Journaling File Systems

When a file-hosted TrueCrypt container is stored in a journaling file system (such as NTFS), a copy of the TrueCrypt container (or of its fragment) may remain in the free space on the host volume. This may have various security implications. For example, if you change the volume password/keyfile(s) and an adversary finds the old copy or fragment (the old header) of the TrueCrypt volume, he might use it to mount the volume using an old compromised password (and/or using compromised keyfiles that were necessary to mount the volume before the volume header was re-encrypted). Some journaling file systems also internally record file access times and other potentially sensitive information. To prevent possible security issues related to journaling file systems, do one the following:

• Use a partition/device-hosted TrueCrypt volume instead of file-hosted.
• Store the container in a non-journaling file system (for example, FAT32).