We all have something to hide, something to protect, but do you do everything in your power to protect or hide that something?
I doubt it.
Most of us don't even know what Full-Disk Encryption (FDE) is, and if I present the idea most of you would probably say "I don't need that!" or "That sounds like a lot of effort for something so unlikely" but I promise you if you think that you're very wrong.
So what is FDE?
It's the full encryption of a disk, obviously, but what does that mean exactly, and what's the purpose?
Full disk Encryption means that EVERYTHING on the drive is 100% secured when the disk is not in operation.
So what does that do for you?
It means that you will have essentially no risk at having your passwords, accounts, wallet, CC, or anything else stolen from your computer if it is stolen.
If someone steals your computer, or you plan on selling it, or it breaks and you need it repaired and don't want to remove the drive, you really NEED to have your computer fully encrypted. If it's not encrypted as said previously they could steal any of those things in all such scenarios, or steal something to blackmail you with.
Now lets be real; Yeah your computer probably won't get stolen, yeah you could remove your hard-drive before getting your computer repaired, and yeah you can remove it before you sell it.
But you can't get it removed if your computer is seized.
Again, I can hear it now "My computer isn't going to be seized, I don't need it!"
Here's the thing, unless you are a good boy/girl and buy all of your media from music, to tv, to movies, and you also don't leave your cuddlebox on facebook, or really do anything whatsoever with your computer, you've committed a crime.
Well, maybe you haven't, but that doesn't mean the law won't claim you did.
Sounds ridiculous, but ask yourself: Am I a target, do I oppose the government, do I participate in anything that they may dislike, and have I ever downloaded copyrighted material or accidentally came across an illegal image?
If you answered yes to any one of those things I promise you in most countries (western), such as the USA or UK, they can imprison you as laws are vague and things are determined to be legal and illegal based upon arbitrary opinions of the officers.
Being in crypto we all know what it's been used for and associated with before, and we all most likely know just quite how open the "deep web" is. Any one of us could easily go on there and fetch some child porn and post it on here, and that image, despite the fact that you or I may have not meant to view it, will be saved for some time on your computer as well as the blockchain indefinitely.
That image can potentially, despite it being completely out of your control, be used to easily ruin your life and maybe even imprison you, even if you were repulsed by it or even if you didn't even see it, as you didn't scroll down that far.
Still not convinced?
Does anybody EVER have access to your computer but you, and may they, even if they're just a plumber, have more than a few seconds with your precious computer?
Does anybody you know potentially dislike or have jealousy towards you?
Well horrible news for you if you STILL aren't fully encrypting your hard-drive.
Viruses of any type can easily be carried on a USB and applied to a computer in literally seconds, as can they copy much of your drive in a flash simply by sticking it in and having the computer on, even if you aren't "logged in."
What also can be applied, if there's an especially dirty kunt who wants to ruin your life, is again, something illegal. That could be copyrighted material, but is more likely going to be child porn as, well, we all know the unquestionable damnation you would get in this society if you were found with that on your computer.
A decade in prison, life ruined, the whole shabang in around five seconds and a little phone call or email, or simply waiting for someone such as your wife or husband to snoop a little on your computer, or even a friend using it "just for a second" who accidentally comes across it.
Is all this risk worth it to save yourself a few minutes turning on your computer and entering/remembering a password to enter when you do so?
Get encrypting, friends.
Unedited and unplanned as per typical; a follow-up to my previous post today: https://steemit.com/security/@thatadvocate/how-do-i-encrypt-my-computer-usb-safely
Image 1: https://www.lumension.com/data-protection/full-disk-encryption.aspx
Image 2:https://www.westmifflinpolice.com
Image 3: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/478437160386961446/