Is the Data Encryption You Use Truly Safe?

 Is the Data Encryption You Use Truly Safe?

If Your Data Is Encrypted, How Can You Tell?
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Data encryption comes in a variety of forms and techniques. Email encryption is among the most common types of data encryption, along with encryption for volumes, full disks, individual files, and folders.

File and folder encryption is a feature of the Windows XP operating system. Encryption of entire disks, logical disks, files, and emails can be accomplished via third-party software such as PGP Desktop.

Consider using encryption if you often handle sensitive data or are worried about unauthorized parties gaining access to private information. But before you get complacent, there are a few things you need to know.

Encryption of Data: What Is It?
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People in the past and present have devised a variety of methods to conceal, disguise, and confirm the authenticity of data. For example, about 4000 B.C., the ancient Babylonians employed a technique known as intaglio, which involved carving or engraving images and text into stone. This allowed particular Babylonian merchants to be identified during trade. To identify the origin or ownership of the goods they sold, consumers may look for a particular intaglio that each dealer or merchant used. While both processes are commonly associated with data encryption, this one is more akin to the modern digital signature.

Modern encryption is far more sophisticated and intricate. Its many applications range from protecting sensitive military information to protecting intellectual property. Different encryption methods exist, with some offering higher levels of security than others. Cryptography, in its most fundamental definition, is the process of hiding or encoding data that was originally intended to be readable by humans. In order for the recipient to decipher the encrypted data, the information's sender must supply them with a key that unlocks the encryption. To keep in constant contact with my clients, for example, I use encrypted e-mail messages. My clients and I share sensitive information, including security flaws found during audits, on some projects, therefore I feel compelled to do this. It goes without saying that we would prefer that no one else had access to this kind of information.

Take Caution Since Most Data Is Not Encrypted When Sent
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My major goal in penning this piece is to draw attention to a couple particular problems associated with data encryption. A buddy of mine recently confided in me that he was encrypting folders on Windows XP in order to protect sensitive data. Is this a safe way to keep sensitive documents? he wanted to know. Yes and no were my answers. Windows XP's data encryption is rather safe, but the problem is that most of the data in the folder wasn't always encrypted.

A Word document with your private financial details is one example. Maybe you made this page so you can keep track of all the personal information you need, including account numbers, social security numbers, and the like, in one convenient spot. You saved the document to your encrypted folder once you were through composing it. You are the only one who knows the passphrase used to produce the encryption key, therefore no one else can access it now that it's in a safe folder. Generally speaking, this presumption is justified.

You certainly pressed the save button multiple times when composing that paper. Or a lot of times, if you're anything like me. I've learned the hard way to hit save somewhat often after losing multiple lengthy docs. Hitting the save button creates a fresh temporary file version each time. The usual location for this is in the "profile name" temporary directory in the "documents and settings" folder on the computer. Both legitimate and malicious reasons necessitate this action. If you want to undo something you did while composing the document, for example, you can utilize one of these temporary files. You can also use the temporary files in this folder to retrieve the document in the event that your computer or program crashed while you were composing it. If you've been through this previously, you know how effective it is.

Your paper is safe now that you've completed working on it and saved it to the encrypted folder, isn't it? Oh, I see. The files you saved in your temporary location probably still exist. There is a good probability that they can be recovered, even after deletion, with open source or cheap data recovery tools. Your original, unencrypted document is quite likely to be recoverable in the event that someone gains physical or remote access to your computer, hard drive, or system in some other way. What can you do, then, to guarantee that the encrypted copy of your files and data is the sole one? While I can't give you a definitive or foolproof answer, I can tell you how I handle similar situations.

Relocating Unencrypted Temporary Files
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Programmes like Microsoft Word rely on two user-environment variables to figure out where to save temporary files. Two files named "tmp" and "temp" Just right-click "my computer," pick "properties," go to the "advanced" tab, and finally, select "environment variables" to access them. Change or modify the default location for temporary files here. I should mention that while many programs do utilize these locations for temporary files, it will be difficult to tell which ones don't or if they use different places altogether. The locations of the temporary files used by different programs can be found with some digging. Where I keep my encrypted files and data is on an encrypted disk, which I have pointed these variables to on my machine. By doing so, I may have some assurance that even the files in a temporary or operational state are encrypted.

When copied or moved, encrypted files may lose their encryption.
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You should also know that copying or moving encrypted files or folders to a new location can compromise their security. Under most circumstances, encryption is preserved when a previously encrypted file or folder is copied or moved to another Windows NTFS system or volume. The file is automatically decrypted if you transfer or copy encrypted data to a volume or partition that is not NTFS. Furthermore, encrypting a file on your hard drive does not necessarily imply that it will remain encrypted when sent via email. There is an entirely distinct process for encrypting electronic messages. Bear in mind that while files are encrypted, they are decrypted during transmission over a network.

Verify That Unencrypted Files You Deleted Actually Disappear
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I use a different method to lessen the likelihood that data that has been erased from disk could be recovered at a later date. Data recovery from deletion is often as simple as utilizing off-the-shelf software, as I indicated before. You need to overwrite the area of the disk where the file and its pieces were placed if you want to be pretty sure that the data you erased is not easily recoverable. In fact, you should probably do this several times to confirm the data is permanently lost. I utilize the "Wipe Free Space" tool in the PGP Desktop software to encrypt zip files, send encrypted emails, and build encrypted file systems. Any space on a drive that is marked as free will be filled with random patterns of data using this utility. In most cases, the software will run this method three times by default, but you can provide a different number. This operation is carried out nightly by my primary system. So long as this is the case, I can be assured that my encrypted data are not only laying about, waiting to be decrypted.

Final Thoughts........
Encrypting individual files, directories, or even entire drives is a smart move if you value data privacy. If everything is set up correctly, you can rest assured that your private data will stay private. Always keep in mind that even after encryption, some unencrypted remains of the original data may remain. Windows XP's built-in file and folder encryption, open-source alternatives, and commercial products like Pretty Good Privacy are just a few of the data encryption options available. Before you start, find out what methods others have used and see which ones would work best for you.

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