# Has someone recently built truecrypt successfully or is there any other cross-platform alternative?



## NuLL3rr0r (Apr 19, 2015)

Hi,

I wonder if anyone was able to build TrueCrypt-7.1a_3 successfully since there is no binary package available either?

I know it has been discontinued but I've been using VeraCrypt (one of the forks) on Windows happily since then. I know there are two forks CipherShed (Alpha still) and VeraCrypt but unfortunately none of them are available in the ports. So, my question is: Is there any cross-platform alternative which works on FreeBSD too? If not is there any workaround to build TrueCrypt from ports?


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## Oko (Apr 19, 2015)

DragonFly BSD has its own BSD licensed implementation of TrueCrypt. I have not used it personally very recently. Are you trying to encrypt files/directories or an entire external HDD. Note that TrueCrypt was never useful in the *nix world for encrypting OS partitions (I would have to check if DF is using LUKS or its own version of TrueCrypt to do that as it offers it as one option during the installation). For the first job there is no stronger cryptographic tool than security/scrypt written by FreeBSD's own Dr. Colin Percival, Canadian Mathematician. I use it all the time on OpenBSD and FreeBSD machines.

GnuPGP or even better NetPGP (PGP developed by NetBSD people) are worth looking at as well.

If you need to encrypt the whole external HDD scrypt transparently across multiple OSs, I think you are out of luck as the Windows has really nothing except TrueCrypt.


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## wblock@ (Apr 19, 2015)

Well, there is security/truecrypt.


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## NuLL3rr0r (Apr 19, 2015)

wblock@ said:


> Well, there is security/truecrypt.



As I said unfortunately it won't build due to some build errors, if I recalled correctly there where some link errors with WxWidgets.

Oko Thanks for mentioning DragonFly's fork. I should check it out.
To clarify, I do not need any kind of disk encryption. The only thing I need is a kind of container like TrueCrypt's .tc files because it's portable across FreeBSD, Linux, OSX and Windows since TrueCrypt runs on all these platforms. So, I'll be able to move my files in a secure container around.


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## Hans (Feb 19, 2016)

This question was bugging me too.
A forked and maintained version is VeraCrypt and engerim42 on GitHub got it build on FreeBSD (without GUI). I tried to get his build instructions but he didn't answer so far.
The relevant issue is: https://github.com/veracrypt/VeraCrypt/issues/34

As I couldn't get it build maybe somebody else is succesfull and can leave some instructions?


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## Oko (Feb 20, 2016)

Hans said:


> As I couldn't get it build maybe somebody else is successfully and can leave some instructions?


IMHO anything TrueCrypt based is beating a dead horse. If one of FreeBSD developers is really eager to do so I think porting DragonFly indigenous BSD licensed version of TrueCrypt is the way to go.


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## Hans (Feb 20, 2016)

I can see the benefit of a "indigenous BSD licensed version" but it would not support both volume versions (TrueCrypt and VeraCrypt). And as engerim42 on GitHub claimed it is possible to build VeraCrypt already (at least without GUI).
VeraCrypt is quite an improvement over TrueCrypt. It creates its own volumes (in an improved format) but can still mount TrueCrypt volumes. The program would enable the use of an encrypted Volume in the old and new format cross platform (mainly Windows).

So In my humble opinion I don't think it would be wasted effort to have an instruction of how to compile it on FreeBSD (or even have a Port). I would gladly provide it if I had the knowledge.


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