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Memory sticks are a great way to store data and applications for access on any computer you come across. With storage capacities already reaching 256GB, today's USB sticks are often larger than yesterday's hard drives. Thanks to increased storage space and lowering prices, you can easy store nearly all your personal files on a tiny, go-anywhere USB memory stick.
There's a downside to all that cheap, easy storage though -- it means there's even more data at risk should your USB stick be lost of stolen.
Luckily it isn't hard to encrypt the data on your USB stick so that, should misfortune snatch it away from you, at least you can rest easy knowing that your data is secure.
===Encrytion on Windows==
There are a variety of Windows-based tools for creating an encrypted volume on a USB stick, but our favorite is the free, open-source [http://www.truecrypt.org/ TrueCrypt]. TrueCrypt uses on-the-fly encryption, which means that data is automatically encrypted and decrypted without you needing to do anything other than enter a password or keyfile.
To get started download and install TrueCrypt. Then open the application and select your USB stick in the Volume menu. TrueCrypt will then walk you through the process of setting up your encrypted volume and help you chose an encrption algorythm and set other options.
Once TrueCrypt finishes, your USB stick will contain an encrypted volume where you can store sensative data to keep it safe from prying eyes.
===Encryption on Mac OS X===
TrueCrypt offers a Mac version as well, but OS X actually has a nice built-in encryption tool you can use right out of the box.
To get started, just plug in your USB stick and open up Disk Utility (you'll find it in the Utilities folder inside your Applications folder).
In Disk Utility head to File >> New >> Blank Disk Image. Select your USB stick as the destination and choose one of the encryption options. You can also set the size of the volume, number of partitions and the format.
Once that's done click create and enter a good password (see our guide to picking strong passwords).
===Future Outlook===
Many USB stick manufacturers are offering built-in encryption options these says we expect that trend to continue, though hopefully more will use open source, well-tested encryption tools rather than the proprietary systems common today.
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