I'm looking for an app that will allow me to encrypt folders (preferably without having to go through a third-party file manager) on my Galaxy Note 2 and Nexus 7, while possibly being able to also decrypt and view the folder/files on a Windows or Mac machine.
BoxCryptor is one that I've looked into but I'm not sure if it will allow me to encrypt folders within folders.
A little bit of background for what I need this for... I'm a medical health professional and there are times when I have sensitive data about some of my patients that I need to access via my phone/tablet/home/work computer. I don't necessarily need the folder of patient data to sync across all devices but if that could be done (say via DropBox or WebDAV, encrypted), that would be a bonus.
There are some apps on Google Play that seem like they might work:
Encryption Manager
Safe+
DroidCrypt
If anyone has any feedback on any of the above, or can recommend an app that I've missed (or a link to another xda post that I missed in my searches), that would be much appreciated. I'd rather not have to pay for each one to see if it fits my criteria.
Thanks in advance!
cdnmaplechick said:
I'm looking for an app that will allow me to encrypt folders (preferably without having to go through a third-party file manager) on my Galaxy Note 2 and Nexus 7, while possibly being able to also decrypt and view the folder/files on a Windows or Mac machine.
...
A little bit of background for what I need this for... I'm a medical health professional and there are times when I have sensitive data about some of my patients that I need to access via my phone/tablet/home/work computer. I don't necessarily need the folder of patient data to sync across all devices but if that could be done (say via DropBox or WebDAV, encrypted), that would be a bonus.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
@cdnmaplechick, did you have any luck with all this? EDS is another one you could try, but I'm not sure if it can do what you want without rooting your device. If you are comfortable rooting your device Cryptonite is an additional option.
If I understand you correctly I am also looking for something similar (which is how I ended up finding your post). I'd like an app that can encrypt specified folders such that other apps can interact with the contained encrypted files without any trouble (this would be very analogous to how TrueCrypt works for Windows computers). I know there is full device encryption available for Android, but that has its drawbacks. I think what you and I are both wanting is something like full device encryption, but being able to limit it to a few designated folders.
I'd love to hear anything you're willing to share about your experiences (positive or negative) with pursuing all this!
Edit: Forgot to mention a secure syncing service you might be interested in: SpiderOak. I have not yet used their Android app, but I use SpiderOak for Windows all the time to securely sync sensitive data between multiple Windows computers (the data is stored in TrueCrypt volumes on each computer).
Apparently this works with Truecrypt so it will work when you transfer it to a Mac or PC
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sovworks.eds.android
Droidcrypt should do entire folders, but has a lot of neg reviews. Personally I wouldn't use any closed source encryption app you have no idea if they're actually generating true random numbers or if it's junk software.
LUKS is free and open source, if your phone is rooted
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nemesis2.luksmanager you can just copy folders into the virtual encrypted folder it creates.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.mrpdaemon.android.encdroid is open source, free and works with dropbox
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.koushikdutta.backup Carbon now uses encrypted backup
There's also APG http://thialfihar.org/projects/apg/
You can use PGP to encrypt/decrypt files (perhaps folders?) for transferring to another computer. Or if both your Nexus and your PC/Mac is using full disc encryption then you can just transfer the folders to each other in the clear with USB.
derpsec said:
Droidcrypt should do entire folders, but has a lot of neg reviews. Personally I wouldn't use any closed source encryption app you have no idea if they're actually generating true random numbers or if it's junk software.
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Click to collapse
Yeah, I've felt ambivalent about Droidcrypt. It should do what I want but they feel like such an unknown; they don't even have a website (not that that would make them automatically safer, but I'd at least be able to get a little more of sense of who I'm trusting my data to).
derpsec said:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.mrpdaemon.android.encdroid is open source, free and works with dropbox
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for those additional links, and especially for Encdroid! I'm a fan of open source, and it looks like the author's on the XDA forums:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1917665
I definitely want to check that one out further.
How about Cryptonite? https://code.google.com/p/cryptonite/ It says it uses TrueCrypt.
