What Is Full-Disk Encryption (FDE)?

If you have a secret, it's best to keep it safe. To keep the secret even safer, you must encrypt the information. That's what full-disk encryption (FDE) does. It encrypts all the data on a hard drive, including your operating system partition. FDE software or hardware is installed during manufacturing or via an additional software driver. The result is that all device data is converted into a form one can only understand with the key to decrypt the encrypted data. An authentication key is used to reverse conversion and render the data readable. FDE prevents unauthorized drive and data access by preventing unauthorized personnel from reading your private information if they could access your computer. If you're looking for the most secure option, you'll want to use a full-disk encryption (FDE) system. FDE encrypts your device's data and operating systems, preventing anyone from accessing the information stored on your hard drive or laptop, even if they have physical access. While this is great for protecting your data against common threats like viruses and malware, it also protects against more serious threats like identity theft. As everything is encrypted with a unique key, even if someone steals your hard drive or laptop, they won't be able to access any of the data without knowing what that key is. However, there are some drawbacks to using FDE systems: firstly, they require passwords or keys to unlock them so they can be used; secondly, they need a computer that supports booting up from an encrypted volume. In other words: you can't just plug in an external hard drive with FDE enabled and use it like any other external storage device! If you need access to a device that supports booting up from an encrypted volume and want to avoid logging in every time you turn on your computer, FDE might not suit you.