Paragon Encrypted Disk - 3.0 User Guide

Encrypted Disk 3.0

User Manual

Encrypted Disk, User Manual_______________________________________________2

CONTENTS

1 About Encrypted Disk........................................................................................................2

2 Package Components ......................................................................................................... 3

3 Minimal System Requirements.......................................................................................... 3

4 Basic Cryptographic Concepts........................................................................................... 3

5 Interface overview..............................................................................................................4

5.1 Using Windows System Tray..................................................................................... 5

5.2 Using Windows Explorer........................................................................................... 5

5.3 Encrypted Disk Manager............................................................................................ 7

5.3.1 General layout....................................................................................................7

5.3.2 Explorer bar........................................................................................................8

5.3.3 Encrypted disk list..............................................................................................9

5.3.4 Tool bar..............................................................................................................9

5.3.5 Main menu..........................................................................................................9

5.3.6 Utilities bar.......................................................................................................10

5.3.7 Status bar..........................................................................................................11

6 Encrypted Disk Management........................................................................................... 11

6.1 Creating encrypted disks..........................................................................................11

6.2 Re-encrypting disks..................................................................................................16

6.3 Searching encrypted disks........................................................................................19

6.4 Adding encrypted disks............................................................................................20

6.5 Mounting encrypted disks........................................................................................ 21

6.5.1 Mounting via Windows System Tray...............................................................21

6.5.2 Mounting via Windows Explorer.....................................................................22

6.5.3 Mounting via Encrypted Disk Manager........................................................... 22

6.6 Unmounting encrypted disks.................................................................................... 23

6.6.1 Unmounting via Windows System Tray.......................................................... 23

6.6.2 Unmounting via Windows Explorer ................................................................24

6.6.3 Unmounting via Encrypted Disk Manager.......................................................24

6.7 Formatting encrypted disks...................................................................................... 24

6.8 Viewing encrypted disk properties...........................................................................25

6.8.1 Encrypted Disk Properties in Windows Explorer ............................................ 25

6.8.2 Encrypted Disk Properties in ED Manager...................................................... 26

6.9 Sharing encrypted disks ...........................................................................................28

6.10 Deleting encrypted disks..........................................................................................28

1 About Encrypted Disk

Encrypted Disk is a set of system drivers, plug-ins, wizards and utilities to store data in an
encrypted form but use these data in a common way as if they are not encrypted. This
software is intended for people who want to have their important information encrypted but
do not have enough time to study cryptography.

The program has the following key features:

• Encryption/decryption on the fly with all operations absolutely transparent to the user.

• Re-encryption without moving data.

• Protection by password or with the external key that can be placed on removable media.

• Place encrypted disk container files (image files) wherever you need: on hard disks,

network disks or removable media.

Encrypted Disk, User Manual_______________________________________________3

The program was designed on the base of Encrypted Disk SDK, which is a separate software
product intended for Windows application development.

2 Package Components

The installation package of the program includes:

• System Drivers and Crypto Plug-ins.

• Plug-ins to Windows Explorer (Windows Shell Extensions).

• Windows System Tray Menu.

• Creation Wizard (New Encrypted Disk Wizard).

• Re-encryption Wizard.

• Encrypted Disk Manager.

3 Minimal System Requirements

To use the program on your computer, make sure the system meets the following minimum
system requirements:

• Operating Systems: Windows 98/Me/2000/XP/Server 2003

• Intel Pentium CPU or its equivalent, with 300 MHz processor clock speed

• 64 MB of RAM

• Hard disk drive with 12MB of available space

• SVGA video adapter and monitor

• Mouse

4 Basic Cryptographic Concepts

Encryption is the process of converting intelligible data into a cipher which can be decoded
back into the original form. The set of rules for such a converting is expressed in an
algorithm. Some basic algorithms may be combined to form more complex ones. For instance
basic algorithms may change the order of the individual symbols or replace the symbols by
other symbols.

A cipher that is produced by simultaneously converting a group of intelligible data bits into a
group of cipher bits is called a block cipher. In general, the groups have the same size.

In order to encrypt the data a cipher algorithm uses so called encryption key. An encryption
key is a sequence of values that are chosen randomly. The type and length of this sequence
depend upon the encryption algorithm and the amount of security needed.

If the user can encrypt data and decrypt it with a single key then such a cipher algorithm is
termed symmetric. In asymmetric algorithms, the encryption key and the decryption key are
different. One is a public key by which the sender can encrypt a text and the other is a private
key by which a recipient can decrypt the text.

Encrypted Disk, User Manual_______________________________________________4

The most popular symmetric algorithms are the following:

DES (Data Encryption Standard). This algorithm was developed by the IBM Corporation
and became wide used since 1977. It works with 64-bit data blocks. The key length amounts
64 bits but actually 8 bits may be used for error detection, so the real key length is 56 bits.
Nowadays the algorithm is a little obsolete as the length of utilized encryption keys is not
enough to protect data against the breaking by exhaustively testing keys.

Triple DES. This is the improved version of DES. During the encryption process it uses the
DES algorithm three times and each time different keys are applied. The algorithm is more
protective than DES.