Yes cryptonite seems to be a good solution.
Check-->
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=csh.cryptonite&hl=el
Hello friends
Is an application for Android that folders can be encrypted and password-access to that folder wherever necessary, same encryption on the kms 9(Kaspersky Mobile Security 9 v9.4.96 – S60v3)
Related
The answer is probably not...
What I am looking for is a freeware editor that supports common cross-platform formats like RTF or DOC and maintains hyperlinks inserted in them. The idea is to create a document on the desktop with relative links to other documents in the same directory and be able to use them when the whole directory is synced to the phone.
I don't want to use a proprietary format like OneNote, PhatNotes, ListPro etc., so that I could keep using the files when I switch phones next year, whether I go Android or stay with Windows. This also helps to keep info portable and useable across computers and platforms on the desktop. I had to switch, in the past, from ShadowPlan to PocketThinker to ListPro and moving the info to the new platform has always been a major, royal PITA. I now want to convert my existing ListPro files for the last time into format that I can use from now on without changes.
Any help is appreciated !
Ummagumma said:
The answer is probably not...
What I am looking for is a freeware editor that supports common cross-platform formats like RTF or DOC and maintains hyperlinks inserted in them. The idea is to create a document on the desktop with relative links to other documents in the same directory and be able to use them when the whole directory is synced to the phone.
I don't want to use a proprietary format like OneNote, PhatNotes, ListPro etc., so that I could keep using the files when I switch phones next year, whether I go Android or stay with Windows. This also helps to keep info portable and useable across computers and platforms on the desktop. I had to switch, in the past, from ShadowPlan to PocketThinker to ListPro and moving the info to the new platform has always been a major, royal PITA. I now want to convert my existing ListPro files for the last time into format that I can use from now on without changes.
Any help is appreciated !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello,
AgileNotes Touch v3.0 test, is magnificent: http://www.agilitylab.com/
Regards,
jcmm said:
Hello,
AgileNotes Touch v3.0 test, is magnificent: http://www.agilitylab.com/
Regards,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, this looks very promising. But it doesn't support hyperlinks, does it ? I will try it today.
I tried AgileNoes. It's indeed a very good application, and as far as file handling is concerned, it's superior to Pocket Word. It does however have a major flaw - there's no way to search for text in a document, at least none that I could find. So if I have a large file with multiple notes, I need to use Word to find info quickly.
Unfortunately, though, no hyperlinks...
I've created on my desktop a shortcut to a project folder on my SD card. Can anyone recommend an app that will let me set up a password for that folder?
I'm not looking to encrypt all the data in the folder, I just want password-restricted access to it. I can't find anything suitable in The Market.
Thanks.
If it's not encrypted, then its not protected.
Really, seriously, utterly, there is no way at all that you can "protect" a folder on an SD card other than encrypting the contents. Other apps, will always be able to access it, and, equally, anyone could take the card out and stick it in a PC card reader.
I appreciate that, and that's fine! I'm not looking for total protection from access, either through SD card reading or via apps. I'm just looking for password-restricted access when accessed through the desktop shortcut.
SmartLock will let you lock your photos/videos, as well as apps and such but I don't think it does folders. The best you could probably do would be to hide the folders using SmartLock or a similar app along those lines.
Yes, I have discovered SmartLock, thanks. But I have to say I'm not a fan at all of the whole mentality with mobile phones that data is split into storage of photos, videos, "music", etc, in separate locations and treated separately.
The folder in question contains mp3, pdf, jpg, xls and doc files.
Hiding the folder would be completely against what I'm trying to do, which is to have a clearly visible, easily accessible desktop shortcut. I guess basically I'm looking for the Android equivalent of a zip file with password.
AidanBell said:
I've created on my desktop a shortcut to a project folder on my SD card.
. . .
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Click to collapse
When you write desktop, do you mean homescreen or as a network shortcut on your PC? If the latter you can use the desktop's OS to protect the link.
AidanBell said:
. . . I guess basically I'm looking for the Android equivalent of a zip file with password.
