If you think the data on your computer is secure just because your system is locked with a password, think again. Sensitive information available on your computer is never safe just because of a password protection and a skilled third party user can easily read your emails or gain access to restricted access information.

The measures for counterattacking unauthorized intrusions and rendering them useless when gold is struck are multiple ranging from encrypting your files or hiding them to sending encrypted emails which are unreadable without the right passphrase. However, most times you will have to use multiple software in order to achieve full protection of your data.

VaultletSuite 2 Go is an all in one solution for all this, keeping your files and messages as secret as you want due to its 256-bit AES encryption algorithm and the minimum 16 characters passphrase you have to lock them up under. The suite is composed by multiple services, all gathered under the same "roof" and, more importantly, it is 100% portable.

The application comes in three versions, out of which two of them are subscription based. The third one is absolutely free to use as long as it is for personal use. Its components allow sending and receiving encrypted emails, regardless of the mail client used and operating system of the recipient (it supports Windows, OS X, Linux and Solaris), encrypting sensitive files as well as safe keeping different passwords.

The three types of subscription (Standard, Blue and Gold) are quite different in the features they are sporting, with Standard edition which is free being the most crippled and Gold subscription being the juiciest ($99.95/year). However, Blue subscription ($49.95/year) is free for the first year for all users and if you are using it for non-profit organization, educational institution or press it will be renewed each year for free. Also, for those referring the software to others the Blue subscription will be extended with one year per/user.

Starting working with VaultletSuite 2 Go requires creating an account. As optionless this operation may sound, in this case the user has to choose between two types of accounts shaped on your preferences. You can go for a fine grained control account which allows you to manage the storage location of your encrypted private key, is more interactive and permits the use for two separate passphrases (one for the account and one for encrypting and decrypting your private key). Or you can select the easy way with a more simple to use account that automatically stores the encrypted key on their servers (thus giving you access to VaultletSuite 2 Go from anywhere), with fewer popups and only one passphrase to remember for accessing the account.

The suite is composed of an email client (VaultletMail), a password manager (Password Valet) and a file encrypter (Vaultlet Filer), all easily accessible from the main console. Once you have made all the settings for the account you are free to access all of them free and unhindered.

If you decide to make it portable and install the application on a removable device you will be able to make all the settings for the location of all information handled by VS2Go. This way you will have all the data within the shortest reach.

VaultletMail
VaultletMail is like nothing you have ever seen. Once you have created the VS2Go account you will be able to use the secured email address you've been provided with. The benefits of using this consist in sending encrypted emails which can be read only if the recipient "registers" with a VS2Go account. Mind that the recipient does not need to have VS2Go installed as the application makes available instant Java applets for creating accounts and allowing the recipient to make a passphrase at his/her choice. All the recipient is required is an Internet connection and a web browser (see images 8 to 10).

VS2Go's email comes with particularities that enhance the protection of your messages. First off all of them are being encrypted and only your password (AES 256-bit encrypted) can unlock them. For top quality protection the password's minimum length is 16 characters, a very discouraging feature even for the baldest of the crackers.

For the Standard account server storage is limited to 8MB and are available for one month, while for the Blue account you get 32MB of server storage and a period of 6 months of storage. However, you can archive the messages and save them on disk, thus having them at hand at all times.

If you want to feel more like a Mi-6 or CIA spy, then try the cool features this mail client comes with. You can limit the recipients actions on the message you are sending by restricting forward, quote, copy, printing or archiving it, or limit the life of the message to only a couple of minutes or a certain number of views. Turning the message into a Special Delivery allows you all this. All the options are available via Scope Control and HalfLife features. The expiry period of the message can be set in seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks or months and can start from the sending moment or from opening it.

So the client is regular only in the sense that it is able to receive and send messages, but how it achieves this and all the additional security measures are a first. But, despite all these goodies there are minor glitches that make using it a bit uncomfortable. Multiple selection of the messages for instance is unavailable, as well as an option to delete the messages from the server. Archived emails cannot be deleted from the application itself, but going to the storage location on disk and removing them manually does the trick.

The first time you send a Special Delivery to a recipient the message cannot be "endowed" with the special properties of Scope Control and HalfLife. Think of it as a test message to see if everything is arrives OK. Selecting the entire text in recipient's field using Shift+Home keys or even using the left arrow to go to the beginning of the address will make it disappear altogether.

