Re: EFS - Private Key - External storage

From: Roger Abell (mvpNOSpam_at_asu.edu)
Date: 10/30/04 

Date: Sat, 30 Oct 2004 03:10:00 -0700

EFS does act in transparent fashion.
It does not have a use for email while it is email, but after
archived as sent/received in file it may.

The key cannot be on a removable devise and in use.
The cert/key export file may be stored anywhere, but best
not on a live machine. If I recall correctly, as the most
recent versions of OS readied for release, there were no
external, portable storage cards/devices in wide, cost-effective
use that had sufficient storage size to enable the application
you seem to be after.

The decryption key, when stored on the system, is itself
encrypted in a way that requires both login access to the
account to which it is tied, and knowledge of the system
secrets which are involved its own en/decryption key.

There is probably better research and engineering in EFS
than what you will find in similar third-party capabilities
unless you look at high-dollar spookware. 

-- 
Roger Abell
"Thomas Weigel" <entwicklung_nospam__at__octagon_minus_gmbh_dot_de> wrote in
message news:O85wXGYvEHA.3728@TK2MSFTNGP12.phx.gbl...
> Hello,
>
> is it possible to place the decryption key for EFS on an external media
like
> USB-Stick or floppy or CD to use it from there for decryption? Or has it
to
> be stored on hard disk?
>
> If it could be stored external this would sovle many security problems and
> reduce cost of security.
> If it doesn't work, who has experience about other directory / file
> encryption software working transparent.
> I would like to secure e-mail adresses, mails and some more stuff which is
> kept in few direcories.
> I am not a specialist in security questions, just searching for a solution
> for some stand alone laptops.
>
> Who knows and can tell me?
>
>
> Thanks a lot ahead
>
>         Thomas Weigel
>
>

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