VeraCrypt 1.25.9 Encryption Software fixes BSOD on Windows

VeraCrypt is a popular open source encryption software that is based on the abandoned TrueCrypt application. VeraCrypt 1.25.9 was released on February 19, 2022 to the public.

The new version of the encryption software is already available. New and existing users may download the latest version from the official website for all supported operating systems. Select Help > About in the application interface to find out which version of VeraCrypt is installed.

VeraCrypt 1.25.9 includes fixes for the three supported operating systems Windows, Mac OS and Linux. Most changes apply only to the Windows version, including a fix for a BSOD that could happen on shutdown.

VeraCrypt erases the system encryption keys on shutdown by default; this procedure caused Blue Screens of Death on some Windows devices. The developers have created a new Registry key that toggles the erasing of the encryption keys on Windows devices.

1. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\veracrypt
2. Right-click on the VeraCrypt value and select New > Dword (32-bit) Value.
3. Name it VeraCryptEraseKeysShutdown.
4. Set the value to 0 to disable the erasing of security keys during shutdown.

The workaround is only required on systems that are affected by BSOD errors during shutdown. The Windows version of VeraCrypt includes several other changes:

• The size of the .exe installer was almost halved by switching from Deflate compression to LZMA.
• The minimum supported operating system version for MSI installs was set to Windows 7; this is a bit strange, as the download page lists Windows 10 as the minimum requirement for the MSI installer.
• The MSI installer is compatible with system encryption.
• The error that prevented Traveler Disks from being created using MSI has been fixed.
• Double-clicking mounted drives did not work in some cases in the VeraCrypt user interface.
• The outer volume password is not cached anymore when mounting with hidden volume protection if the wrong hidden volume password was specified.

Linux and Mac OS builds of VeraCrypt share a fix, which is also the only fix for Mac OS. Both address a hidden volume settings display issue when enabling hidden volume protection in the mount options window.

The Linux version has three additional fixes and improvements, including one crash fix. You can check out the entire changelog here.

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VeraCrypt 1.25.9 Encryption Software fixes BSOD on Windows

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