Why Your Computer’s Built-In Encryption Isn’t Always Enough

If Coca-Cola, a beloved household name and a fond memory from our childhood, had saved their famous recipe on a piece of paper and then on a folder that said “Coca-Cola Recipe: Top Secret. DO NOT TOUCH” This brand might not have been as iconic as it is today!

If it wasn’t for their carefully guarded recipe, their long-standing legacy and the bold market presence it carries; Coca-cola would have just ended up being copied and would’ve landed up on the shelf and lost in the abyss of countless other competitiors.

Thanks to its unique taste, its closely guarded formula, along with the masterful marketing, Coca-Cola has now enshrined itself into our collective memories.

This story is a reminder of how protecting, presenting, and delivering the product is just as important as the product itself.

And so this very same logic applies to protecting your digital assets, too.

Yes, who knows if that cold-brew almond milk coffee, that you experimented with this morning, might just become the next big thing tomorrow?

And that brings us to an important learning:

“The contents are just as important as the container itself”

Similar to the Coca-Cola example, true success truly depends on how well you safeguard what truly matters to you. The way you secure the container (the devices) and the way you protect the contents inside (our sensitive files) make all the difference.

Just as Coca-Cola’s enduring success depends on how it safeguards what truly matters—the secret recipe—the same logic applies when it comes to protecting your digital assets. The way we secure the container (our devices) and the content inside (our sensitive files) can make all the difference. This same principle applies to digital security.

And that’s why we ask…

Built-in encryption software, such as BitLocker, serves as the first line of defence. This means your device or your disc is only protected from any kind of unauthorised physical access, especially in the event of you losing your device or it being stolen or decommissioned.

If the physical hard drive or the disc is extracted and then cracked into with the decryption keys, your files are still present there, and this is a high risk. This is because built-in encryptions like BitLocker and BitLocker alternatives only extend their encryption as far as the device is concerned.

But if BitLocker is complemented with a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) chip, the security is definitely enhanced with a hardware component. The benefit of this is, if it recognises any kind of unauthorised changes or break-ins to the system hardware or software, it will immediately automatically lock the whole device and ask for a recovery key, preventing any kind of tampering or rogue boot attacks.

But with all said and done, like we earlier mentioned, BitLocker is definitely a strong option for protecting your device as a whole, the container, but it doesn’t protect individual files—the contents inside.

That’s where specialised tools like AxCrypt come in, offering military-grade file-level protection that BitLocker itself does not provide.

Over the years, the cyberverse has seen an alarming spike in cyberthreats — from ransomware and cyber espionage cases to passwords and phishing attacks. This proves one loud thing: no matter how much we advance with our built-in encryption or no matter how many BitLocker alternatives we explore, the threat towards files will always loom over us.

That’s because if someone breaks into your device or your disk is compromised, file security stops where device security ends. If your system is breached, your files become vulnerable—and possibly unrecoverable.

The built-in Windows encryption tool was originally designed to safeguard data at rest. It has been weaponised by criminals in ransomware attacks.

How?

They now take over your entire network and all your key drives and lock you out of the system, and demand a ransom in exchange.

Three Ways BitLocker Is Used In Ransomware Attacks:

Okay, so now you think that encrypting your entire drive or an external disc could lock these malicious actors out.

Cute.

The truth is, they can still enter.

Full disk encryption does not protect you from viruses attacking your files. This is solely because viruses are software. When you log in to your computer, your files are not only visible to you but also to all the software on your system. This particular software, which is basically a virus, can access all the data on your encrypted hard drive.

There is still more drama that unfolds.

Even if you have anti-virus protection on your computer, you are still susceptible to these attacks. This means if another computer on your network is affected by this particular virus, or let's say has been attacked by a hacker, then that computer can access all your files on your computer, which, just for the record, is very common among businesses.

This is where the hacker on the software can take over your files and make alterations that are permanent.

Lastly, the problem worsens when these files are on the server, and then they are breached.

So this is precisely why you need to have an extra level of protection over your files.

AxCrypt - The Perfect BitLocker alternative is that extra level of protection that you need right now.

AxCrypt offers you file-level encryption with military-grade protection. This means that you not only get to encrypt files on your system, but you can also go ahead and encrypt those files that you saved on the cloud.

As for compliance standards, AxCrypt is like another feather in the hat, thanks to the file-level protection you get. AxCrypt meets the regulatory compliance practices that are essential for businesses and organisations in order to meet the data security and privacy standards.

At the very core of this concept, encryption basically means to convert some readable data into unreadable code that prevents people from misusing it.

But the real difference is when encryption is handled by Software and Hardware in terms of speed control and flexibility.

So what is hardware encryption

This is a hybrid model. While you already have a built-in encryption, something like BitLocker, a TPM chip is the hardware aspect in this. This means it uses the CPU's cryptographic hardware to secure and store information.

With hardware encryption, the action takes place independently of the operating system, and it is much faster since it uses a dedicated chip rather than system resources. The benefit here is that the encryption keys are stored within the hardware, which makes it nearly impossible to extract.

And now, what is encryption software

Same logic, but this uses programs or applications to encrypt data either on an entire disc or specific folder or even individual files, e.g. AxCrypt Encryption Software.

This is where encryption happens on a software level, giving the user complete control over what they want to encrypt and how they want to manage the keys.

Here, the benefit is that encryption happens on the system CPU instead of a separate chip, and the files remain encrypted when shared externally, depending on the tool that you used.

So when you look at encrypting your data and sensitive files, BitLocker is an amazing option, but that is like putting a lock on your main gate and leaving your front door wide open. While the hardware encryption protects the device, software encryption protects the data.

That’s the whole truth, UNLESS you want your files waving a white flag once the hacker has got complete access.

BitLocker and FileVault may be solid options to guard your device, but the protection lasts only till the device.

We are now in a time and age where data travels faster than family gossip.

Jokes apart, relying on built-in encryption is never enough, and an added layer of protection never hurts. That added layer of protection is AxCrypt, which flips the script for attackers.

An untouchable, unbreakable, super-protected and globally compliant encryption software such as AxCrypt is what enterprises around the world trust.

Whether you're a business owner with sensitive information, client data or an individual protecting those ‘screenshots receipts’ for your best friend that you swore you would delete, this app is for all.