In few weeks of new Macs with Apple Silicon M1 processor, it's clear that Apple has done a great job to make the transition from Intel chips smooth. Apps that are not updated to run natively on Arm architecture run smoothly using Rosetta 2 and it's hard to tell if you are using a native app or not.
But then there are apps that are crucial for a particular (and relatively small) user-base that are neither updated to run natively on new M1 Macs nor can be run with Rosetta 2. One example that comes to mind is Parallels Desktop that allows you to run operating systems like Windows virtually on a Mac. The popular virtualisation app simply can't run on M1 Macs – natively or otherwise – due to changes introduced in the way new Macs work.
Another app – and this one is crucial for me – is VeraCrypt. I use VeraCrypt to encrypt all my external storage and it relies on OS X FUSE to work. Although it wasn't immediately updated for the latest macOS version, VeraCrypt works with Big Sur using old OS X FUSE version. That however, is not true while running VeraCrypt on new M1 Macs.
- Cryptomator VS Boxcryptor: Summary. Cryptomator and Boxcryptor are both great encryption tools. Both tools adhere to the recommended security features for these particular product offerings – cloud security. In terms of features, both pack a good set of features. However, Cryptomator edges out Boxcryptor due to its free and open-source nature.
- Cryptomator is an open-source, client-side encryption tool for cloud storage services. That comes with its advantages. This means Cryptomator is as well as free to us. You can get started with the encryption tool anytime without unmasking your credit card from wherever place you're hiding it.
- PCloud is the most secure encrypted cloud storage, where you can store your personal files or backup your PC or share your business documents with your team!
Pcloud Cryptomator Download
May 24, 2020 Cryptomator is a free, open source file encryption software. It's particular niche is that it is a great encryption software to use with cloud services. Using it means that you can have client-side encryption with any cloud service you ever use. I've used Cryptomator with pCloud and it works well. Cryptomator is compatible with the most commonly used cloud storages and available for all major operating systems. Compatible with Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, and WebDAV-based cloud storage services. Create vaults in Android's local storage (e.g., works with third-party sync apps).
Now, FUSE is not really an ‘app' on its own but rather an extension. Two encryption app I use daily – VeraCrypt and Cryptomator – rely on FUSE to work. My recommended zero-knowledge encrypted cloud provider pCloud also works thanks to FUSE. Because new Macs have changed how system-level extensions work, FUSE doesn't work out of the box.
FUSE 4.x.x has been updated for new Apple Silicon Macs but there is a workaround involved to actually make it work. Without this workaround, FUSE will simply not work, leaving apps that depend on in useless.
Now, it's not FUSE's (or VeraCrypt/Cryptomator/pCloud's) fault. That's just how new Macs work. According to FUSE developer Benjamin Fleischer, this should change in future when Apple fixes issues that can prevent third-party kernel extensions from loading.
To run FUSE – and apps that depend on it – macOS security has to be ‘downgraded' without which FUSE extension will be blocked.
To run an Apple Silicon Mac with reduced security, reboot your Mac. After the chime, press and hold the power button until you see ‘loading startup options' under Apple logo. Select Options and click Continue. Choose an administrator account and enter its password.
Now go to Utilities > Startup Security Utility and choose Reduced Security. Turn on both checkboxes underneath and click OK.
Remote pc access. Reboot and visit System Preferences > Security and Privacy > General. Click the lock icon at the bottom, enter your password and click Allow in front of the message that says System Extension by Benjamin Fleischer was blocked.
Reboot once again and now FUSE for macOS should work as intended – helping VeraCrypt (and other apps like pCloud, Cryptomator etc.) work normally.
That's all, folks. That's how VeraCyrpt, Cryptomator and other apps that depend on FUSE for macOS work on new Apple Silicon M1 Macs.
If you end up here on this old sub-domain, please head over to niceandfocused.com.
In order to share and store sensitive data of my startup company I was searching for a cloud storage solution which offers at least 5 GB of storage for free, the data should be client-sided encrypted (which means that there is no chance for the cloud provider to access your data) and as we are using Windows 10, Ubuntu 16.04 and Mac OS in the company there must be a good client program for all of them. (Directly to: How to setup)
- Drobox for example only offers a few GB storage for free but would have client programs for all 3 operating systems (OS)
- Google Drive offers generous 15GB for free but does not offer a linux client
- I found pCloud which is supposed to be fast, offers 10GB for free (up to 20GB with invites) and offers clients for all 3 OS! Also they are one of the very few (or only?) who agree in their terms, not to use your private data (which sounds normal but you won't find a phrase like this in the big player's services).
