Drop Box

[Koss]

IRS and Truecrypt

Very interesting...

I had to read that twice. I couldn't believe the IRS was using an open-source program like Truecrypt. But it makes sense, I guess, that the IRS would require the use of such a program on non-IRS laptops, since the IRS doesn't want to pay for encryption software on a computer they don't own.

It's actually very encouraging that a federal agency such as the IRS has determined that Truecrypt is a sound, reliable program.

BMK

[Gary2]

Very interesting...

I had to read that twice. I couldn't believe the IRS was using an open-source program like Truecrypt. But it makes sense, I guess, that the IRS would require the use of such a program on non-IRS laptops, since the IRS doesn't want to pay for encryption software on a computer they don't own.

The only people who can afford to hire the sort of experts needed for proprietary encryption are the military. Everyone else uses algorithms that are publicly available, well-known, and subject to intensive analysis by a wide range of people - including graduate students trying to earn their doctorates. In this case, open source implementations should be more reliable - because there are more people reviewing the code for errors.