asked on

Whole Disk Encryption - How would it effect files stored in OneDrive for Business

How would whole disk encryption effect files stored in something like the desktop installation of OneDrive, Google Drive, Dropbox, et cetera? Especially as it pertains to having to download such files to a different computer that's not encrypted.

For example. Let's say I store data in the OneDrive for Business App on my laptop (good bad or indifferent, not arguing the point here). Let's say I also opt to do whole disk encryption on such said laptop.

Later, this laptop crashes. I install OneDrive on a new laptop, and the data downloads. Is that data usable?

rindi

OneDrive doesn't use encryption, so once your data has been synched with OneDrive the data won't have any encryption on it. If you want to keep your data safe, you'd need to do this with a 3rd party tool for every file before uploading it to OneDrive. A good tool to use for this could be 7-zip, if you password protect the archive it can use encryption.

Of course you won't be able to open such files directly, you'll first have to use 7-zip again to decrypt and extract the file before you can open it within your original utility.

I don't know whether Google Drive uses encryption, but I doubt it.

McKnife

Onedrive does use encryption. But its encryption is transparent to the user and does not interfere with the end user's full disk encryption or usage on different computers no matter if encrypted or not.

rindi

Then that must be new. It didn't use encryption from the start.

Tom-J-Lael

ASKER

My question isn't about onedrive or google drive per se. It's about how is encrypting my entire disk going to effect my data as it's uploaded into these various online systems.

SOLUTION

McKnife

membership

This solution is only available to members.

To access this solution, you must be a member of Experts Exchange.

Start Free Trial

ASKER CERTIFIED SOLUTION

Rich Rumble