Encrypting files allows you to add one morelevel of protection, thereby giving a guarantee that the file will be read only by its creator. If this object is opened by any other user, even endowed with administrator privileges, then it will have a blank screen or a meaningless set of symbols. In other words, encrypted data can not be read unless you are using the system under your personal account. Let's consider the related questions in more detail.
Encryption of files and folders is aa very convenient method of protecting confidential information. But if unencrypted and encrypted data is stored on one disk, this can cause unpredictable results.
For Windows 7 users, there isA special tool called BitLocker. This application moves all the information from the disk into one massive archive, which is accessed in the same way as a virtual hard disk. If you access the encrypted files in the operating system's explorer, the process of encryption and decryption occurs in the background, that is, you do not perceive it. The huge advantage of BitLocker is that it encrypts files (including system ones), and this makes it difficult to crack the password, as well as unauthorized access to the system from the outside. If the entire disk is encrypted, then there is no need to encrypt individual files.
To encrypt a disk, open the page"Encrypt Disk" in the program - it is located on the control panel. If you see a message stating that TPM is not found, you should check whether there is an appropriate BIOS update for your computer that supports TPM.
TPM is a microcircuit locatedon the motherboard where the BitLocker encryption key is located, which allows the computer to boot from the encrypted disk. If the BIOS does not support TPM at all, then a normal USB drive is quite capable of serving as such a chip. The user need only mark the file as held for encryption, and the operating system will make the operation of encryption and decryption in the background when there is a creation, or view the file. Sometimes this type of encryption presents surprises that are incompatible with ensuring maximum security.
Encryption of files is a functionfile system NTFS, which in other file systems is simply not available. This indicates that the copied encrypted file on the USB drive or CD-ROM will not be decrypted, since such devices simply do not support such a file system.
Encrypting files: a sequence of actions
If we are talking about Windows 7, then there is a very simple and logical sequence of user actions, allowing you to get the desired result.
To start, you need to use the right mouse buttonClick on the necessary files in the explorer, and then select the properties of the object from the context menu. On the General tab, select the Advanced option. After these manipulations in the opened window, you should set the "Encrypt content for data protection" checkbox. After clicking "OK" all changes will take effect.
Like any other action, this presupposessome specific methods of encryption. In this case, we are talking about the approach to the very process of obtaining encrypted files. With respect to such objects it is appropriate to use cryptography with a key, as well as several other methods.
Cryptography with a key is aalgorithm, in which the key is known only to the sender and the recipient. Symmetric encryption uses the same key to encrypt and decrypt. Asymmetric encryption involves the use of a public key for encryption and a private one for decryption.
