{"id":68436,"date":"2014-06-20T00:16:44","date_gmt":"2014-06-19T22:16:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/onsoftware.en.softonic.com\/?p=68436"},"modified":"2025-07-02T00:38:01","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T07:38:01","slug":"truecrypt-developer-says-fork-would-be-impossible","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/truecrypt-developer-says-fork-would-be-impossible\/","title":{"rendered":"TrueCrypt developer says fork would be “impossible”"},"content":{"rendered":"

After TrueCrypt’s sudden discontinuation<\/a> last month, fans have been trying to keep the software alive. Matt Green<\/a>, an assistant professor at Johns Hopkins, asked one of TrueCrypt’s anonymous developers to use its code to build a forked version<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The developer’s response was discouraging saying:<\/p>\n

“I am sorry, but I think what you’re asking for here is impossible. I don’t feel that forking truecrypt [sic] would be a good idea…I believe that starting from scratch wouldn’t require much more work than actually learning and understanding all of truecrypts [sic] current codebase.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

While TrueCrypt’s code is open to the public to see, it is not Open Source<\/strong>. This means TrueCrypt’s code is licensed and requires permission to use and modify, stopping developers from creating a forked version.<\/p>\n

TrueCrypt’s code is currently being audited\u00a0[PDF]<\/a> by a group of security researchers looking for backdoors. The program passed it’s first audit<\/strong> but a second audit is happening soon<\/a>. This means TrueCrypt is currently still safe to use, but this could change as development for the program has ceased.<\/p>\n

If you’re looking for a program to replace TrueCrypt<\/strong>, check out Ghack’s list of alternatives<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Source: Pastebin<\/a><\/p>\n

Via: Ars Technica<\/a><\/p>\n

Follow Lewis on Twitter @lewisleong<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

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