Steganos Data Safe is a file encryption program for Windows that stores documents, photos, videos and folders inside password-protected virtual safes. A safe opens as a drive in Windows Explorer, so its contents can be used through ordinary file operations while their stored data remains encrypted.
Steganos Data Safe’s virtual drives
An open safe behaves like an additional disk: you can copy files into it, open documents in their usual applications, save changes and remove items. Steganos Data Safe encrypts files as they are placed on that drive. Closing the safe removes its drive from Explorer and prevents further access until it is unlocked again.
You can create separate safes for different collections, each with its own password. Newly created safes use encryption at the file level and grow automatically as data is added. They do not require a large block of space to be reserved in advance for files that have yet to be stored. The encryption uses 256-bit AES-GCM, with AES-NI hardware acceleration on supporting processors.
The safe overview brings these encrypted locations together in one window. Selecting a safe opens its password prompt. Windows on ARM devices can also open safes as drives.
Passwords and authenticator codes
Steganos Data Safe provides a password generator and a quality indicator when setting a safe’s password. The generator produces a random password, while the indicator evaluates the password being entered. A virtual keyboard is also available for entering the password.
An optional second factor adds an authenticator code to the password prompt. It uses TOTP and works with applications such as Authy, Google Authenticator and Microsoft Authenticator. After pairing the safe with an authenticator through a QR code or setup secret, opening that safe requires both its password and the current code.
Recovery depends on retaining those credentials. Support cannot reset a forgotten safe password or its second factor; a backup of the authenticator setup information allows that factor to be restored if the original device is lost.
Safes on network and cloud storage
A safe can be stored on a network location as well as on a local disk. New network safes allow several users to write at the same time, so a shared encrypted collection does not have to be restricted to a single writer.
For cloud storage, Steganos Data Safe recognizes Dropbox, OneDrive, Google Drive and MagentaCLOUD, and also supports other cloud storage locations. The cloud provider’s desktop application synchronizes the encrypted data between computers.
Portable safes
Portable Safe places an encrypted collection on a USB flash drive or external hard drive. It also copies the software needed to open that collection onto the storage device, allowing the safe to travel with its files. Access still requires the safe’s password.
Steganos Data Safe can also prepare portable safes for optical media such as CDs and DVDs. These serve as encrypted, one-time archives: files written to an optical safe cannot be changed later. A USB safe supports a different role, carrying a collection that can continue to be used across PCs.
File shredding
The included Steganos Shredder overwrites selected file data on a hard drive rather than simply removing its file entry. It also provides an operation for overwriting free disk space, targeting space left by previously deleted files.
