#VERACRYPT EXTERNAL DRIVE PORTABLE#
#VERACRYPT EXTERNAL DRIVE PRO#
#VERACRYPT EXTERNAL DRIVE WINDOWS#

This was unexpected, and it might explain why Disks reported Kuznyechik reads at 4.4 to 5 GB/s. Its mount point is different from the other encryption algorithms. The M.2 SSD contained both the encrypted file and the 5 GB test file named data.bin for copy test purposes.įor this test, I created a fresh 7 GB file container for each algorithm formatted as ext4.Įncrypted 7GB Kuznyechik volume mounted for use.

#VERACRYPT EXTERNAL DRIVE PRO#

Would there be a difference in speed? The source/destination drive was a Samsung 950 Pro M.2 NVMe in order to avoid the physical drive being the limiting factor. This is a regular file on the hard drive that is mounted as an encrypted volume. VeraCrypt allows you to create a file container.

A slower CPU might produce slower results. This makes sense because the USB drive is a mechanical drive (probably 5400 RPM), and it cannot supply data fast enough to exceed the decryption speed of the CPU. In all cases, the read speed were fairly consistent and remained the same across all algorithms. Nonetheless, these were the numbers I measured. For example, a plain, unencrypted drive takes longer to write 5GB than an encrypted drive. If you look at the numbers carefully, some results do not make sense. How long does it take to read and write a 5 GB file FROM and TO the encrypted Ultra Slim+ using various algorithms? Whole disk encryption with the ext4 file system. For reference, here is the performance of the USB drive without encryption.

#VERACRYPT EXTERNAL DRIVE WINDOWS#

In fact, if you connect an encrypted drive to Windows, you will be prompted to format it, so be careful on Windows systems.įor this test, I am using an external Seagate Ultra Slim+ USB drive connected to a USB 3.1 (USB 3.0 Gen 2) port. There is absolutely nothing on the encrypted drive to identify it. With whole disk encryption, VeraCrypt encrypts the entire drive.

#VERACRYPT EXTERNAL DRIVE PORTABLE#

USB devices benefit most from encryption since they are portable (translation: easy to lose), so this is a worthwhile question to answer. “Does whole disk encryption affect read/write performance on an external USB drive?” Since VeraCrypt is CPU-intensive, I used a test system containing the fastest CPU I had available: an i7 CPU. The audit results were quite good if not perfect, and VeraCrypt picks up where TrueCrypt left off.įor this test, I am using VeraCrypt 1.19 in Linux Mint 18.1. Other encryption systems exist, but VeraCrypt is based on the earlier TrueCrypt that underwent a security audit some time ago. As long as your system has VeraCrypt installed and as long as your operating system can read the formatted file system of the VeraCrypt volume, you can access your data. VeraCrypt volumes can be read in other operating systems, so you are not tied to a specific operating system product. All data on the VeraCrypt device is automatically encrypted/decrypted as needed. Once set up, you can format/read/write/delete like any other hard drive. You can encrypt an entire hard drive/partition or create an encrypted file container that is mounted like a hard drive. How would the different encryption algorithms affect performance? Are some faster or slower than others?įor those new to disk encryption, VeraCrypt is a free, cross-platform, on-the-fly encryption system that operates transparently. I was curious to find out if using VeraCrypt resulted in slower reads and writes for whole disk encryption with an external USB drive and for a standard file container, so I performed my own tests in Linux Mint 18.1. “Does VeraCrypt slow down reads and writes?”ĭo you want to encrypt your data, but are you concerned about a performance drop?

Veracrypt external drive