Windows 10 Encryption Further Questions

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ronw

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Topic # 218009 22-Jul-2017 12:31

I am still looking into Encryption of WIndows 10 devices.

Have a new question. If I fully encrypt my laptop it will also encrypt my Google Drive and Dropbox Folders. This presumably would then effectively try to transfer the encrypted files up to the respective clouds. While that would be OK it would mean I could only access those files via a windows device that also was encrypted. I could not access then via an Android Table presumably.

Is there an easy answer or would I have to somehow exclude those folders from Encryption. Which would seem to preclude me form doing full windows disk encryption

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richms

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Reply # 1826987 22-Jul-2017 12:36

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That is not how it works. The encryption is only for what is on disk, its decrypted when read so the google drive sync software will never even see the encrypted version.

Richard rich.ms

Andib

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Reply # 1826988 22-Jul-2017 12:40

No, Windows encryption will not affect your cloud content.

When you launch Windows your data is unlocked / "decrypted" so that Windows & other apps can access it.

The benefit of using bitlocker is even if someone has physical access to your computer if they don't have your decyrption key your data in in-accessible. Whereas if you don't encrypt your data, You can plug the HDD into another computer and view all its content.

ronw

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Reply # 1826990 22-Jul-2017 12:45

I am still puzzled are you saying that if I encrypt and the windows is left running but screen locked, the data on disk is still in an unencrypted state? Google and Dropbox both transfer data up to cloud while the computer is logged in but locked with Windows password. So is data encrypted if I lock the screen or not?

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Andib

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Reply # 1827033 22-Jul-2017 12:54

ronw:

I am still puzzled are you saying that if I encrypt and the windows is left running but screen locked, the data on disk is still in an unencrypted state? Google and Dropbox both transfer data up to cloud while the computer is logged in but locked with Windows password. So is data encrypted if I lock the screen or not?

Correct, OS Disk encryption will not encrypt the data transferred from your computer to the cloud.

tripp

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Reply # 1827035 22-Jul-2017 12:57

For my cloud stuff i use cryptomator and put the vault on my google drive or one drive.

lxsw20

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Reply # 1827037 22-Jul-2017 13:00

The disk is always encrypted, but you have the key to unlock the encryption (The TPM most likely). Have a read of the wiki article on Bitlocker. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BitLocker

richms

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Reply # 1827041 22-Jul-2017 13:14

If the computer is booted then the keys are in memory to decrypt. If its not booted there is (in theory) no key so nothing but the unencrypted bootloader will be readable, the bootloader gets the key from either TPM if you're lucky enough to have that, or the attached USB drive if not, and then will load the OS from the encrpyted part. Once booted then all the bitlocker stuff is accesable as if the drive was just a normal drive.

The second encryption one is the file specific stuff. That is done by the OS using your windows login details. No other logins will be able to access them, and any services will not be able to. This may break some cloud sync stuff that works as a service not an application but I have seldom used the specific file encryption stuff in windows and certainly not with a cloud storage stuff. Its tied to your windows login so its not easily moved between computers like bitlocker is.

Richard rich.ms

ronw

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Reply # 1827065 22-Jul-2017 14:13

Thanks for replies. I should say that I will not use Bitlocker and are instead looking at VeraCrypt Does that alter any of the answers

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timmmay

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Reply # 1827112 22-Jul-2017 15:09

Veracrypt creates a virtual drive using a single file stored on a disk. If you back up data from the drive Veracrypt creates it will decrypt it before it's used. If you back up the file that Veracrypt uses to store the file system you'll store one encrypted file to the cloud.

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