14 DAY TRIAL // Folder Security is a collection of tools that can implement restrictive measures against unauthorized access of content available on the computer and even online.
The bundle integrates an impressive number of utilities that can hide folders, block applications from running, restrict access to specific websites, obfuscate text in a document, and even scramble the headers of user-defined file extensions so that the files cannot be opened by just about anybody.
All these are available for $10 / €7.50, but the developer allows a 15-day trial period with all features active; the only limitation imposed is a 5-second delay when launching the program. According to the dev, it works on all operating systems above Windows 7, 32- or 64-bit; we did our tests on Windows 8.
Installation is pretty smooth and none of the screens promotes third-party software. However, at the end of the process, you need to restart the computer for all the modifications to take effect.
The interface of the application is simple and intuitive enough for a beginner user to get around without difficulty. The tools menu in the main screen offers access to all the tools that can help prevent access to sensitive data.
Folder Security’s main functionality is to protect folders, and it provides various methods to reach this end. You can lock a folder in order to prevent access to its content without a password, or you can choose to hide it in an image or audio file (steganography).
The entire process of locking a directory is quite long, as it involves providing a password as well as taking precautions in case you forget the countersign; these consist of giving the answer to a set of three questions, which allow you to change the initial password.
During our tests, locking a folder did not work as we anticipated, because we could easily access the content despite the restriction imposed by Folder Security. All we needed was a file manager that could display all the entries on a drive.
What the application does is to create a new file with FS extension and apply the “system” attribute to the original one, thus hiding it from view. However, if you manage to make it visible (we used Total Commander for the job), you can access the files with no restriction, even after restarting the machine.
Another glitch encountered during tests occurred when we tried to lift the restriction on multiple locked folders. We only managed to revert the process on one of them because an error occurred on the second.
A message informed us that the process could not be carried out because the target had changed its name. When trying to launch the FS folder, the notice about name incompatibility was displayed and suggested to use the Edit option; however, the entry was gone from Folder Security.
Included in the bundle is the possibility to block user-defined programs from running. Adding the executable files to the list is done by browsing for them, because support for “drag and drop” has not been implemented in this release.
Another function is to restrict access to user-defined websites. Simply provide the URLs, and accessing them is blocked regardless of the web browser used. The method employed by the developer is not complicated and can be easily bypassed by host file in Windows.
The Text Hider component works only for plain text (TXT) and consists of creating an empty duplicate of the original file, which is then hidden. The same method is used in the case of the Content Hider utility, which applies to the entries in a directory.
The suite also has the ability to hide from Windows Explorer entire drives and even to obfuscate user accounts it creates. For both features, a computer restart is required for all the changes to take effect.
Additional functionality refers to implementing access to the computer based on a USB key; assign a removable drive for unlocking a specific user account, and when the device is detected, access to the system is granted. Additionally, Folder Security can disable USB ports.
The suite is quite rich in options and provides the means to prevent opening a specific set of file types (image, video, audio, documents) by scrambling their headers. Once this type of protection is enabled, they will appear corrupt when launched.
For a beginner user, Folder Security may seem like the ultimate tool for protecting sensitive files.
However, seasoned users who know where to look can easily bypass some of the security measures imposed by the suite and it should not take them too long to uncover the methods used by the developer.
The Good
Keeping files from being accessed by making them appear as corrupt is a good protection method as long as you don’t forget about the restriction.
The Bad
When trying to unlock multiple folders we encountered some glitches which may lead less advanced users into thinking that their data is lost.
The Truth
Dismantling the protection it imposes is not too much of an effort for a more skilled computer user but, in some cases, it could turn into a challenge even for the average one.
