PGP is the de facto standard for encryption, but it is definitely not for the timid. New users will undoubtedly need to refer to the Help files and/or the comprehensive User's Guide. It's worth the effort, however, because once you understand how PGP works, it is not difficult to use. Currently, most of my sensitive data is encrypted via encrypted sparse images, but I find managing encrypted volumes to be a pain in the butt (mount, unmount, mount, unmount). I recently purchased PGP Desktop for Mac, which (finally) features pre-boot whole disk encryption.

As a security specialist, my own systems need to be secure, so it's my policy that most of my systems should employ full-disk encryption (FDE). The only exceptions are servers - since these won't restart after a power failure in they use FDE. I also want to be able to send PGP-encrypted emails, for example for business correspondence, or for bike club membership administration.

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FDE provides protection in two ways. Firstly, if someone steals your computer, they don't get all your files (unless it was up and running with no screen lock password when they stole it). Secondly, if someone temporarily gains physical access to your computer, it's harder - although by no means impossible - for them to install a trojan to steal passwords or give them a remote shell. Review: PGP Full Disk Encryption for Mac. For Windows machines, for domestic use I recommend installing FDE. Quick, easy, free of charge.

Alternatively, the more expensive flavours of Vista and Windows 7 offer BitLocker FDE out of the box, which probably makes for an easier life if you have the correct license already. On Linux machines, I recommend installing from the 'alternate installation' downloads of Ubuntu, as these provide FDE options out of the box at installation time. On the Mac, the only easily-obtainable FDE solution is PGP. There are a few others, but last time I looked, they weren't sold directly to end-users, but only via third-party 'solutions providers' whose websites looked pretty impenetrable. So going with PGP seemed like the simplest path to FDE on the Mac. • UPDATE: (March 2011). Apple's website now gives preview information about a built-in FDE option in the forthcoming Mac OS X Lion update (10.7).

So you might want to hold off buying PGP WDE for Mac now. Apple's FileVault facility only does home directory encryption, leaving the rest of the filesystem open to attack, e.g. By tampering with config files or trojanising binaries in the PATH.

Yes: Apple signs its binaries, but No: that doesn't buy you much security, since the Mac is quite happy to run unsigned binaries - how else could you use it for software development? The Mac isn't locked down like an iPod, iPad or iPhone, since it's a general-purpose computing device, not a consumer electronics appliance. And without FDE, you can just boot into single-user mode or use a LiveCD if you want to steal or tamper with the files on the disk. PGP's store - - offered two Mac packages: PGP Whole Disk Encryption (£119), and PGP Desktop Professional (£199). The latter product includes email encryption as well as FDE. Neither product covers updates between major releases as far as I can tell, and you only get one year's 'bronze' support after purchase. In reality of course, any support issues are likely to be handled through the online forum so the lack of ongoing support probably doesn't matter.