Be sure to keep an eye on the results of the TrueCrypt audit. If you go this route, the old advice for using TrueCrypt still applies. The Open Crypto Audit Project offers their own verified mirror, and the files can also be acquired from the GRC website. And, most importantly, be sure to get TrueCrypt 7.1a from a trustworthy location and verify the files haven’t been tampered with. The official site is offering TrueCrypt 7.2, which disables the ability to create new encrypted volumes - it’s designed to migrate your data away from TrueCrypt to another solution. If you do opt to continue using the standard TrueCrypt code, be sure to get TrueCrypt 7.1a. RELATED: How to Secure Sensitive Files on Your PC with VeraCrypt

Others, such as the non-profit Committee To Protect Journalists, also advise that the TrueCrypt code is still safe to use. That’s the Gibson Research Corporation’s argument, anyway.

TrueCrypt’s code is open-source, which means even the original developers don’t have the ability to stop it from continuing. When it’s finished, any problems found can be patched by the community in a new fork of the TrueCrypt code and TrueCrypt can continue. TrueCrypt is the only software package to ever undergo an independent audit like this one. TrueCrypt’s open-source code is currently undergoing an independent audit - work that started before the abrupt shutdown - and Phase 1 of the audit has been completed without any big problems being found. TrueCrypt 7.1a is the last real version, released in February, 2012 and used by millions of people since then.

However, the Gibson Research Corporation argues TrueCrypt is still safe to use. The developers have made statements saying they’re not longer interested in the code, and that third-party developers can’t be trusted to maintain and patch it properly. Yes, TrueCrypt development was officially halted and its official downloads page was taken down.

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