TrueCrypt’s cryptic warning is downright alarming

TrueCrypt urges users to abandon its popular disk-encryption tool.

Popular encryption program TrueCrypt released a peculiar statement on its SourceForge page, warning users about a potential vulnerability and recommending they abandon TrueCrypt.

"WARNING: Using TrueCrypt is not secure as it may contain unfixed security issues," says the red text atop the page. The warning further states that the app ceased development in May, after Microsoft ended support of Windows XP. The developers recommend migrating any True Crypt-encrypted data to encrypted disks supported by users' OS.

The use of TrueCrypt had increased in recent months, thanks to Edward Snowden's endorsement. The latest build is still offered on the site, despite speculation around its legitimacy and suspicions that it may contain malware. But the statement recommends the program be used for migration purposes only.

We recommend you stick with your platform's encryption: BitLocker for Windows and FileVault for Mac. There's not enough evidence to conclude that the TrueCrypt site was hacked, nor does the message imply a damaging practice, but still we recommend that you avoid TrueCrypt for the time being.

Here are a few alternative encryption tools for backing up your disk:

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TrueCrypt's cryptic warning is downright alarming