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Re: secure file handling

Subject: Re: secure file handling
Date: Wed, 27 Jul 2005 12:06:13 -0700
Alejandro Flores wrote:

Hello there,

What's the best way to manage and store sensitive data (word documents,
text files, pictures...)? I mean, if I have a file with some sensitive
data, and I need to manage it and add content, etc...


Depending on how sensitive your documents are, you may need a Document Control System (DCS) with Mandatory Access Controls (MAC). These work on the file system to allow or deny access to files based on a set of rules. Unlike standard file permissions, some MAC systems can prevent data from being copied to less sensitive locations. But they can be very complicated to manage.
There are many, some very expensive, DCS for MS Windows and the web (Plone, for instance). Windows can't do MAC, but other systems (FreeBSD 5.3+ for example) can.


How can I manage
it in a way that no one can 'recover' my files or 'swap' files created
by programs like word?


You probably can't, unless you have Mandatory Access Controls in place.

Is an Encrypted File System the answer to my
question? :-)



Certainly not.
Encrypted file systems, on MS Windows, will not prevent the data from being read or copied. And most uses of the data are unencrypted. MS Encrypted file systems will only protect your data if your disk drive is stolen; it will not protect your data while you are using your computer.


Regards,
Alejandro Flores





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