[JMF[_2_]]

I'm thinking of using a password on a Word file to store some sensitive
information. The idea is that if the computer is stolen, the bad guys won't
be able to look at that file.

So my question is: how powerful is this mechanism? I'm thinking that, for
example, maybe even if they didn't guess the password they might get to the
file's contents in some other way. Does somebody have some info in this
regard?

Thanks,

John

[Graham Mayor]

There is no password that cannot be discovered if you have the time and
inclination. The stronger encryptions available in Word will deter all but
the most determined hackers, if you use a strong enough password.

--

Graham Mayor - Word MVP

My web site www.gmayor.com
Word MVP web site http://word.mvps.org


JMF wrote:
I'm thinking of using a password on a Word file to store some
sensitive information. The idea is that if the computer is stolen,
the bad guys won't be able to look at that file.

So my question is: how powerful is this mechanism? I'm thinking that,
for example, maybe even if they didn't guess the password they might
get to the file's contents in some other way. Does somebody have some
info in this regard?

Thanks,

John

[Terry Farrell]

As Graham says - but it cannot be emphasized sufficiently to make the
password long and strong - really random and preferably 16 random
characters.

You can also encrypt the data on your hard disk using Windows and make it
only crackable on your PC if it has a TPM chip installed which many laptops
have these days. (Use Windows Help on this.)

--
Terry Farrell - MSWord MVP

"JMF" wrote in message
...
I'm thinking of using a password on a Word file to store some sensitive
information. The idea is that if the computer is stolen, the bad guys
won't be able to look at that file.

So my question is: how powerful is this mechanism? I'm thinking that, for
example, maybe even if they didn't guess the password they might get to
the file's contents in some other way. Does somebody have some info in
this regard?

Thanks,

John

[JMF[_2_]]

Graham, Terry,

Thanks very much for these replies. Let me see if I understand correctly: in
a password-protected Word file, the data is encrypted so well that only by
discovering the password (or being incredibly determined and having huge
resources) will people be able to get at the data. So it behooves me to
select a very strong password, according to the guidelines you mentioned. In
that case, I should be in reasonably good shape, since I'm mostly interested
in protecting my data from the "normal" laptop thief who will just steal it
and at some point maybe take a look at what's inside.

I'll also look into the TPM chip concept - very nice, thanks for pointing it
out. That may be a way to go, too.

In general, I'm simply trying to solve the problem that I need to have this
sensitive data with me when I travel (by "sensitive" I'm simply talking
about the usual private stuff like accounts, tax ids, that sort of thing),
but I don't want it freely available to the first guy who comes along and
swipes my laptop. At least I want to make him work hard to get it.

John

"Terry Farrell" wrote in message
...
As Graham says - but it cannot be emphasized sufficiently to make the
password long and strong - really random and preferably 16 random
characters.

You can also encrypt the data on your hard disk using Windows and make it
only crackable on your PC if it has a TPM chip installed which many
laptops have these days. (Use Windows Help on this.)

--
Terry Farrell - MSWord MVP

"JMF" wrote in message
...
I'm thinking of using a password on a Word file to store some sensitive
information. The idea is that if the computer is stolen, the bad guys
won't be able to look at that file.

So my question is: how powerful is this mechanism? I'm thinking that, for
example, maybe even if they didn't guess the password they might get to
the file's contents in some other way. Does somebody have some info in
this regard?

Thanks,

John

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

One caveat: It will be just as hard for you as for the other guy to access
the data if you forget the password. Make sure it is one you can remember!
We hear sob stories here all the time of people who have forgotten
passwords.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA

"JMF" wrote in message
...
Graham, Terry,

Thanks very much for these replies. Let me see if I understand correctly:
in a password-protected Word file, the data is encrypted so well that only
by discovering the password (or being incredibly determined and having
huge resources) will people be able to get at the data. So it behooves me
to select a very strong password, according to the guidelines you
mentioned. In that case, I should be in reasonably good shape, since I'm
mostly interested in protecting my data from the "normal" laptop thief who
will just steal it and at some point maybe take a look at what's inside.

I'll also look into the TPM chip concept - very nice, thanks for pointing
it out. That may be a way to go, too.

In general, I'm simply trying to solve the problem that I need to have
this sensitive data with me when I travel (by "sensitive" I'm simply
talking about the usual private stuff like accounts, tax ids, that sort of
thing), but I don't want it freely available to the first guy who comes
along and swipes my laptop. At least I want to make him work hard to get
it.

John

"Terry Farrell" wrote in message
...
As Graham says - but it cannot be emphasized sufficiently to make the
password long and strong - really random and preferably 16 random
characters.

You can also encrypt the data on your hard disk using Windows and make it
only crackable on your PC if it has a TPM chip installed which many
laptops have these days. (Use Windows Help on this.)

--
Terry Farrell - MSWord MVP

"JMF" wrote in message
...
I'm thinking of using a password on a Word file to store some sensitive
information. The idea is that if the computer is stolen, the bad guys
won't be able to look at that file.

So my question is: how powerful is this mechanism? I'm thinking that,
for example, maybe even if they didn't guess the password they might get
to the file's contents in some other way. Does somebody have some info
in this regard?

