14 DAY TRIAL // Safe keeping your data should be a priority these days. Generally, there are multiple lines of defense in what concerns security of a computer. The first one is the firewall which functions as a guardian at the gate of your computer. Its purpose is to prevent outside attacks upon your machine. The second line of defense is represented by the antivirus and antispyware softwares. They perform a cleaning of the computer in the case some malicious objects have managed to get through the firewall.
The last line of defense is against unauthorized persons using your computer. This is the most dangerous threat as most people secure themselves against outside, online threats. But most times, the person next to you can do greater damage to your files.
SafeBit offers protection for your data against anyone that is not authorized to use your computer or your files. Sometimes, multiple user accounts are present on machines and everyone has access to your personal files. SafeBit ensures that your files will be private for other people. More than that, even if trojans infect your computer or a hacker succeeds in cracking the security system, your data will be sheltered in a virtual drive protected by an AES 256-bit encryption algorithm.
The price of the application is $39.95 and the trial period offered by the developer is as long as 30 days. During the evaluation time, the user benefits from a fully functional copy of SafeBit. The builder of SafeBit is the same as in the case of Invisible Secrets and combining the two applications should give you the much desired security for both message transmitting, encrypting files and folders, secure deleting them and safekeeping them.
The design of the interface is original and hints the area of work of the application. Pictures of cyphers and hard cracking safes are scattered all over the main window. The options are displayed in plain view so working with SafeBit is as hard as a stroll in the park.
SafeBit works exactly like a safe. The difference is that you get to create it the size you want. As every safe opens by using a password, the same principle applies in this case. The options running down in the left hand side of the application allow the user to create new safes, close/open them, destroy or back them up. Antivirus scanning is also available. This way you can check the safe for malware that might have sneaked inside before encryption.
In the Properties of the safe you will be able to resize the virtual drive to the amount you need. Also, you can move the current location of the container file. The container file is actually the encrypted password protected safe only you have access to. It resides in a user defined location on the HDD and whenever it is opened, it will load up as a regular drive installed on your computer.
Creating a new drive is easy enough for anyone that knows a little English. If you add the fact that a wizard will guide you through all the steps of creating a new safe, then we can definitely say that even a 4-year-old could handle the process.
With regards to selecting a password to open the drive, SafeBit developer warns the user that a countersign smaller then 10 characters is insecure and advises not to use simple passwords or usual words. The countersign can be securely saved on a removable device.
The next step after providing the name and the password for the soon to be created drive is selecting the container file, specify the size and assign a letter. The container is actually a disk image that contains all the data you are going to store in the safe. The size of the safe will be taken from the real drive it is stored on.
For fast opening the list of your SafeBit created virtual drives or closing all the safes, you are provided with hotkeys. They can be configured by the user for greater convenience and for not conflicting with the shortcuts from other softwares. For security reasons, if a virtual drive is inactive for a period specified by the user, it can be automatically closed by SafeBit and forcibly dismounted.
It is in the Options of the application where you can set the path for the antivirus to automatically scan the safes. After the scan is complete, the virtual drives will close automatically. They will still be visible in the file manager you are using, but will no longer be accessible.
The Good
One of the easiest softwares to work with. The interface displays all the options SafeBit makes available. The Help file is complete and gives you all the information you need, explaining every feature of the program and how it works.
The Bad
The only encryption algorithm available is AES-256. Although it is a pretty strong encryption, I think the user should be able to have multiple choices to select from.
The price seems a little too high as similar applications providing the same protection (or more) are cheaper (some of them are even free). This is actually the greatest drawback of the application.
The Truth
The originality of the interface does not rise to the features provided by the application. The price is the only thing that backfires against the application.
If you take into consideration the price of this application alone ($39.95) it is definitely high enough for only a few of us to afford it (Invisible Secrets, a complementary software comes at the same price). Fortunately, NeoByte Solutions has an unlimited offer and Invisible Secrets and SafeBit, bought tohether, come at only $59.95. So give yourself a treat in securing the information on your HDD and securely sending it over the Internet.
Here are some snapshots of the application in action:
