Encrypting files on a CD

Hi All,

Would like to copy some sensitive data files to CD/DVD and
protect them from being viewed in the event that the
CD/DVD falls into the wrong hands.

1. Can anyone suggest any Windows tools/utilities that can
be used to do this?

2. Is it possible to use EFS to secure files that have
been burnt to CD/DVD?

Cheers

Peter Vun

You cannot use EFS directly as CDs do not have NTFS,
but, you can use EFS to encrypt the files, and then move
them to the CD (within an NTbackup file is perhaps the
most safe way)
For long-term storage make certain that the .pfx with the
cert/key pair is stored on non-degrading media that is
stored separately from the CDs with the protected data,
and do not forget the password of the .pfx file.

--
Roger Abell
Microsoft MVP (Windows Server System: Security)
MCSE (W2k3,W2k,Nt4) MCDBA
"p11" <anonymous@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:300901c46233$2af8f770$7d02280a@phx.gbl...
> Hi All,
>
> Would like to copy some sensitive data files to CD/DVD and
> protect them from being viewed in the event that the
> CD/DVD falls into the wrong hands.
>
> 1. Can anyone suggest any Windows tools/utilities that can
> be used to do this?
>
> 2. Is it possible to use EFS to secure files that have
> been burnt to CD/DVD?
>
> Cheers
>
> Peter Vun

Hi Roger,

Thanks for you reply. Some further questions

1. You say
"..CDs do not have NTFS..."
I have also found this line in the help pages of Windows XP

"Encrypted files can become decrypted if you copy or move
the file to a volume that is not an NTFS volume"

So how can I know if the files I have moved/copied to a CD
are still encrypted?

2. Does encrypting a file with EFS and then moving/copying
it to CD allow an authorised user to use any appliciation
to open the file.

3. If the an authorised user would like to view the CD
files on any machine is it possible for Windows XP on
those other machines to recognise that the user is
authorised.

Cheers

Peter



>-----Original Message-----
>You cannot use EFS directly as CDs do not have NTFS,
>but, you can use EFS to encrypt the files, and then move
>them to the CD (within an NTbackup file is perhaps the
>most safe way)
>For long-term storage make certain that the .pfx with the
>cert/key pair is stored on non-degrading media that is
>stored separately from the CDs with the protected data,
>and do not forget the password of the .pfx file.
>
>--
>Roger Abell
>Microsoft MVP (Windows Server System: Security)
>MCSE (W2k3,W2k,Nt4) MCDBA
>"p11" <anonymous@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in
message
>news:300901c46233$2af8f770$7d02280a@phx.gbl...
>> Hi All,
>>
>> Would like to copy some sensitive data files to CD/DVD
and
>> protect them from being viewed in the event that the
>> CD/DVD falls into the wrong hands.
>>
>> 1. Can anyone suggest any Windows tools/utilities that
can
>> be used to do this?
>>
>> 2. Is it possible to use EFS to secure files that have
>> been burnt to CD/DVD?
>>
>> Cheers
>>
>> Peter Vun
>
>
>.
>

In Reply to your message.


>So how can I know if the files I have moved/copied to a
CD are still encrypted?
*****************************************************
If you first backup the files via the windows backup
utility called "NTBACKUP" it will backup the encrypted
files to a single filename with extensions of *.BAK, you
then burn the BAK file wich wil hold the encrypted files
in it.

- If you simply transfer the encrypted files to a cd it
will decrypt them,however if you try & do this after
you've removed the PFX from the system you will get an
error message regarding "Access Denied".
*****************************************************