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Click to collapse
Wouldn't the Android equivalent be a zip file with a password? ES File Explorer is free and supports password protected archives.
Sorry, terminology!
Yes, I mean the home screen on my Streak (or strictly speaking one of them!).
I already have and use ES File Explorer, that's how I created the Homescreen shortcut!
So if it turns out that what I'm looking for is already a feature of that program, then how's that for irony!
Glad you've found a solution that works for you, but... you do know that password protected zipfiles are encrypted,
jim-bo said:
Glad you've found a solution that works for you...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you, but regrettably I haven't.
When you zip a folder it of course creates a copy of that folder, zipped, which is not what I want at all. I'm amazed that what I do want doesn't seem to be readily available; in order to open a folder you have to enter a simple password, and then you're in the folder. Simple as that ...
AidanBell said:
Thank you, but regrettably I haven't.
When you zip a folder it of course creates a copy of that folder, zipped, which is not what I want at all. I'm amazed that what I do want doesn't seem to be readily available; in order to open a folder you have to enter a simple password, and then you're in the folder. Simple as that ...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, part of the reason that nobody makes such an app / feature, is that it is pretty much the equivalent of selling a security system for your house that consists of a door that doesn't lock, with a sign on it saying "no unauthorized entry". It really offers no actual protection at all.
That being said, what you're trying to achieve sounds more like you want to protect an app / shortcut on your launcher screen, rather than protecting the folder itself
Take a look at something like https://market.android.com/details?id=com.sp.protector.free&feature=search_result (I searched for password any app, if you want to see other options). It may let you achieve what you're after.
Thanks for your thoughts. To use your analogy, yes; I do indeed want the sign that says "no unauthorized entry" but I don't want the door to be locked. Precisely!
Perhaps I should explain my situation more closely. I'm taking my Streak in to meetings with colleagues who will also make use of it. All I want is to prevent casual non-malicious access of the folder by other people. I neither need nor want encryption or strong security, I just want that tiny bit of difficulty, the little hint that says "you're not supposed to be doing this".
Thanks for your thoughts.
Using your own analogy; yes, that's exactly what I do want; the sign says, "no unauthorized entry", but the door remains unlocked!
Let me explain. I take my Streak in to meetings where it is also used by other people. What I want to prevent is non-malicious, accidental access by others. I want a gentle hint, not a 100% secure lock-out or data encryption, just a little kick that says "you're not supposed to be doing this".
Smart App Protector would be ideal if it would protect a folder. It's exactly what I want, but I need it for for folders, not apps.
You said that you wanted the prompt to come up when you hit an icon on your desktop - that would be app-protection, or shortcut protection, since it is the launch of the app / shortcut that causes the password prompt.
If you are saying that you are already in a file browser, and you want the prompt to pop up when you choose a certain folder to enter, then you are going to need to find a file browser that supports protecting or "hiding" folders, since it will have to be a direct function of the file browser app itself. I'm afraid that I don't know of any that offer anything like that feature.
To be absolutely clear, there are no features or functions in an SD card filesystem that will allow this sort of security flagging, and to do it at the OS level would involve some relatively low level dalvik / libc / kernel patching, which would require root, a custom ROM, and quite possibly end up being device specific, which explains why you can't find anything in the market.
I seem to manage to make a habit of this: There are literally tens of thousands of available apps that do everything under the sun. Yet the simple, not unique or unusual, function that I'm after isn't available! Oh well, many thanks for your kind help nevertheless.
AidanBell said:
I seem to manage to make a habit of this: There are literally tens of thousands of available apps that do everything under the sun. Yet the simple, not unique or unusual, function that I'm after isn't available! Oh well, many thanks for your kind help nevertheless.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately, this one isn't simple (you are asking for a low-level redesign of the security model), and while it may not be uniquem it is something that not many people would want - referring back to the previous metaphor, how many people would buy a front door with no lock, just a keep out sign, really? Especially once they learned that burglars can't always read...
