(Soon) Introducing file encryption in new Rohos Disk

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We are working to add file encryption feature to Rohos Mini Drive and Rohos Disk Encryption products. This will allow to encrypt separate folders and files stored on a computer. It is designed specially for those who really concerned about data security of confidential information stored in Google Drive or Dropbox. Since both file data and file name are stored on a computer in encrypted form, the application like Google Drive will upload already encrypted content into cloud storage.

 

How it works

  • You create Encrypted Folder that can be located in My Documents, Google Drive or any other location on your computer. This folder will contain pure encrypted files.
  • Rohos Disk add new drive letter visible in “My Computer” – Rohos (R:)
  • By using this virtual drive letter –  You can see and work with your files. The Encryption/Decryption process is on-the-fly, automatic and transparent for you.
  • You copy files into R: to encrypt them. You open documents \ pictures  from R: in order to work with protected files.
  • At the same time encrypted data are added to “My Documents\Encrypted Folder” or “Google Drive\Encrypted Folder”, So any other application sees this folder as a messy encrypted data.

Disk Encryption vs. File encryption

We would like to outline the difference between container based disk encryption and file encryption approaches.

Container based disk encryption approach that assumes having a single container file that contains entire disk file system in raw encrypted format. It has the following benefits:

  • Better confidentiality: it is not possible to find out how much data actually stored on the encrypted drive, how much files and folders do you have.
  • Easy to create already encrypted backup, just by copying one file;

However this approach is not designed with cloud based storage in mind. By our experience we have encountered multiple issues while uploading and syncing big files (10 GB and more) by using Google Drive and DropBox apps. Cloud Client apps frequently re-scans entire 10Gb file in order to detect changes and upload necessary fragment only. Very often it leads to synchronization errors or abort for this file. Also it is impractical to download encrypted container file to smartphone in order to work with encrypted files, because it limits user only to view the information, but not add or edit documents to encrypted disk. Uploading 10 GB disk container file back to cloud or computer seems to be time consuming and problematic operation also. But having this encrypted data on a smartphone without automated upload even for backup purposes makes encrypted data vulnerable for data loss.

Benefits of File Encryption with enciphered file names

  • Support cloud based storage approach.
    Encrypted documents can be easily accessed/added/edited on a variety of devices.
  • Already encrypted backup.
    Just make a copy encrypted file/folder to make an encrypted backup; Cloud storages makes it for you automatically;
  • Mobile use cases.
    Encrypted documents can be easily accessed on a mobile device in native applications;

When smartphone connected with Google/DropBox/OneDrive working with sensitive and confidential information may be a challenge. Cloud based services automatically scan your documents to accumulate BigData or recognize faces in your images. We offer a solution that protects your confidentiality from Cloud services access.