Encrypted USB backup suggestions

[dkbit98]

I have regular USB stick that I want to encrypt, password protect and use as a backup for some crypto related stuff and passwords, but I can't find any good software for that purpose.

Software I want to use must be open source and free so I don't have much choice and first option I tried was VeraCrypt (previously TrueCrypt), but I don't like how it works.
After I encrypt the drive, each time I enter the stick in computer I get double asked to format my USB that is very annoying and I can only open the content of USB with VeraCrypt.

I tried to find some alternatives for VeraCrypt but without any luck and only thing I could find is some encryption for individual files.
One more option I was thinking about is to install separate portable linux OS on my USB stick and use it only for purpose of keeping my backup stuff.

Do you have any good suggestions for me?

PS
I don't want to buy new hardware encrypted USB drive so please don't suggest that option.

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[RickDeckard]

Ever since I've heard about encryption software, I always heard good things about TrueCrypt and then, after it went downhill, the best alternative solution being mentioned was always VeraCrypt. I wonder, instead of building a "standard" encryption volume, have you heard about the "VeraCrypt Traveler Disk Setup"? This basically allows you to run VeraCrypt from the USB stick itself when inserting it on another Windows computer (you need Administrator rights for this, but I believe you'll only run your USB whenever you have them either way). You can follow this[1] guide to set up this kind of traveler disk.

Other options (that I haven't used) but that are also FOSS could be either cppcryptfs[1], Cryptomator[2] - while being FOSS it's still a cloud service - and 7Zip[4] also allows you to encrypt your folders/files, even though I still believe that at least VeraCrypt and cppcryptfs will ensure a better encryption..

[1]https://www.esecurityplanet.com/applications/how-to-encrypt-a-flash-drive-using-veracrypt/
[2]https://github.com/bailey27/cppcryptfs
[3]https://cryptomator.org/
[4]https://www.7-zip.org/

[NeuroticFish]

I find 7zip the easiest to use, although people will not consider it professional. But it handles AES 256 and also encrypts file names for better privacy. Of course, it's just an archiver, but it does the job.

OP, keep in mind that USB sticks are rather fragile, so multiple backups are a must.

[PawGo]

One more option I was thinking about is to install separate portable linux OS on my USB stick and use it only for purpose of keeping my backup stuff.

Maybe keep on USB a VirtualBox machine?

[NeuroticFish]

Maybe keep on USB a VirtualBox machine?

I find a portable Linux much better idea: it doesn't need another OS to start.
And small tools, like 7zip/p7zip should be available too.

[pooya87]

only thing I could find is some encryption for individual files.

What's wrong with encrypting individual files? It is easier and it also doesn't cause reading problems for your OS, and more importantly it doesn't decrease the lifespan of your disk because it is not as intensive and it doesn't have to happen every time you access the disk.

One more option I was thinking about is to install separate portable linux OS on my USB stick and use it only for purpose of keeping my backup stuff.

That's the better option, the OS will have encryption options too including login password and user folder encryption (not encrypting the whole disk). Although this is also intensive and reduces disk lifespan.
Here is an ancient guide that still works: https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=853288.0

[ABCbits]

Do you have any good suggestions for me?

1. What OS do you use?
2. Do you need to unlock the USB on different OS?

If you only use Linux, use LUKS since most distro support it. But if you use different OS and you wish to unlock the USB on multiple OS, i don't know what option is available for you.

One more option I was thinking about is to install separate portable linux OS on my USB stick and use it only for purpose of keeping my backup stuff.

That's the better option, the OS will have encryption options too including login password and user folder encryption (not encrypting the whole disk). Although this is also intensive and reduces disk lifespan.
Here is an ancient guide that still works: https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=853288.0

While it works, i would recommend Tails instead since it's easier to use.

[dkbit98]

What's wrong with encrypting individual files? It is easier and it also doesn't cause reading problems for your OS, and more importantly it doesn't decrease the lifespan of your disk because it is not as intensive and it doesn't have to happen every time you access the disk.

Because it's more complicated and I don't want to do that for each individual file.
All I want is to have password protected encrypted USB or one password protected (and maybe even hidden) folder on that USB drive, so I can put all small backup files there.

If you only use Linux, use LUKS since most distro support it. But if you use different OS and you wish to unlock the USB on multiple OS, i don't know what option is available for you.

I will check out LUKS, but I wanted to have something that works both in Linux and Windows OS because I use them both.
Tails was my first option for Linux OS, but I was also checking out Qubes OS.

[pooya87]

While it works, i would recommend Tails instead since it's easier to use.

The problem I have with Tails over Ubuntu is that Tails is designed to have no persistence. Although you can go out of your way to add persistence to Tails but that would be going against its purpose so I prefer using a regular Linux that is popular and for general purpose for cold storage or backups.

[RickDeckard]

2. You must trust microsoft.

I may be wrong on this one, but if dkbit98 is as suspicious as I am, I'm sure he/she won't trust in Microsoft to "encrypt" whatever files he/she needs using their closed source algorithm. However, while I do think that VeraCrypt is still one of - if not the best - solution out there, during my research regarding this topic I found out this neat little tool - EncFS[1]. According to its GitHub page:

EncFS provides an encrypted filesystem in user-space. It runs in userspace, using the FUSE library for the filesystem interface. EncFS is open source software, licensed under the LGPL.

EncFS is now over 15 years old (first release in 2003). It was written because older NFS and kernel-based encrypted filesystems such as CFS had not kept pace with Linux development. When FUSE became available, I wrote a CFS replacement for my own use and released the first version to Open Source in 2003.

EncFS encrypts individual files, by translating all requests for the virtual EncFS filesystem into the equivalent encrypted operations on the raw filesystem.

This[2] website shows how you can encrypt your files (using Dropbox as an example) in Linux but it also shows you how you can decrypt them in Windows, using encfs4win[3].
[1]https://github.com/vgough/encfs
[2]https://www.howtogeek.com/121737/how-to-encrypt-cloud-storage-on-linux-and-windows-with-encfs/
[3]https://github.com/jetwhiz/encfs4win