So we're trying pCloud now. We'll write about our experience in a couple of months.¹
Update:
¹ Oct'17: Still happy with pCloud! So far: No problems, fast, no annoying pop-ups.
As for all other providers, pCloud does not offer free client-side encryption, only in paid program (which is really affordable by the way). In order to satisfy this feature-request of ours we are using the free, open-source (under MIT licence) encryption tool Cryptomator which offers clients for Windows, Linux and Mac and is easy to use.
- Register to pCloud, feel free to use my invite link ²
² This gives us both +1 GB storage on top of the 10 GB (up to 20 GB) - Install and start their client program
- Then, create a folder inside your pCloud folder for your encryption services, in my case I use e.g. P:/.cryptomator/ (the dot in front of the folder name enables you to hide the folder in normal view, but not neccessary for non-techy users)
- Install and start the Cyptomator client program
- Create a new 'vault' with Cryptomator, browse to P:/.cryptomator/ and provide a name for your vault, I use my startup-name: vaultname
- Unlock the vault by entering your encryption password (if you loose your encryption password your encrypted data is lost!)
- In order to share this encrypted folder with your collegues you need to right-click the folder P:/.cryptomator/vaultname/ and share it over pCloud with others. They need to follow these instructions here and instead of creating a new vault they 'open a vault' and select the file 'masterkey.cryptomator' inside the shared folder 'vaultname'. You need to share your vault-password with them so that they can unlock the vault.
- You will see a new 'network' drive in your file browser with the name of your vault, in my case it is also accessable under Z:/
- everything you store inside this network drive (vault)is stored in weired, encrypted files and synced via the pCloud/.cryptomator/vaultname/ folder. You can only read and write to it when it is unlocked with Cryptomator and then by accessing the network drive your vaultname (Z:)
- In order to share non-encrypted files with people outside your company who are not using Cryptomator you simply store those files inside your pCloud (P:) but outside the .cryptomator folder. This data can be read/used normally as you might now from Dropbox/Google Drive/Owncloud/OneDrive etc.
I wrote these instructions quite fast so if anything is unclear feel free to ask me, I'm happy to improve these instructions a bit with some pictures or so 🙂 How to find ip address on dell laptop.
Howto: Linux 'symlink' for a Cryptomator 'vault'
I noticed, that I can't see the Cryptomator vaults under some circumstances, e.g. when I choose a file in the browser UI or when I am in the terminal and want to browse unto the vault.
Use this form to update the location associated with an IP or IP range. In some cases, we accept batch corrections if you have multiple corrections you would like to submit.
To run an Apple Silicon Mac with reduced security, reboot your Mac. After the chime, press and hold the power button until you see ‘loading startup options' under Apple logo. Select Options and click Continue. Choose an administrator account and enter its password.
Now go to Utilities > Startup Security Utility and choose Reduced Security. Turn on both checkboxes underneath and click OK.
Remote pc access. Reboot and visit System Preferences > Security and Privacy > General. Click the lock icon at the bottom, enter your password and click Allow in front of the message that says System Extension by Benjamin Fleischer was blocked.
Reboot once again and now FUSE for macOS should work as intended – helping VeraCrypt (and other apps like pCloud, Cryptomator etc.) work normally.
That's all, folks. That's how VeraCyrpt, Cryptomator and other apps that depend on FUSE for macOS work on new Apple Silicon M1 Macs.
If you end up here on this old sub-domain, please head over to niceandfocused.com.
In order to share and store sensitive data of my startup company I was searching for a cloud storage solution which offers at least 5 GB of storage for free, the data should be client-sided encrypted (which means that there is no chance for the cloud provider to access your data) and as we are using Windows 10, Ubuntu 16.04 and Mac OS in the company there must be a good client program for all of them. (Directly to: How to setup)
- Drobox for example only offers a few GB storage for free but would have client programs for all 3 operating systems (OS)
- Google Drive offers generous 15GB for free but does not offer a linux client
- I found pCloud which is supposed to be fast, offers 10GB for free (up to 20GB with invites) and offers clients for all 3 OS! Also they are one of the very few (or only?) who agree in their terms, not to use your private data (which sounds normal but you won't find a phrase like this in the big player's services).