But if I ever do come across anything that might help, I'll definitely let you know
AidanBell said:
Thank you, but regrettably I haven't.
When you zip a folder it of course creates a copy of that folder, zipped, which is not what I want at all. I'm amazed that what I do want doesn't seem to be readily available; in order to open a folder you have to enter a simple password, and then you're in the folder. Simple as that ...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can't you then delete the folder and use the zip. When you tap on the zip you can see the file names, but to open a file you need the PW. Not ideal since ES Fie Explorer doesn't support copying directly to a zip file, but it is as close as you can get, I think.
Edit: I don't usually put shortcuts to things I don't want others peeking at on the homescreen.
Hey !
I've searched the web as well as the forum but i didn't find any solution and it seems i'm not the only one wanting to do that.
Is it possible to see hidden folders of internal sdcard through MTP ?
I really talk about hidden folder like ".android_secure", not the photos that aren't yet scanned by the media scanner service.
In my windows environment i already set the view all hidden files/folders as well as view system files.
If i have to change folders permissions through terminal what are the correct permissions i should put ?
Thanks for the help !!
Am i the only having that problem ?
Do you guys see the hidden folders through mtp connexion ?
If you'd bother reading a bit before asking questions, you might have the answer already.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_Transfer_Protocol
MTP and PTP specifically overcome this issue by making the unit of managed storage a local file rather than an entire (possibly very large) unit of mass storage at the block level. In this way, MTP works like a transactional file system - either the entire file is written/read or nothing.
More or less, it is designed to keep hidden what should be hidden stick to USB storage or FTP/SCP.
PS: can't believe we're using a transfer protocol designed by Microsoft in a Linux-based system mastered by Google. The horror, the pain... no wonder it doesn't work on my Mac!
VAXXi said:
If you'd bother reading a bit before asking questions, you might have the answer already.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_Transfer_Protocol
MTP and PTP specifically overcome this issue by making the unit of managed storage a local file rather than an entire (possibly very large) unit of mass storage at the block level. In this way, MTP works like a transactional file system - either the entire file is written/read or nothing.
More or less, it is designed to keep hidden what should be hidden stick to USB storage or FTP/SCP.
PS: can't believe we're using a transfer protocol designed by Microsoft in a Linux-based system mastered by Google. The horror, the pain... no wonder it doesn't work on my Mac!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thx for the link ! I knew what mtp is but its always good to refresh things up
I read the whole article and unfortunately it doesn't answer my question.
I understood that its the same for all of us meaning that we are not able to see hidden folders.
But the main question is if there is a way to bypass this behavior ? Where is this defined exactly ?
It seems according to the article that its not on the file permission layer ? Should it be at partition level ? How can mtp know what to share with the host ?
It's not a "behaviour" per se, but more/less a database. Remember that media scanner program which wakes up every time you change something on your SD card, be it internal or external ? it simply keeps a "database" of files which are presented to the MTP client (your computer) and hides away the phone's internal folders which are not supposed to be seen by the end-user.
Theoretically, this is done in order to have the iPhone-like behaviour: seeing the entire device memory as one big unified storage which you can fill as you want (no more of those partition size limitations which brought us the app2sd hacks). In my opinion, it's more or less just a small step done in order to "secure" phones for DRM protected content.
Studios and media companies require devices to have such measures of protection in order to allow you to sell media content (like movies, books, etc) and since Google wants to push its business further with the Play Store, it needs to cave in to the studios' demands. In the future, it will probably even become illegal (DMCA-style) for me to give you the information below
Back to the technical part of our show now.
At the first boot in the life of the device, Media Scanner will look under /system/media and index everything there. After that, it will scan everything under /mnt/sdcard (hence your external SD card too, if you have one, as it's mounted under /mnt/sdcard/external_sd). On some devices, you have an "internal.db" file and one "external-123xyz.db" file; that's a unique ID of the SD card which was scanned. The idea here is you might have 2-3 SD cards which you swap often, and it's not nice to do a full rescan each time you change the SD card. These databases are in /dbdata/databases/com.android.providers.media (on my phone, there is only one "external.db" for example).