Blowfish. The algorithm was designed in 1993 by Bruce Schneier as a fast, free alternative to
existing encryption algorithms. Since then it has been analyzed considerably slowly gaining
acceptance as a strong encryption algorithm. It works with 64-bit data blocks. The
characteristic property of the algorithm is a variable-length key which amounts from 32 bits to
448 bits. While the key is generated the algorithm uses 521 encryption cycles what severely
embarrasses the breaking by exhaustively testing keys. Blowfish works much faster than
DES.

AES (Advanced Encryption Standard). The algorithm was designed as new federal
standard of the USA (instead of DES). It operates data blocks of 128, 192 and 256-bits and
uses encryption keys with the length of 128, 192 or 256 bits (there are 9 possible
combinations).

5 Interface overview

The majority of operations on encrypted disks can be performed through Windows System

Tray or through Windows Explorer. For that the program uses a set of special drivers and

Encrypted Disk, User Manual_______________________________________________5

plug-ins. If a user has a considerable number of encrypted disks, then they can be organized in

a convenient way by using a special utility called Encrypted Disk Manager.

5.1 Using Windows System Tray

During the installation the program adds its icon into Windows System Tray. By right-click
on the icon a user can start the pull-up menu, which provides the access to all necessary
functions of the program.

The menu items are divided into four sections:

Wizards starting
Encrypted Disk
Manager
New Encrypted
Disk Wizard
Re-encryption
Wizard

Mount
Disks

Help
About

Exit

Organize existing encrypted disks

Create new encrypted disk

Re-encrypt an existing encrypted disk

the encrypted key for it.

Encrypted disks manage me nt

Mount

one of existing encrypted disks
Access to the list of encrypted disks and
operations on them (open, unmount

Help

Open this manual
Starts the About window

Exit

Close the program. In this case the program icon
disappears from Windows System T ray.

5.2 Using Windows Explorer

or change

).

During the installation the program adds new item Encrypted Disk into the File section of the
Windows Explorer main menu and into the same section of the context-sensitive menu (if an
encrypted disk or its image file is selected). This menu allows mounting or unmounting a
selected encrypted disk.

Encrypted Disk, User Manual_______________________________________________6

The program’s drivers also allow creating new encrypted disk
Windows Explorer context menu. This sub-menu is intended for creating new files of
registered software. Selecting the Encrypted Disk Image item the user starts New Encrypted
Disk Wizard.

through the New section of the

The File / Disk Properties window will have an additional tab – Encrypted Disk
Properties, which contains information about the selected encrypted disk or the image file (a
file that contains the encrypted disk data). See the Viewing encrypted disk properties chapter
for more details.

Encrypted Disk, User Manual_______________________________________________7

5.3 Encrypted Disk Manager

Encrypted Disk Manager is a special tool for managing of existing encrypted disks. It is
available from:

• Window’s Start Menu:

Programs > …Encrypted Disk > Encrypted Disk Manager

• Windows System Tray:

the Encrypted Disk Manager item in the Encrypted Disk pull-up menu.

5.3.1 General layout

The main window of the program can be subdivided into several parts that differ in their
purposes:

Encrypted Disk, User Manual_______________________________________________8

1. Explorer bar

2. Encrypted disks list

3. Tool bar

4. Main menu

5. Utilities bar

6. Status bar

5.3.2 Explorer bar

The Explorer bar is intended for organizing and displaying contents of the local data base of
encrypted disk images in hierarchic form and quick managing encrypted disks.

In the data base of encrypted disk images, all images are sorted in multiple categories, which
are displayed as data base folders. A user is allowed to manipulate images listed in the data
base:

• create new folders and subfolders

• rename folders (with the exception of default ones)

• delete folders (with the exception of default ones)

The user can perform all these function within the special data base folder named Available
Images.

The Explorer bar displays also two other special folders which have their peculiarities:

• The special folder named Images Overview provides the throughout list of all images

in the data base, generally for fast searching of lost images. Within this folder, no sub­folders can be created and no images can be moved in.

• The folder named Mounted Images displays the list of all encrypted disk images that

are mounted in the system. The program adds new mounted images automatically.
Within this folder, no sub-folders can be created too.

Encrypted Disk, User Manual_______________________________________________9

5.3.3 Encrypted disk list

The Encrypted disk list is located on the right part of the main window. It displays encrypted
disk images of the folder which is selected in the Explorer bar. A user is allowed to
manipulate images:

• arbitrarily move images between folders

• create new folders and subfolders

• rename folders (with the exception of default ones)

• rename images

• delete folders (with the exception of default ones)

5.3.4 Tool bar

The Tool bar provides the fast access to most frequently usable operations:

Button Functionality

Mount a selected encrypted disk

Unmount a selected encrypted disk

Search for encrypted disk images

Add an encrypted disk image into the

current folder

Delete an encrypted disk image from the

current folder

Create new subfolder in the current folder

Move to the upper level folder

Exit the program

5.3.5 Main menu

The Main menu is intended for providing the unified access to the entire functionality of the
program:

File

New
Folder Create a new subfolder in this folder

Add Image Manually include an encrypted disk image, which is not

Available only in case of some folder was selected in
the Manager's window

listed in the data base, to this folder
Note that this item does not activate the Find images