The first update of 2025 for open source encryption software VeraCrypt is now available. VeraCrypt 1.26.18 is a security update that is also introducing several improvements and other changes, including dropped support for 32-bit versions of Windows.
Description:
- VeraCrypt 1.26.18 fixes two security issues affecting Linux and Mac versions of the software.
- On Windows, 32-bit support has been removed.
- The minimum Windows version is now Windows 10 version 1809.
What is VeriCrypt? VeraCrypt is encryption software that you can use to encrypt an entire system, drive, partition, or protected container on a storage device.
Tips:
Downloading and Installing VeraCrypt Updates
VeraCrypt comes without built-in updating support. This means you will have to download and install the new release manually. The first thing you will want to do is check the current version.
tip: You can check the current version by selecting Help > About VeraCrypt in the interface.
Although you can visit the official download page, you may notice that it is not linked to the latest version yet. Check out the project’s SourceForge repository instead. There you will find the latest downloads. Note that installation requires a reboot.
security fixes
VeraCrypt 1.26.18 fixes two security issues that affect Linux and Mac versions of the encryption software. they are:
- CVE-2024-54187: Added absolute paths when executing system binaries to prevent path hijacking.
- CVE-2025-23021: Prevent mounting volumes on system directories and paths
Additional details have not been published at the time of writing.
non-security changes
All operating systems received support for AES hardware on ARM64 platforms and “SHA-256 x86 internals to enhance the performance of PBKDF2-HMAC-SHA256”.
Windows users need a 64-bit version of the operating system and at least Windows 10 version 1809 to run the latest VeraCrypt release. Users of older versions of Windows will need to continue using VeraCrypt (or upgrade Windows).
The release makes some notable changes beyond that:
- Reduces driver deadlock problems under low-memory scenarios.
- Fixed an issue affecting the creation of Traveler Disks.
- The generators were converted to modern generators to improve safety.
- Updated Library.
There are also non-security changes for Linux and Mac OS. On macOS, screen capturing is now disabled by default. –allow-screencapture enables it again for those who need it. There is also a fix for both systems that ensures that the volume exists before the mounting operation begins.
you can check it full changelog Here if you are interested.
Do you use encryption software? If yes then which one and why? Feel free to leave a comment below.
Thanks for reading..
