For last Christmas I got a flash drive with a fair amount of space on it.

I was trying to think of what I could do with it, when I realized that I had no one spot that I could go to for phone/account numbers/serial numbers/service providers.

So I started a list of what I consider vital information. It's not hard to do. Start with you, list all the numbers in your life, ssn, blood type, address, phone number, cell number, DL number, you get the idea. Then do the same for the wife and kiddies.

Expand it with a section on all the places you do business with, like the electrical company or cable company. Include their contact numbers for service and/or questions, as well as your account number. Instead of searching thru the file cabinet, I go to my saved file and there's the info.

If you are feeling ambitious, list all items in the house that have serial numbers, like TVs, CD players, the PC you are reading this on. What if all that was gone? Either thru a theft or natural disaster.

This is just something that I thought would be a good waste of space on an otherwise unused flash drive.

I have done exactly that. I also have scanned copies of all important paperwork - marriage license, car registrations, birth certificates, etc. Scanned credit cards, scanned professional licenses (along with text files that contain the same information you'd see on the scans). Recent pictures of family members, home, and pets. You name it - anything you might need during a disaster, or afterwards to help you reestablish your identity.

All of this is strongly encrypted, or course! Otherwise, you're baiting the identity thieves like baiting a shark with a side of beef!

I don´t know, I would not trust built in security features of any flash drive. You don´t know how strong the encryption is or if it´s even there. I have read about flash drives with "military grade" security features that were hacked in no time when somebody decided to test it. I think proven open source encryption (for example using TrueCrypt) is essential.

TrueCrypt is what I use also. Since I bounce between Linux and Windows systems, it's great. Also, you can put an entire Linux OS on the flashdrive alongside TreuCrypt and your encrypted data. So you have a totally self contained flashdrive that you can boot from, or access from another OS if that's what you prefer to do.

So would you all recommend using 3rd party software as opposed to the encryption software that comes with Verbatim, SanDisk, Kingston, etc?

If you're looking for a quick easy program to sync folders (they can be on the same harddrive, or a harddrive and a USB device, etc), check out Microsoft's free SyncToy tool:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/detai...;displaylang=en

I used it to keep my USB drive up-to-date with my grad school work. Very nice.

Exactly.

You do not know what kind of encryption, how strong it is, or how well it will be supported in the future for software that comes with your flashdrive.

By "third party" software we are talking "Open Source" encryption software. The benefits are:

(1) Open source means you get the source code. You can even compile it yourself if you are so inclined. But this also means that you, and others, can review the source code and determine firsthand if there are hidden backdoors or vulnerabilitys. Not everyone is capable of examining the source code to this level, but many are and have done so.

(2) If a new OS version comes out and the manufacturer of your flashdrive doesn't update their software for it, open source allows you (or someone else) to modify/recompile the source code for that new platform. So your data is not encrypted and locked into an older OS due to some manufacturers proprietary encryption.

(3) Open source is free.

Truecrypt

TrueCrypt.
Truecrypt.
Truecrypt.

The limitation with TrueCrypt (as I understand it) is that because it "mounts" the encrypted portion of the USB memory as a new drive on the computer you have to run it under a profile that has administrative rights. I think this could cause some problems accessing your data in an emergency because the government or public computers that you might use in a "re-establish your identity" situation probably won't have admin rights enabled.

Anyone have a suggestion for a strong encryption program that can be run on any computer? Rohos Mini-Drive was recommended on another forum, but I haven't had a chance to try it out yet.

-J

7-zip, although not really specialized encryption program, has quite strong encryption.

Oy here we go again.

Encrypted digital data is NOT - not not not not suitable for emergency records. In fact, expecting your USB drive to be in any way useful in a real emergency is at best a fantasy and at worst dangerous.

I was a firefighter for six years, I did many rescues,auto extrications, etc. Of the ambulances, fire trucks, helicopters, rescue vehicles or command vehicles I worked in and with, of the few with computers on board, NONE were able to read a USB key.

At the emergency room, 0% of the computers in use could read a USB drive.

I'm now the emergency management coordinator for a local township, but I'm training up to go further. There's no model in the various national response plans and communications plans to utilize data stored on unknown devices that are handed to you by someone.

Further, a scan of a driver's license is not recognized by any agency as a legitimate identification, any more than a scan of a credit card would be accepted at a store for payment. A scan of a birth certificate? Useless.

