How to Encrypt specific local files?

[Tom Horsley]

> Any suggestions on how to encrypt a local file or any suggested tools to help 
> me manage these passwords so I can view 'em when I need to access the various 
> database hosts across the network but disallow any snooping eyes if someone 
> were to ever get onto my laptop?

There are probably a couple of ways. I know the emacs editor has special
modes you can setup to just let you have an encrypted file and ask for
the keys when you go to edit it.

Another way is an encrypted filesystem stored inside a regular file and mounted
with the keys when you want to use the files inside it. I use that technique
with truecrypt (a bit of a pain to build the kernel module you need, but works
well once you get that out of the way). See http://www.truecrypt.org/