of our sensitive files and folders. Creating an encrypted file container. To create this container we need to go to Tools - Volume Creation Wizard. Encrypted file containers – a single master-key locked VeraCrypt volume that can be read and written to. Similar to a password-protected folder, after authentication you can navigate it or transfer files to/from it like any other directory. Hidden volumes – basically a VeraCrypt volume nested within another. A standard volume autofills free. Where do key generation algorithms take the randomness from? Ask Question. I was just wondering, because in many encryption tools like Veracrypt or GnuPG you have to generate pseudo randomness with your mouse movement. So, where do automatically generated keys take that randomness from? The /dev/random source is a special file that.

The maximum size of a keyfile is not limited; however, only its first 1,048,576 bytes (1 MB) are processed (all remaining bytes are ignored due to performance issues connected with processing extremely large files). The user can supply one or more keyfiles (the number of keyfiles is not limited).

Keyfiles can be stored on PKCS-11-compliant [23] security tokens and smart cards protected by multiple PIN codes (which can be entered either using a hardware PIN pad or via the VeraCrypt GUI).

Keyfiles are processed and applied to a password using the following method:

  1. Let P be a VeraCrypt volume password supplied by user (may be empty)
  2. Let KP be the keyfile pool
  3. Let kpl be the size of the keyfile pool KP, in bytes (64, i.e., 512 bits);

    kpl must be a multiple of the output size of a hash function H

  4. Let pl be the length of the password P, in bytes (in the current version: 0 ≤pl ≤ 64)
  5. if kpl > pl, append (kpl – pl) zero bytes to the passwordP (thus pl = kpl)
  6. Fill the keyfile pool KP with kpl zero bytes.
  7. For each keyfile perform the following steps:
    1. Set the position of the keyfile pool cursor to the beginning of the pool
    2. Initialize the hash function H
    3. Load all bytes of the keyfile one by one, and for each loaded byte perform the following steps:
      1. Hash the loaded byte using the hash function H without initializing the hash, to obtain an intermediate hash (state)M. Do not finalize the hash (the state is retained for next round).
      2. Divide the state M into individual bytes.
        For example, if the hash output size is 4 bytes, (T0T1T2T3) = M
      3. Write these bytes (obtained in step 7.c.ii) individually to the keyfile pool with the modulo 28 addition operation (not by replacing the old values in the pool) at the position of the pool cursor. After a byte is written, the pool cursor position is advanced by one byte. When the cursor reaches the end of the pool, its position is set to the beginning of the pool.
  8. Apply the content of the keyfile pool to the password P using the following method:
    1. Divide the password P into individual bytes B0..Bpl-1.
      Note that if the password was shorter than the keyfile pool, then the password was padded with zero bytes to the length of the pool in Step 5 (hence, at this point the length of the password is always greater than or equal to the length of the keyfile pool).
    2. Divide the keyfile pool KP into individual bytes G0..Gkpl-1
    3. For 0 ≤ i < kpl perform: Bi = Bi ⊕ Gi
    4. P = B0B1 .. Bpl-2Bpl-1
  9. The password P (after the keyfile pool content has been applied to it) is now passed to the header key derivation function PBKDF2 (PKCS #5 v2), which processes it (along with salt and other data) using a cryptographically secure hash algorithm selected by the user (e.g., SHA-512). See the section Header Key Derivation, Salt, and Iteration Count for more information.

The role of the hash function H is merely to perform diffusion [2]. CRC-32 is used as the hash functionH. Note that the output of CRC-32 is subsequently processed using a cryptographically secure hash algorithm: The keyfile pool content (in addition to being hashed using CRC-32) is applied to the password, which is then passed to the header key derivation function PBKDF2 (PKCS #5 v2), which processes it (along with salt and other data) using a cryptographically secure hash algorithm selected by the user (e.g., SHA-512). The resultant values are used to form the header key and the secondary header key (XTS mode).

How to Create and Use a VeraCrypt Container

This chapter contains step-by-step instructions on how to create, mount, and use a VeraCrypt volume. We strongly recommend that you also read the other sections of this manual, as they contain important information.

