Книга: Windows Server 2012 R2 Storage, Security, & Networking Pocket Consultant

Encrypting directories and files

Encrypting directories and files

With NTFS volumes, Windows Server lets you select files and folders for encryption. When a file is encrypted, the file data is converted to an encrypted format that can be read only by the person who encrypted the file. Users can encrypt files only if they have the proper access permissions. When you encrypt folders, the folder is marked as encrypted, but only the files within it are actually encrypted. All files that are created in or added to a folder marked as encrypted are encrypted automatically. Note that File Explorer shows names of encrypted resources in green.

To encrypt a file or directory, follow these steps:

1. In File Explorer, press and hold or right-click the file or directory you want to encrypt, and then tap or click Properties.

2. On the General tab of the Properties dialog box, tap or click Advanced, and then select the Encrypt Contents To Secure Data check box. Tap or click OK twice.

NOTE You can’t encrypt compressed files, system files, or read-only files. If you try to encrypt compressed files, the files are automatically uncompressed and then encrypted. If you try to encrypt system files, you get an error.

For an individual file, Windows Server marks the file as encrypted, and then encrypts it. For a directory, Windows Server marks the directory as encrypted, and then encrypts all the files in it. If the directory contains subfolders, Windows Server displays a dialog box that allows you to encrypt all the subfolders associated with the directory. Simply select Apply Changes To This Folder, Subfolders, And Files, and then tap or click OK.

NOTE On NTFS volumes, files remain encrypted even when they’re moved, copied, or renamed. If you copy or move an encrypted file to an exFAT, FAT, or FAT32 volume, the file is automatically decrypted before being copied or moved. Thus, you must have proper permissions to copy or move the file.

You can grant special access to an encrypted file or folder by pressing and holding or right-clicking the file or folder in File Explorer, and then selecting Properties. On the General tab of the Properties dialog box, tap or click Advanced. In the Advanced Attributes dialog box, tap or click Details. In the Encryption Details For dialog box, users who have access to the encrypted file are listed by name. To allow another user access to the file, tap or click Add. If a user certificate is available for the user, select the user’s name in the list provided, and then tap or click OK.

Otherwise, tap or click Find User to locate the certificate for the user.

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