Creating encrypted archives

In my last post I spoke about the need to encrypt sensitive information if sending it via email. I mentioned a tool called 7zip which is available for free, and allows you to encrypt files with a password. It’s simple and easy, and in this post I will show you how.

Create an archive

First you need to create an archive for your files. Right click the file, hover over 7zip, and select “add to archive”.

This will give you a pop up menu with a number of options.

Encrypt the archive

In the pop up menu to create an archive, there is an  option to encrypt with a password. Choose a strong password and enter it here.

Once you have done this and clicked “OK”, you have finished creating your encrypted archive!

Important considerations

• The files themselves are encrypted, but the file names are not. Do take care to ensure that you are not leaking information through the filename. “John Doe disciplinary meeting notes” for example is still leaking some information about the subject of the meeting. Either select the “Encrypt file names” option when creating the archive, or use an innocuous file name.
• I said it in the last post but it bears repeating; always use a different method to share the password. Use a call, or a text. Sharing it via email undermines the steps taken to encrypt the file and removes the protection by making the password visible to anyone who can intercept the emails.
• It may sound like stating the obvious, but please make sure that you agree with the recipient that they will make sure to only email the encrypted archive too; the information is only protected if all parties maintain it.

Thanks for reading and I hope this is helpful. It really is a simple step to take that can help control who is able to access sensitive information.