STEP 1:

If you have not done so, download and install VeraCrypt. Then launch VeraCrypt by double-clicking the file VeraCrypt.exe or by clicking the VeraCrypt shortcut in your Windows Start menu.

STEP 2:


The main VeraCrypt window should appear. Click Create Volume (marked with a red rectangle for clarity).

STEP 3:


The VeraCrypt Volume Creation Wizard window should appear.
In this step you need to choose where you wish the VeraCrypt volume to be created. A VeraCrypt volume can reside in a file, which is also called container, in a partition or drive. In this tutorial, we will choose the first option and create a VeraCrypt volume within a file.
As the option is selected by default, you can just click Next.

Note: In the following steps, the screenshots will show only the right-hand part of the Wizard window.

STEP 4:


In this step you need to choose whether to create a standard or hidden VeraCrypt volume. In this tutorial, we will choose the former option and create a standard VeraCrypt volume.
As the option is selected by default, you can just click Next.

STEP 5:


In this step you have to specify where you wish the VeraCrypt volume (file container) to be created. Note that a VeraCrypt container is just like any normal file. It can be, for example, moved or deleted as any normal file. It also needs a filename, which you will choose in the next step.
Click Select File.
The standard Windows file selector should appear (while the window of the VeraCrypt Volume Creation Wizard remains open in the background).

STEP 6:


In this tutorial, we will create our VeraCrypt volume in the folder F:Data and the filename of the volume (container) will be My Volume (as can be seen in the screenshot above). You may, of course, choose any other filename and location you like (for example, on a USB memory stick). Note that the fileMy Volume does not exist yet – VeraCrypt will create it.

IMPORTANT: Note that VeraCrypt will not encrypt any existing files (when creating a VeraCrypt file container). If you select an existing file in this step, it will be overwritten and replaced by the newly created volume (so the overwritten file will be lost, not encrypted). You will be able to encrypt existing files (later on) by moving them to the VeraCrypt volume that we are creating now.*

Select the desired path (where you wish the container to be created) in the file selector. Type the desired container file name in theFilename box.
Click Save.
The file selector window should disappear.
In the following steps, we will return to the VeraCrypt Volume Creation Wizard.

* Note that after you copy existing unencrypted files to a VeraCrypt volume, you should securely erase (wipe) the original unencrypted files. There are software tools that can be used for the purpose of secure erasure (many of them are free).

STEP 7:


In the Volume Creation Wizard window, click Next.

STEP 8:


Here you can choose an encryption algorithm and a hash algorithm for the volume. If you are not sure what to select here, you can use the default settings and clickNext (for more information, see chapters Encryption Algorithms and Hash Algorithms).

STEP 9:


Here we specify that we wish the size of our VeraCrypt container to be 250 megabyte. You may, of course, specify a different size. After you type the desired size in the input field (marked with a red rectangle), clickNext.

STEP 10:


This is one of the most important steps. Here you have to choose a good volume password. Read carefully the information displayed in the Wizard window about what is considered a good password.
After you choose a good password, type it in the first input field. Then re-type it in the input field below the first one and clickNext.

Note: The button Next will be disabled until passwords in both input fields are the same.

STEP 11:


Move your mouse as randomly as possible within the Volume Creation Wizard window at least until the randomness indicator becomes green. The longer you move the mouse, the better (moving the mouse for at least 30 seconds is recommended). This significantly increases the cryptographic strength of the encryption keys (which increases security).
Click Format.
Volume creation should begin. VeraCrypt will now create a file called My Volumein the folder F:Data (as we specified in Step 6). This file will be a VeraCrypt container (it will contain the encrypted VeraCrypt volume). Depending on the size of the volume, the volume creation may take a long time. After it finishes, the following dialog box will appear:
Click OK to close the dialog box.

STEP 12:


We have just successfully created a VeraCrypt volume (file container). In the VeraCrypt Volume Creation Wizard window, clickExit.
The Wizard window should disappear.
In the remaining steps, we will mount the volume we just created. We will return to the main VeraCrypt window (which should still be open, but if it is not, repeat Step 1 to launch VeraCrypt and then continue from Step 13.)

