Even though the use and popularity of the optical disc storage media such CD/DVD has declined over the past many years, optical discs are still the best way to preserve data for as many as 50 years. If kept in a safe and dry place, the CDs that you have burned today will still be readable in the year 2069, provided that you use good quality CDs like from Sony or Samsung.
But if you are using CDs or DVDs to store sensitive information then you should encrypt it or password protect it before burning it on the optical media discs. A free software SecureCD Creator can help you encrypt your data and create CDs that are password protected. When you insert these CDs in your computer, you are asked for the password that was used by SecureCD Creator to create them. Without the correct password, you won’t even see any files on the CD.
The user interface of SecureCD Creator is just like any other CD burning or ISO creator software. You can compare its user interface with Power ISO or Magic ISO Maker. Basically you can drag-n-drop all the files or folders that you want to copy on the blank CD/DVD media. Once you have added all the files, you can pull down the Encryption menu and select Set Image Encrypted. You will be asked for an encryption password and the CD project will be set to encrypt. Now you can either proceed to burning it to a blank CD/DVD or you can save it in ISO image format for later use. Next time you want to view or copy the contents of that encrypted CD, you will have to supply the same password that was used to encrypt and create that CD.
SecureCD Creator is very useful for people who want to store their private, financial or sensitive files on CD or DVD discs but do not want just about anyone to access these files. It uses AES 256 bit encryption and creates encrypted & password protected CDs in minutes.
You can download SecureCD Creator from https://www.kernsafe.com/productset/securecd-creator.aspx.