The Information Secure Office (ISO) has approved several methods of complying with policy for encrypting sensitive data on laptops. The preferred method of accomplishing this is using WinMagic SecureDoc, the enterprise whole disk encryption product available through ITS.
The ISO strongly believes that the following features are important in an encryption product:
- Industry-standard, well-tested encryption algorithms.
- Encryption key escrow/recovery in case the keys are lost, forgotten, or otherwise unavailable to a department.
- Support for multiple platforms, especially Windows and Mac (both of which currently make up the majority of portable devices on campus).
- The ability to demonstrate the device was encrypted in the event it is lost or stolen, in order to better comply with the Texas Identity Theft Protection and Enforcement Act and other related laws.
SecureDoc best satisfies all of these requirements. There may, however, be cases where it is not possible to use SecureDoc. In such instances, end-users, in consultation with their local IT support staff, can choose from another approved product in Table 1. For products that do not support their own method of escrow/recovery, the ISO recommends the use of Stache.
If you have questions about these products, or satisfying policy, please do not hesitate to contact the ISO at security@utexas.edu.
Table 1: Approved Encryption Methods
Encryption Technology |
Escrow Method |
Operating System(s) Supported |
Whole-Disk Encryption? |
Cost |
More Information |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
WinMagic SecureDoc |
SecureDoc Enterprise Server |
Windows, Mac OS X, Linux |
Yes |
None |
|
Microsoft Bitlocker |
Active Directory (in some cases), Stache |
Windows Vista / Windows 7 |
Yes |
None |
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd548341%28WS.10%29.aspx |
Apple FileVault 2 (1) |
Stache |
Mac OS X 10.7+ |
Partition |
None |
|
Apple FileVault (2) |
Stache |
Mac OS X 10.3-10.6 |
No |
None |
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?path=Mac/10.6/en/8727.html |
Linux Unified Key Setup (LUKS) Encryption (3) |
Stache |
Redhat 6+, Fedora 9+, Ubuntu 6+ (4) |
Partition |
None |
https://access.redhat.com/knowledge/docs/en-US/Red_Hat_Enterprise_Linux/6/html/Security_Guide/sect-Security_Guide-LUKS_Disk_Encryption.html |
TrueCrypt with pre-boot authentication (5) |
Stache |
Windows 7/Vista/XP |
Windows only |
Open-Source |
|
Self-Encrypting Drive (SED) (6) (7) |
SecureDoc Enterprise Server, Stache |
Windows, Mac OS X, Linux |
Yes |
Depends on size, storage technology, and vendor. |
The SED chosen must be compliant with the OPAL specification. Check with the vendor to ensure compliance. |
(1) FileVault 2 encrypts partitions, not entire drives. It is strongly recommended that that you do not escrow recovery keys with Apple and instead utilize Stache for this purpose.
(2) FileVault for OS X 10.3 to 10.6 can only encrypt a user's home directory or selected disk images; it does not encrypt the operating system partition and is therefore not considered whole disk encryption. Secure virtual memory must also be enabled for FileVault to be considered an acceptable encryption method. SecureDoc is recommended over FileVault for Macs that are not running 10.7 or higher.
(3) Encrypting partitions of an existing installation with LUKS will most likely require a reinstall of the operating system as this option is only presented to users at install time. You are urged to make certain that you have complete and working backups of all data before beginning this process.
(4) With Ubuntu, the option to encrypt partitions with LUKS at install time is only presented when using an alternate install CD, such as those available at http://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop/alternative-downloads.
(5) TrueCrypt can only perform whole disk encryption (i.e. pre-boot authentication) on Windows systems; the Mac and Linux versions of TrueCrypt do not currently support this feature.
(6) Self-Encrypting Drives provide low-latency, hardware-level encryption and are available from a number of manufacturers. In order to ensure minimum standards are met, only SEDs that meet the OPAL specification are approved. Seagate, Hitachi, and Toshiba are a few examples of manufacturers that make OPAL compliant SEDs. Check with your vendor to ensure compliance.
(7) The ISO strongly recommends against relying on ATA password security when implementing SEDs. The best way to use SEDs is to have SecureDoc or another enterprise product handle authentication. For more information, see breaking ATA password security.
Copyright © 2001-2011 Information Technology Services. All rights reserved.