So what you're looking for is a way to populate this database with all the files found by the Media Scanner. But Media Scanner doesn't want you to see the hidden folders you mentioned above. So, you get an application which doesn't ignore them, like Rescan SD Card! or SDrescan.
Happy now ?
Thank you very much i really enjoyed reading the explanation as it answers completely my questions and it makes sense !
Ill give a try to the apps but i'm also curious to investigate on those files
Cheers
PS. Is this a disguised way to support non open source protocols ?
Well, you could poke around inside the database with sqlite if you want. But don't really see what's so interesting about them.
It is just another protocol which is supported, which happens to be designed by Microsoft (and probably licensed/paid by Google to be used in Android). I understand the technical explanation behind this decision, but I'm also wary that someday UMS will be disabled by default and enabling it will disable content purchasing for that device (just like having a rooted phone now disables some "sensitive" apps, like banking and online TV).
As a system admin its interesting to know whats happening on my system
As a hobby its interesting for my personal knowledge
And from a development point of view it gives me some ideas for maybe future apps
You say that its just another protocol which is supported but to my understanding there are not so many of them ! So i would say that Google was kind of forced to use the MTP method, first from a hardware point of view and second to be compliant with the rest of the world.
Is there any other protocol that could suite their needs ? Since USB mass storage is not usable on some devices and MTP is well spead.
.HiddenAndroid folders in Win - Here Yesterday, Gone Tomorrow
<Win 7 and GN2>
What's curious and a bit frustrating to me is that, yesterday, when I mounted my device ALL of the hidden (.folders and .files) were visible and searchable. Today, when I went to explore some more, all are gone. I understand that I can use a 3rd party app, just can't figure out why it was visible yesterday and not today.
Hmmph
Did you ever resolve this issue? I really hate MTP for several reasons but this is one of the reasons why! I need to back up all my directories on the SDCard because some apps store them as hidden files in hidden directories. Furthermore, I came across the Play Store bug that requires me to delete a "temp.asec" file in the ".android_secure" directory, but of course it is not visible.
In a post further up it was suggested to use a "Rescan" app to force the DB to include hidden files/directories, but I have tried no less than 4 of these apps, and all they do is trigger the built-in android media scan, which is the problem in the first place!
So has anyone ever been able to access hidden files and directories using MTP?
EDIT: I have an HTC phone that actually shows hidden files and directories, so they have obviously implemented their own media scan. The problem I am currently having is on a Samsung phone (Epic 4G touch)
It may depend on the implementation. For example, using stock rom for the phone doesn't show some files and folders, for example folders starting with dot. But if you use Neatrom Lite it will show all files and folders.
Flash forward about 6 years and Samsung still does not show hidden folders/files when viewing the phone contents in Windows File Explorer, but HTC does.
The reason this is still a problem for me, is that I want to backup the contents of a particular directory (WhatsApp) which contains some hidden folders, so I can restore it anytime on a new phone or the same phone.
I recently switched from HTC to Samsung and alas, it seems the problem with this implementation still exists. Anyone found a workaround to this to allow File Explorer to see the hidden folders?
Update: It appears that hidden .nomedia files (and probably others) appear under regular folders, so the problem is limited to hidden folders themselves
When I download a DRM free mp3 like from openbsdorg/lyricshtml, using a browser, it arrives in the Download folder. I can then see it with the included ap "Downloads". If I click on it, it plays just great.
When I sftp the same file into the Download folder with Turbo Client it shows up fine in the in the "local" view provided by that ap. I can also see other files that I previously downloaded normally (using a browser) sitting beside it.
However, when I exit the Turbo Client, and try to view the file name with the built in Downloads ap, the file name is invisible, and obviously I can't play it either.
What is the difference between the files in the two cases? Is there an additional info file parallel the mp3 data file when I use the standard download process? If I go back into Turbo Client, I can still see the file that was sftp'd into the folder. It is still there. That's why I suspect additional information needs to be stored somewhere.
