[ZendTo] Re: Simple encryption method

[Andy Newton]

Apologies for the lack of useful info - my first email contained an 
actual suggestion (GPG), but it looks like it didn't make it out of 
ThunderBird in one piece :-/

On 08/06/11 15:38, Andy Newton wrote:
> Depends what the requirement is really - it'll stop the data being
> snooped in transit to and from the server, but if the data is somehow
> sensitive it's probably worth encrypting it before uploading (that way
> if an attacker or rogue sysadmin starts poking through your sensitive
> dropoffs, they won't get anything useful - ditto if somebody uncovers a
> vulnerability in ZendTo which allows them to grab other users' dropoffs,
> or a variety of other scenarios).
>
> I can think of two main issues with encrypting the file client-side:
>
> 1) The recipient needs to be able to decrypt it (so whatever encryption
> software you use probably needs to have some mechanism for key distribution)
> 2) You won't be able to virus scan it server side (which you may or may
> not care about)
>
> Encrypting the file at the server end may not be worth it; if somebody
> can get at the file itself, most likely there's a way for them to find
> the encryption key too (especially if they're the sysadmin).
>
> There's probably a load of other fun and exciting stuff to think about
> that I've forgotten - and of course it all depends on the requirements :-)
>
> Cheers,
>
> Andy Newton
> Electronics and Computer Science
> University of Southampton, UK
>
> On 08/06/11 14:36, Joshua F. Withrow wrote:
>> Doesn't using HTTPS provide this thru the entire process?
>>
>>
>> Josh Withrow
>> Software Developer
>> Office: 410-548-1627 x154
>> Email: jwithrow at matech.net
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: zendto-bounces at zend.to [mailto:zendto-bounces at zend.to] On Behalf Of John Cooper
>> Sent: Wednesday, June 08, 2011 9:06 AM
>> To: ZendTo Users
>> Subject: [ZendTo] Simple encryption method
>>
>> We are looking to implement Zendto but need to offer a way to secure files that is simple. Does anyone have a simple method to encrypt files before dropping off?
>>
>> Thanks, John.
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