STEP 13:


Select a drive letter from the list (marked with a red rectangle). This will be the drive letter to which the VeraCrypt container will be mounted.
Note: In this tutorial, we chose the drive letter M, but you may of course choose any other available drive letter.

STEP 14:


Click Select File.
The standard file selector window should appear.

STEP 15:

Generate An Encrypted Key File For Veracrypt Windows 7


In the file selector, browse to the container file (which we created in Steps 6-12) and select it. ClickOpen (in the file selector window).
The file selector window should disappear.
In the following steps, we will return to the main VeraCrypt window.

STEP 16:


In the main VeraCrypt window, click Mount. Password prompt dialog window should appear.

STEP 17:


Type the password (which you specified in Step 10) in the password input field (marked with a red rectangle).

STEP 18:


Select the PRF algorithm that was used during the creation of the volume (SHA-512 is the default PRF used by VeraCrypt). If you don’t remember which PRF was used, just leave it set to “autodetection” but the mounting process will take more time. Click OK after entering the password.
VeraCrypt will now attempt to mount the volume. If the password is incorrect (for example, if you typed it incorrectly), VeraCrypt will notify you and you will need to repeat the previous step (type the password again and clickOK). If the password is correct, the volume will be mounted.

FINAL STEP:


We have just successfully mounted the container as a virtual disk M:
The virtual disk is entirely encrypted (including file names, allocation tables, free space, etc.) and behaves like a real disk. You can save (or copy, move, etc.) files to this virtual disk and they will be encrypted on the fly as they are being written.
If you open a file stored on a VeraCrypt volume, for example, in media player, the file will be automatically decrypted to RAM (memory) on the fly while it is being read.

Key File To Ppt

Important: Note that when you open a file stored on a VeraCrypt volume (or when you write/copy a file to/from the VeraCrypt volume) you will not be asked to enter the password again. You need to enter the correct password only when mounting the volume.

You can open the mounted volume, for example, by selecting it on the list as shown in the screenshot above (blue selection) and then double-clicking on the selected item.

You can also browse to the mounted volume the way you normally browse to any other types of volumes. For example, by opening the ‘Computer’ (or ‘My Computer’) list and double clicking the corresponding drive letter (in this case, it is the letter M).
You can copy files (or folders) to and from the VeraCrypt volume just as you would copy them to any normal disk (for example, by simple drag-and-drop operations). Files that are being read or copied from the encrypted VeraCrypt volume are automatically decrypted on the fly in RAM (memory). Similarly, files that are being written or copied to the VeraCrypt volume are automatically encrypted on the fly in RAM (right before they are written to the disk).
Note that VeraCrypt never saves any decrypted data to a disk – it only stores them temporarily in RAM (memory). Even when the volume is mounted, data stored in the volume is still encrypted. When you restart Windows or turn off your computer, the volume will be dismounted and all files stored on it will be inaccessible (and encrypted). Even when power supply is suddenly interrupted (without proper system shut down), all files stored on the volume will be inaccessible (and encrypted). To make them accessible again, you have to mount the volume. To do so, repeat Steps 13-18.

If you want to close the volume and make files stored on it inaccessible, either restart your operating system or dismount the volume. To do so, follow these steps:
Select the volume from the list of mounted volumes in the main VeraCrypt window (marked with a red rectangle in the screenshot above) and then clickDismount (also marked with a red rectangle in the screenshot above). To make files stored on the volume accessible again, you will have to mount the volume. To do so, repeat Steps 13-18.

How to Create and Use a VeraCrypt-Encrypted Partition/Device

Instead of creating file containers, you can also encrypt physical partitions or drives (i.e., create VeraCrypt device-hosted volumes). To do so, repeat the steps 1-3 but in the step 3 select the second or third option. Then follow the remaining instructions in the wizard. Microsoft office 2010 product key generator 2015. When you create a device-hosted VeraCrypt volume within a non-systempartition/drive, you can mount it by clicking Auto-Mount Devices in the main VeraCrypt window. For information pertaining to encryptedsystem partition/drives, see the chapter System Encryption.

Important: We strongly recommend that you also read the other chapters of this manual, as they contain important information that has been omitted in this tutorial for simplicity.