Can I avoid learning a whole new operating system for what is supposed to be a consumer friendly device?
How can I create the additional information that is needed?
AustinHook said:
When I download a DRM free mp3 like from openbsdorg/lyricshtml, using a browser, it arrives in the Download folder. I can then see it with the included ap "Downloads". If I click on it, it plays just great.
When I sftp the same file into the Download folder with Turbo Client it shows up fine in the in the "local" view provided by that ap. I can also see other files that I previously downloaded normally (using a browser) sitting beside it.
However, when I exit the Turbo Client, and try to view the file name with the built in Downloads ap, the file name is invisible, and obviously I can't play it either.
What is the difference between the files in the two cases? Is there an additional info file parallel the mp3 data file when I use the standard download process? If I go back into Turbo Client, I can still see the file that was sftp'd into the folder. It is still there. That's why I suspect additional information needs to be stored somewhere.
Can I avoid learning a whole new operating system for what is supposed to be a consumer friendly device?
How can I create the additional information that is needed?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you tried seeking help from the developer of Turbo Client? He seems very open to support requests according to his thread on xda (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2023646). I feel like this issue you are having is more closely related to the app you are using and not so much the device, so this forum probably is not the ideal place to pose your question.
Download vs SFTP file visibility question
NasaGeek said:
Have you tried seeking help from the developer of Turbo Client? He seems very open to support requests according to his thread on xda (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2023646). I feel like this issue you are having is more closely related to the app you are using and not so much the device, so this forum probably is not the ideal place to pose your question.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks. I have now posted on his forum as well, however, I have the feeling it is a generic issue, relating to the move to more Apple like total control of use of the device. My HTC ONE X+ is Android 4.1.1 (I should have mentioned earlier). I only resorted to sftp because I couldn't mount it as an SD drive. I am coming from an HTC Desire running Android 2.2 where I could just mount the device like a memory stick. That was nice. Now under Jelly Bean it seems there is an intent to take away user control. This is rotten. I'm not a cell phone guru. I don't want to have to learn about "rooting" the device, reflashing the ROM or whatever, I just want to use what should be a consumer friendly device, but I suspect an attempt to redefine the meaning of consumer friendly, to make us jump all kinds of hoops to get straight forward access to the data it deals with.
I'm sorry you've been having such trouble, but your skepticism regarding MTP (this has been Android's internal storage standard since ICS) is quite unfounded. An Android engineer talks about it a little more in this reddit post, but the general idea is MTP was done to make things easier, not harder, and you should most certainly still be able to access your device's storage by plugging it into your computer. You should be able to do this "out-of-the-box" so to speak, without rooting or unlocking the device. You might, however, need to install the necessary drivers for your phone. Android is all about giving the user a healthy amount of control over their device and what files come and go from it (to a certain degree), though I'm not sure I can say the same thing for HTC Sense...
edit: upon reading your post in the other thread, I think I understand your issue. The developer's response was unfortunately not terribly informative for someone who is not well-versed with Android. In order to access your mp3 files you will need to download a file browser app from the Play Store (like this one ) and navigate to your sdcard/Downloads folder.
I probably should have read your post a little more clearly, particularly where you mentioned you were trying to view the files with the Downloads app
Hi guys,
I'm trying to get a lil' privacy here
I know right now it's rather hard, but I'm trying to take my steps. So far setting Seacloud with https and encryption on a 2TB HDD wasn't too hard. Problem is, it doesn't upload the phone pictures to the server, at the moment. A second solution would be to have an app to sync those pictures to a network drive, which is already on Seafile, and would be then automatically backed up. This could be done via SMB or SCP/SFTP. Do you know of any apps doing this, copying any new detected file within an specifed folder to a network share?
PS: Yeah yeah, I know owncloud does this out of the box. Their apps are far better for this, but the way they store their filesystem isn't very clean IMHO, so I preferred seacloud instead (owncloud uses normal files for its storage, which can lead to issues implementing file history, while seacloud uses a database structure).