So we're trying pCloud now. We'll write about our experience in a couple of months.¹
Update:
¹ Oct'17: Still happy with pCloud! So far: No problems, fast, no annoying pop-ups.
As for all other providers, pCloud does not offer free client-side encryption, only in paid program (which is really affordable by the way). In order to satisfy this feature-request of ours we are using the free, open-source (under MIT licence) encryption tool Cryptomator which offers clients for Windows, Linux and Mac and is easy to use.
- Register to pCloud, feel free to use my invite link ²
² This gives us both +1 GB storage on top of the 10 GB (up to 20 GB) - Install and start their client program
- Then, create a folder inside your pCloud folder for your encryption services, in my case I use e.g. P:/.cryptomator/ (the dot in front of the folder name enables you to hide the folder in normal view, but not neccessary for non-techy users)
- Install and start the Cyptomator client program
- Create a new 'vault' with Cryptomator, browse to P:/.cryptomator/ and provide a name for your vault, I use my startup-name: vaultname
- Unlock the vault by entering your encryption password (if you loose your encryption password your encrypted data is lost!)
- In order to share this encrypted folder with your collegues you need to right-click the folder P:/.cryptomator/vaultname/ and share it over pCloud with others. They need to follow these instructions here and instead of creating a new vault they 'open a vault' and select the file 'masterkey.cryptomator' inside the shared folder 'vaultname'. You need to share your vault-password with them so that they can unlock the vault.
- You will see a new 'network' drive in your file browser with the name of your vault, in my case it is also accessable under Z:/
- everything you store inside this network drive (vault)is stored in weired, encrypted files and synced via the pCloud/.cryptomator/vaultname/ folder. You can only read and write to it when it is unlocked with Cryptomator and then by accessing the network drive your vaultname (Z:)
- In order to share non-encrypted files with people outside your company who are not using Cryptomator you simply store those files inside your pCloud (P:) but outside the .cryptomator folder. This data can be read/used normally as you might now from Dropbox/Google Drive/Owncloud/OneDrive etc.
I wrote these instructions quite fast so if anything is unclear feel free to ask me, I'm happy to improve these instructions a bit with some pictures or so 🙂 How to find ip address on dell laptop.
Howto: Linux 'symlink' for a Cryptomator 'vault'
I noticed, that I can't see the Cryptomator vaults under some circumstances, e.g. when I choose a file in the browser UI or when I am in the terminal and want to browse unto the vault.
Use this form to update the location associated with an IP or IP range. In some cases, we accept batch corrections if you have multiple corrections you would like to submit. MaxMind's GeoIP2 Databases provide IP intelligence data for high volume environments. By hosting our databases locally, you eliminate any network latency and per-query charges. Is this data incorrect? Please submit correction requests here.You may also be interested in reading our FAQ: How accurate is GeoIP2? This demo contains a subset of data from our GeoIP2 Precision City Web Service.You may find a table comparing our various GeoIP2 Precision Web Services here and a high-level overview of our GeoIP2 solutions here. Integrating MaxMind's Free and Paid IP Geolocation Web Services (in PHP) In this blog post, we are going to review how to build a simple web page in PHP that uses GeoLite2 City. We will learn how to easily upgrade to the paid GeoIP2 Precision City web service, for greater accuracy and unlimited queries. Is this data incorrect? Please submit correction requests here.You may also be interested in reading our FAQ: How accurate is GeoIP2? If you'd like to test multiple IP addresses, we offer a demo for up to 25 addresses per day. You may also be interested in a high-level overview of our GeoIP2 solutions. Latitude and Longitude are often near the center of population.
To fix this I did the following (using Ubuntu 16.04):
Pcloud Cryptomator App
- Setup webdav:
- Cryptomator > Settings(little wheel icon) > Webdav scheme => webdav
- Lock your vaults and restart Cryptomator
- Now you can create a symlink using this terminal command:
ln -s /run/user/1000/gvfs/dav:host=localhost,port=42427,ssl=false,prefix=%2FABC123-E%2Fsubfolder/ ENC_subfolder
- replace ABC123 with the folder name which is in: ls /run/user/1000/gvfs/
- replace the subfolder with the subfolder in your vault you want to link
