File Encryption and Information Security For Your PC

Important documents are usually placed in a safe and are not scattered all over the place. The safe definitely has locks which you never forget to fasten soon after you finish what it is that you have to do with the contents of the safe. You may sometimes ask yourself why you even bother to go through all that hassle just for those few important documents.

Why? Well the reason why you take all those security steps is for confidentiality. Those documents contain information that is meant to be kept private and in a secure location. The information should only ever be available to be people who have a need for it - not just a curiosity. Your job is to keep the document safe and free from abuse.

Now compare this to your own computer at home or in work. Your computer also contains a lot of private and/or sensitive information - whether it's your or somebody else's. You wouldn't let some random stranger sit down and start accessing your files would you?

ACLs or access control lists are usually used to establish control in a computer environment. ACLs clearly identify who can access a certain file or folder as a whole. They can also be used to set permissions so that only certain people could read or edit a file for example. ACLS vary from one computer and computer network to the next but without them everyone could access everyone else's files.

As an extra layer of security using a file encryption program would be a good idea. Basically an encryption program takes information from a format you can read and understand and garbles it all up. Looking at encrypted information is like trying to read hieroglyphics while you're standing upside down in a bath filled with tar - yes it's impossible.

The only way anyone can read encrypted information is to have it decrypted which is done with a passcode or password. Most current encryption programs use military grade file encryption which means it's pretty secure.

Do you need to encrypt your data? This is down to how important your files are. Encryption is now something that all businesses should consider - especially for customer data records. All those Government laptops you hear about that were stolen from cars outside offices...you can bet that 90% of them were unencrypted data which is why there was such a panic.

If you're looking for a pretty solid encryption program that won't cost you a cent then check out TrueCrypt - these guys are making a name for themselves in Opensource cryptology services.

Do you know how many risks exist online? Without proper computer security software your computer will be attacked or infested within 2 hours of being online! Get more internet and computer security tips here -> http://www.cpusecurity.com/

Stored Password Encryption

Enabling Store Passwords Using Reversible Encryption determines whether Windows stores passwords using reversible encryption.

Enabling this is essentially the same as storing passwords in plain text which is insecure and not recommended. The purpose of this policy setting is to provide support for applications that use protocols that require knowledge of the user's password for authentication purposes. Enabling this policy setting should be a last resort used only in extreme situation where no alternative exists and application requirements outweigh the need to protect password information.

Store Passwords Using Reversible Encryption must be enabled when using CHAP (Challenge-Handshake Authentication Protocol)authentication through remote access or Internet Authentication Services (IAS). It is also required when using Digest Authentication in Internet Information Services (IIS).

Default: Disabled

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Enable Wireless Encryption

It is very convenient to be able to sit across the house from the wireless access point or router and be connected to the Internet while sitting on the couch or lounging in bed. You always need to keep in mind though that your data is being beamed through the airwaves in all directions and that if you can receive it from where you are, so can just about anyone else within that same range.

In order to protect your data from snooping or prying eyes, you should encrypt, or scramble, it so that nobody else can read it. Most recent wireless equipment comes with both WEP (wired equivalent privacy) and WPA (wifi protected access) encryption schemes that you can enable.

WEP was the encryption scheme included with the first generation of wireless networking equipment. It was found to contain some serious flaws which make it relatively easy to crack, or break into, so it is not the best form of security for your wireless network.

WPA was later rolled out to provide significantly stronger wireless data encryption than WEP. But, in order to use WPA, all of the devices communicating on the network need to be configured for WPA. If any of the devices in the chain of communication are configured for WEP, the WPA devices will typically fall back to the lesser encryption so that all of the devices can still communicate.

Refer to the owner's manual for your wireless router or access point to determine how to enable and configure encryption for your device. Once you enable encryption on your router or access point, you will need to configure your wireless network devices with the proper information to access the network.

If you can use WPA you should because it is much more secure. However, even WEP is better than nothing and will keep casual snoopers and novice hackers out of your wireless network. Using encryption with a longer key length will provide stronger security, but with a slight performance impact.

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