The bright side is that VaultletMail comes with an address book where you can make your whitelist. Every email not listed in here will go to the SpamChallenged folder waiting for your approval or deletion. The ingenious thing comes immediately after the sender has launched the message with your address on it as s/he will receive a message that allows VaultletMail to find out if it has been sent by a a spam bot or not. The sender will be kindly asked to follow a link and solve a simple math problem (in our case it consisted of a subtraction operation). If Vaultlet recipient has already filtered the message and labeled it as valid, the sender no longer needs to solve the problem.

Configuring the email client is just a matter of making the right clicks for the different options available. You can choose to view header information (sometimes it can help you trace the origins of the message), include HTML in the messages (but to be on the safe side I generally read them in plain text), choose one of the three levels of the SpamBot Challenge filter (easiest, easier or hardest), display messages at a single click, autoload VaultletMail or setting the action to trigger the archiver.

The email client in VaultletSuite 2 Go comes with the basic functionality of a regular email client but brings an interesting approach to securing your messages. They are sent encrypted and that is the state the recipient receives them. This means that only the person with recipient's password can read them, thus the chances for unauthorized access to the information are very much dimmed. All the glitches available are minor but play an important role in the comfortable use of the application.

Password Manager
PasswordValet is the second application in the suite and taking a look at its name it is not too difficult to realize what's it built for. The application can store your passwords or any other sensitive information either on disk or their server. Using it is piece of cake, considering that all you have to do is provide a name for the entry and a brief description. Everything else inputted is your sensitive data which can range from passwords to anything you want as there is plenty of room for a novel.

All sensitive text is encrypted and stored on the disk so that no one but you has access to it. The same 256-bit AES algorithm is used for this operation as well, so you have nothing to worry about. Using this application is a cinch due to the minimum of options available and the user-friendly interface. Once logged in you are allowed to edit the items, save them either on the remote server (mind the storage limit) or on the local disk or delete them (both from the disk as well as from the server).

Multiple selection is supported in this application but the next operation will only apply for the first selected item, so there isn't much use of it here either.

VaultFiler
The last application included in the suite is the file encryptor. VaultFiler deals with encrypting and decrypting user defined files saving them on your local drive. It does not matter the type of the files as operation is slowed down only by the size of the data to be processed.

The same ease of use as in the other two apps is available here as well and the procedure is as simple as can be. Just import the needed files and the application will do the rest. Unfortunately the application will not delete the original file after the encryption so you have to go manual on that. Additional options permit the user to export the encrypted file, either the way it is stored (encrypted) or decrypt it in the process.

Multiple selection issue seems to be extending to this part as well because the feature does not work with VaultletFiler either. Although this is not too big of a deal it would bring more comfort when dealing with more files at once.

VaultletSuite 2 Go is strong with securing your data, be it email messages, passwords or any other file on your computer and it is extremely easy to use, but you cannot work with multiple files at once. Also, on the bright side, you can use the Java applets available here.

There is absolutely no trouble using the application and the generous offer for the one year Blue account stands for all users at the first use of the software. You can extend its expiration date by referring the VS2Go to other users.


The Good

VaultletSuite 2 Go definitely brings security to each email you launch and for anything stored on your computer. It comes with strong encryption algorithm (AES 256-bit), ease of use, portability and three different applications to help keep your files protected.

The recipient of an encrypted mail gets all the tools for viewing the message right in the email. The special features available in the email client (ScopeControl and HalfLife) permit limiting recipient's use of the message.

The Bad

The comfort level when dealing with multiple files is definitely a problem in the application. Also, the fact that you cannot delete the messages on the server compels the user to remember archiving them to the disk after the first read.

The Truth

VS2Go does a great job with securing all your conversations and protecting special files on your computer from prying eyes. There are no costs for the first year and if you promote it and other users point at you as the source of the application you extend that Blue account with 1 year/user.

It is easy to handle and 100% portable which means that you can carry all the data with you on the device the application has been installed on. Java applets allow access to the application from any operating system as long as you have an Internet connection and a web browser.

Here are some snapshots of the application in action:




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