Digital Trends

McAfee Anti-Theft creates encrypted "vaults" on a hard drive, giving users an extra layer of protection for their private documents.

Paper versions of bank statements, tax returns, birth certificates and other sensitive documents may be safely squirreled away in a safe or locked deposit box, but if their digital counterparts may be just lying around on a hard drive, they’re much more vulnerable. McAfee Inc. branched out from its normal focus on protection from viruses and malware on Wednesday with a program to help users digitally lock up these files.

While this kind of protection has always been available to security-savvy computer users who understand encryption, McAfee Anti-Theft caters more toward casual users with a simplistic approach. Using the software, users can create password-protected “vaults” on a computer and store any file inside, from legal documents and banking information to embarrassing pictures and poetry. The files are protected with strong 256-bit Advanced Encryption Standard technology, but Anti-Theft also provides a simple question-and-answer routine to retrieve lost passwords just in case.

McAfee Anti-Theft is available now for $29.99. It works on any hard drive or USB thumb drive, and will run alongside any existing virus protection software, from McAfee or otherwise.