Data Encryption

CryptoEx: Applications for Encryption

To protect information on computers, servers, backup drives and other networked storage media, organizations rely on a number of security solutions: firewalls, which can provide protection for a local area network against external intruders, and passwords, which can help control access to specific computers, applications or files, are two popular methods. Although necessary and an important part of any security policy for organizations with informational assets, these methods are vulnerable to many different types of attacks that can render them useless within minutes or even seconds.

• What if a laptop with critical company information is stolen or misplaced?
• What if a remote user's PC has a Trojan virus, which gives unauthorized access to the corporate network?
• What if the corporate firewall has already been compromised?
• What if internal users are trying to access unauthorized files that are not encrypted?

To supplement basic security methods and ensure the protection of confidential, sensitive or proprietary information, the most robust, secure and easily implementable solution is to encrypt the data itself. There are two major ways to achieve this security: encrypting individual files such as documents, presentations, or quotations, and encrypting entire volumes such as a hard drives, hard drive partitions, USB drives, zip disks or tape backups.

To satisfy organizational requirements for secure information storage, Navastream offers CryptoEx Volume and CryptoEx File. Unlike encryption software designed for individuals, which require end users to create and maintain their own keys, CryptoEx is a completely centrally managed solution. What does this mean to Network Managers and Security Officers?

• Easy administration through automated centralized key generation, certification and distribution
• Centralized key backup and storage in case of emergency or forgotten password
• Keyserver for simple automated key exchange when necessary
• NO reliance on end users for maintenance of security policy

The centralized approach to security that CryptoEx provides enables the administrator to rest assured that the encrypted information on laptops and servers will never be completely inaccessible, because a copy of the key is saved in a highly secure database. This central backup also ensures that an enterprise can read encrypted data if the employee forgets his password or is no longer with the company.

CryptoEx Volume

CryptoEx Volume works like an electronic safe that allows users to encrypt selected folders or entire drives without noticeable delay. It is commonly used for laptops, which are a large risk when they leave the relative security of the protected local area network. If a laptop is lost or stolen the price of the hardware is often secondary - the loss of the information saved in the laptop is more important.

In an FBI study from 2001, 64% of the surveyed firms suffered the loss of laptop with sensitive data. The normal Windows log-in offers very little protection in such a case. The robust security mechanisms available with CryptoEx Volume make a laptop protected with CryptoEx Volume worthless to a hacker.

After logging on to the laptop, the user does not notice that he is using CryptoEx Volume. The data is automatically encrypted before being saved. Even if the electricity goes out or the battery dies, no unencrypted data remains on the hard drive.

• Protects the confidentiality of the data in your Notebook from theft or loss
• Folders or drives are automatically encrypted
• Encryption if the entire storage medium such as CD-R, ZIP drives, USB drives or removable disks
• NO reliance on end users to encrypt files by hand

CryptoEx Volume can be comfortably integrated with already existing structures, such as an LDAP directory, to make administration as simple as possible. CryptoEx is also compatible with existing Network Associates PGP implementations, and has established a migration path for users of the discontinued NAI PGP encryption products.