Steganos launches software to protect travellers' data

ENCRYPTION FIRM, Steganos has launched software designed to protect travelling wifi-hotspot users from snoops.

The outfit says the software suite encrypts internet access and stored data and Outlook messages and enables the secure destruction of obsolete data.

The firm did some research which told it that three quarters of remote office workers travel with their laptops and some 64 per cent of users were worried about losing their data or having it pinched.

The software, Steganos Secure Traveler ensures that data is encrypted wherever it is stored and even as it is sent over the internet.

Part of the suite, Steganos Secure VPN enables users to create an encrypted tunnel to the internet, eliminating the possibility of ISPs, intermediaries in the connection, hackers or wi-fi hotspot operators to snoop on data traffic. All data passing through the tunnel is encrypted using a 128bit SSL connection, including emails and email passwords, business data, instant messenger chats, auction bids, blogs and ecommerce transactions.

The data is passed through one of Steganos' servers, which means that the user can also surf anonymously. The only IP address that website operators can see is that of the Steganos server.

Users are limited to a traffic allowance of 10GB per month using the software.

A second app, Steganos Safe, allows users to create encrypted drives on their system. The "safes" can be opened and used through Windows applications, but when locked, they disappear from Windows Explorer.

An Outlook Safe password-protects all emails, calendar entries, task lists and contact details.

Data on CDs, DVDs, storage cards, USB sticks, DVD-DLs and Apple iPods can also be encrypted using the software It also has virtual Shredder which "irrevocably" destroys files and any file remains in free disk space.

Steganos Secure Traveler can be downloaded from the Steganos web site here.

A year's licence costs £89.95 or you can try it out for a month for £14.95. µ