RE: File Encryption - Part II

[Kenneth Buchanan <K.Buchanan () Kastenchase com>]

The point of EFS is to allow file/folder access only to the appropriate
logged-on user (i.e. the user that encrypted it).  When you sent the file,
it would have attached a decrypted version to the e-mail, because the
encryption/decryption happens at the file system level.

EFS is pretty good, but you are not going to get truly 'airtight' without
hardware-based security.  Passwords are not airtight by any means,
especially if an attacker has physical access to the hard drive (which is
typically what you are trying to protect against when you encrypt the hard
drive).  As a general rule, if a password can be remembered, it can be brute
forced.

Past that, read the ongoing file encryption thread for tools that can
supplement EFS to provide extra layers of protection.


-----Original Message-----
From: Rick Jones [mailto:rwjones2001 () hotmail com]
Sent: Monday, September 15, 2003 8:48 PM
To: security-basics () securityfocus com
Subject: Re: File Encryption - Part II


I have put off file encryption for a long time, but this thread prompted me 
to get started.

So I created a folder called "Secrets," then created a text document called 
"Passwords," then did everything I was supposed to do to encrypt "Secrets" 
and all of its subfolders and files.

The "Passwords" file turned a nice green color and showed itself as being 
encrypted.  So far, so good.

Then I e-mailed the "Passwords" file to someone, and asked them if they 
could open it.  Sure enough, they could.

So I am wondering...just what is file encryption supposed to accomplish?

What I would like is a program or something I can use to encrypt a folder 
and all of its contents, and that absolutely will not open without a 
password or some other fairly airtight indicator that the creator -- and no 
one other than the creator -- wants to get in.

Can anyone suggest how I might accomplish this?

Thanks,

RWJ

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