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Encryption of files

What is encryption?

Encryption is a method of scrambling or locking the contents of a file so that only intended recipients can read it by unlocking the file with a special key, which is often a password but the key can also be a private file which only the intended recipient holds.

Why encrypt files?

Sometimes you may be required to send sensitive information to another party as an email attachment. There is usually no way of ensuring that the entire path from the sender to the recipient is safe and free from prying onlookers who could intercept the attachment and make their own copy.

One way of ensuring that only the sender and recipient can read an attachment is to encrypt it, passing the special key via a different channel, e.g. over the phone or as a text message. It is critically important that the key is not sent by the same method as the attachment, as then the prying onlookers would have both the file and the means to unlock it.

How should I encrypt the file?

Page under construction - advice awaited. 

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