EFS Encrypting file system
A technology used in Windows 2000 and later versions that enables users to encrypt files and folders on NTFS volumes. EFS protects the confidentiality of data by ensuring that only the original user has access to them.
In many businesses, users share desktop computers. Some users travel with portable computers that they use outside the physical protection of the business, in customer facilities, airports, hotels, and at home. This means that valuable data is often beyond the control of the business. An unauthorized user might try to read data stored on a desktop computer. A portable computer can be stolen. In all of these scenarios, malevolent parties can gain access to sensitive company data.
One solution to help reduce the potential for stolen data is to encrypt sensitive files by using Encrypting File System (EFS) to increase the security of your data. Encryption is the application of a mathematical algorithm to make data unreadable except to those users who have the required key. EFS is a Microsoft technology that lets you encrypt data on your computer, and control who can decrypt, or recover, the data. When files are encrypted, user data cannot be read even if an attacker has physical access to the computer’s data storage. To use EFS, all users must have Encrypting File System certificates-digital documents that allow their holders to encrypt and decrypt data using EFS. EFS users must also have NTFS permission to modify the files.
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