The TrueCrypt Enigma
A chronicle of cryptography, crime, and erasure.
What is known, what is suspected, and what remains, stubbornly, unknown.
built on E4M
independent audit
at risk by the FBI demand
conclusively identified
Timeline
Read the Story
The Ghost in the Code – Paul Le Roux and E4M
The foundational code, the criminal mind behind it, and the SecurStar dispute that first stopped the project.
The Architecture of Anonymity
"Ennead", "syncon", Czech trademarks and Nevada shells: an organization with no one to question.
The Gathering Storm (2013)
Snowden, Lavabit, and a community's bid for certainty through an independent audit.
The Paradox of Validation and Vanishing (2014)
A clean first audit report, then six weeks later a warning that using TrueCrypt is not secure.
Erasing History – A Digital Disappearing Act
The second disappearance: truecrypt.org excluded from the Wayback Machine, and no one saying why.
Too Many Unanswered Questions
Who were the developers? Was it state pressure? Who erased the website, and why?
The Afterlife – VeraCrypt, and a Legacy
The original project is gone, but its code and mission survive. VeraCrypt, the stewardship decision, and the licensing questions left open.
The Project
The code can continue. The history can remain open. And the final word need not belong to the warning that ended it.
TrueCrypt v8.0.0: www.github.com/fpucore/truecrypt