You'd do better simply writing a list of document identification numbers, expiration and the like on a sheet of paper and using that for your emergency records.

We can go into medical records deeper later, but I asked a Dr. to email me the MRI of my head and they simply laughed at me. "No, this system will never touch the internet" and so I handed them my USB drive and they were like, "You're joking right?"

MRI. The only way they would give that info to my wife was on a DVD. They copied her spinal MRI onto that disc so she could take it to her new doctor. Or as I have heard it called, the sneaker network!

You're not looking at this in the way I am. Nobody expects (or should expect) "the authorities" to plug your USB drive into their computer and take what is found there as positive identification. However, the encrypted data is very useful for individuals involved in a crisis. You've lost your dog in the paniced transportation mess? Why not print out a picture from your USB drive using a friends computer, the library computer ... not from "the authorities computer". Need to find the phone number and account info so you can call your credit card issuer to cancel your account? Why not have that info encrypted on a USB drive? Need to locate the VIN and license plate number from your car so you can report it to the police as stolen? Store that stuff on your USB drive. You would need to find a computer to host the USB drive on, certainly. But the authorities are not the only people with computers. You could even buy yourself a new/used computer after the disaster if you really need your own to work with (and yuo just might).

I have an 8gig mini-thumb drive in my wallet. It has been there for several years now. Originally it was a test to see if it could survive. No problems encountered (yet).

So I gradually filled it with all kinds of stuff. I travel a lot so I included scans of my medical records, licenses and all that sort of thing. All encrypted with TrueCrypt. I also have portable applications for my browser, e-mail client and many other programs. I update it frequently. It is an image of a SDHC chip I keep in my main computer, but which gets moved from machine to machine as needed (I have 4 working computers).

I also have the manuals for all my ham radio equipment, the entire service manual for my Dodge Diesel 3500 4x4, A gigantic library of military and other reference material. A very good medical library (Grays anatomy, Where there is no doctor, Ships Capt. Medical manual and much much more), all available from the nearest computer.

Over the years I have found it invaluable. I was traveling when I became sick and was able to print out my base line laboratory results to be compared with those being done. I have used the scans of credit cards to notify customer service when I had a problem. The list goes on and on....

the upshot is that it works for me.....and very well. True, no Doc is gonna let me use his computer, but there always seems to be a friend or someplace that I can find to retrieve the needed data. Even during Katrina when I responded to New Orleans with the Red Cross, I was able to find a satisfactory computer to get my e-mail client to run.

Next I think I will add a mini linux operating system so I have better control. Truecrypt runs nicely under linux by the way. I will have to do something about the portable applications (see http://portableapps.com/ for details about portable applications).

True, it is of little use during a medical emergency. But it sure has been handy for a lot of other incidents. I don't leave home without it.

Nomad

You can install Ubuntu on a usb in persistent mode (meaning you can save settings and install apps and it'll be there when you reboot off the usb next time).
http://www.pendrivelinux.com/usb-ubuntu-804-persistent-install-tutorial/

That way, you don't even need portable apps... you boot off into your own computer and your good to go.

Personally, I have two usb keys with this setup; a personal computer version with all the usual coding IDE's and stuff and another which is a LAMP server. That way, I can covert any pc to a server on the fly with a simple reboot.

Thanks, as this is the purpose I was trying to state.

Let's say I have to beat feet, a hurricaine perhaps. I grab the flash drive and all my needed info is handy. It rides on a chain on my neck, along with my dog tags. I have a ton of information in a small package, instead of all the paper that contains the information. The most important things I think would be the insurance info contact numbers and policy numbers.

If I need to get info, I am sure I can find a laptop with a USB port someplace.

And yes, I think that even without encryption the info would be safe.

Didn't mean to start a puter geek firestorm, sorry.

To furthur what martinfocazio said. If you do manage to find someone who will allow you to plug your USB drive into their computer then thats not a computer I would be comfortable plugging in to anyway. Most companies have policies against it and have implemented some form of security to prevent the ports from working. The ones that do allow it there is no telling what those might be infected with. At very least make sure the drive your has some form of write protection but even then there is no telling what kind of keyloggers or other data miners may be on that computer.
I downsized from a 12" laptop to a 9" netbook for this very reason, there is no way I'm going t plug a drive full of my data into some unknown system, with most of the world running Microsoft windows there is just too much risk.