Protecting data

To transport large files over the network, you can use the SURFfilesender service. Do not forget to set the checkmark at "Encrypt this file".

If you wish to protect the privacy of an email message, you can encrypt it. There is one restriction: attachments must not exceed 25MB. If you need to send larger files, it is best to use Filesender.

When you encrypt an email message in Outlook, the legible, plain text is converted into code. Only the addressee with a private key belonging to the public key used to encrypt the message can decrypt it. Any addressee who does not have the corresponding private key will only see coded text and will not be able to decrypt it. Two steps are needed to encrypt an email in Outlook, first setting up a private key and then indicating you want to encrypt the message. You can also opt to encrypt all outgoing email messages but you will then need to exchange the public keys with all recipients. The two steps are as follows:

1. requesting a key; (go to requesting personal certificate)

2. encrypting the email. 

When you have encrypted your hard disc any files copied from that hard disc is decrypted during the copy operation. In such a case you should encrypt the file itself.

Always use a program that is designed for encryption and nothing else, which is open source, and available for multiple platforms. Do not use a standard built-in encryption functionality offered, for instance, by 7-zip, as this is known to be very weak and can easily be cracked if you know the type of the files.

GnuPG for experienced users

GnuPG (GNU Privacy Guard) supports both symmetrical and asymmetrical encryption.

Make sure that people who have to decrypt your files are also used to GnuPG.

Please note that GnuPG is not easy for beginners. Below we discuss two more user-friendly encryption tools.

AES Crypt (symmetrical encryption)

A user-friendly open source cross platform encryption tool is AES Crypt. From the website you can download the version for your platform and install it on your computer (home directory, e.g. c:\users\bob). The website offers clear guidelines for each platform.

AGE (asymmetrical encryption)

Asymmetrical encryption is recommended when sharing of a single encryption key is not desired or admitted, or when the risk of losing the key for decryption is higher, often in case of long-term archiving of data.

AGE is an asymmetrical encryption tool which means that it generates a key pair. AGE can be freely downloaded here. Scroll to ‘Assets', expand, and download the file for your platform.

In case you forget to encrypt sensitive data, you can also encrypt the whole storage disc. Both Windows and Apple computers (hard drive and USB) have this option, as do Android devices, iPads and iPhones.

Windows: 

1. enable Bitlocker in Microsoft Windows by going to Configuration; 
2. type bitlocker in the search bar and press Enter; 
3. click on Manage Bitlocker and click to activate Bitlocker. 

Apple: 

1. select the Apple menu > 'System Preferences' and click on 'Security and Privacy'; 
2. click on the tab 'FileVault'; 
3. click on 'Enable FileVault'. 

Android: 

1. make sure that a screensaver with a PIN or password has been set on the device; 
2. in Settings, select the option Security > Encrypt Device. (On some phones, you will need to choose Storage > Storage encryption or Storage > Lock screen and security > other security settings to find the 'Encrypt' option); 
3. follow the instructions shown on the screen. During the encryption process, the device may restart several times. 

Ipad and Iphone: 

1. activate a PIN or password. If your device has Face-ID, use that option; 
2. as soon as you have set a PIN, the entire contents of your Iphone will be encrypted.