Thanks,

John

[Terry Farrell]

Certainly it will protect your against an opportunist who may steal your
laptop in that odd moment when you have taken your eye off it.

But as Graham hinted in his earlier reply, EVERYTHING can be cracked given
the time and resources: but we are talking about government agencies that
have that sort of computer power at hand.

Terry

"JMF" wrote in message
...
Graham, Terry,

Thanks very much for these replies. Let me see if I understand correctly:
in a password-protected Word file, the data is encrypted so well that only
by discovering the password (or being incredibly determined and having
huge resources) will people be able to get at the data. So it behooves me
to select a very strong password, according to the guidelines you
mentioned. In that case, I should be in reasonably good shape, since I'm
mostly interested in protecting my data from the "normal" laptop thief who
will just steal it and at some point maybe take a look at what's inside.

I'll also look into the TPM chip concept - very nice, thanks for pointing
it out. That may be a way to go, too.

In general, I'm simply trying to solve the problem that I need to have
this sensitive data with me when I travel (by "sensitive" I'm simply
talking about the usual private stuff like accounts, tax ids, that sort of
thing), but I don't want it freely available to the first guy who comes
along and swipes my laptop. At least I want to make him work hard to get
it.

John

"Terry Farrell" wrote in message
...
As Graham says - but it cannot be emphasized sufficiently to make the
password long and strong - really random and preferably 16 random
characters.

You can also encrypt the data on your hard disk using Windows and make it
only crackable on your PC if it has a TPM chip installed which many
laptops have these days. (Use Windows Help on this.)

--
Terry Farrell - MSWord MVP

"JMF" wrote in message
...
I'm thinking of using a password on a Word file to store some sensitive
information. The idea is that if the computer is stolen, the bad guys
won't be able to look at that file.

So my question is: how powerful is this mechanism? I'm thinking that,
for example, maybe even if they didn't guess the password they might get
to the file's contents in some other way. Does somebody have some info
in this regard?

Thanks,

John

[JMF[_2_]]

Thanks, Terry. Now I think I have it straight. And if the NSA or KGB want my
data, I can rest assured they'll get it!

And thanks to you, Suzanne, for the fair warning on remembering whatever
password I choose. One way or another I'll have to find a way to keep it in
some other, safe place.

"Terry Farrell" wrote in message
...
Certainly it will protect your against an opportunist who may steal your
laptop in that odd moment when you have taken your eye off it.

But as Graham hinted in his earlier reply, EVERYTHING can be cracked given
the time and resources: but we are talking about government agencies that
have that sort of computer power at hand.

Terry

"JMF" wrote in message
...
Graham, Terry,

Thanks very much for these replies. Let me see if I understand correctly:
in a password-protected Word file, the data is encrypted so well that
only by discovering the password (or being incredibly determined and
having huge resources) will people be able to get at the data. So it
behooves me to select a very strong password, according to the guidelines
you mentioned. In that case, I should be in reasonably good shape, since
I'm mostly interested in protecting my data from the "normal" laptop
thief who will just steal it and at some point maybe take a look at
what's inside.

I'll also look into the TPM chip concept - very nice, thanks for pointing
it out. That may be a way to go, too.

In general, I'm simply trying to solve the problem that I need to have
this sensitive data with me when I travel (by "sensitive" I'm simply
talking about the usual private stuff like accounts, tax ids, that sort
of thing), but I don't want it freely available to the first guy who
comes along and swipes my laptop. At least I want to make him work hard
to get it.

John

"Terry Farrell" wrote in message
...
As Graham says - but it cannot be emphasized sufficiently to make the
password long and strong - really random and preferably 16 random
characters.

You can also encrypt the data on your hard disk using Windows and make
it only crackable on your PC if it has a TPM chip installed which many
laptops have these days. (Use Windows Help on this.)

--
Terry Farrell - MSWord MVP

"JMF" wrote in message
...
I'm thinking of using a password on a Word file to store some sensitive
information. The idea is that if the computer is stolen, the bad guys
won't be able to look at that file.

So my question is: how powerful is this mechanism? I'm thinking that,
for example, maybe even if they didn't guess the password they might
get to the file's contents in some other way. Does somebody have some
info in this regard?

Thanks,

John

[Microsoft]

As Graham says - but it cannot be emphasized sufficiently to make the
password long and strong - really random and preferably 16 random
characters.

You can also encrypt the data on your hard disk using Windows and
make it only crackable on your PC if it has a TPM chip installed
which many laptops have these days. (Use Windows Help on this.)

That's good advice.


NOTE: If you decide to use NTFS encryption, be CERTAIN you create the
suggested recovery disk. Those files, if you should reinstall windows
or move them to another computer with the exact same operating system
and programs, will NOT be readable unless you have the safety net
encryption recovery disk.
Many people "forget" the safety advice and have a disk crash
requiring the hard drive to be replaced, or get a new computer, and are
understandably pretty put out when suddenly they can no longer access
the files using their "known to ber good" methods! XP's Encryption is
great; but follow the rules. The combo of a good password and XP file
encryption is pretty strong protection. Just be sure you don't protect
yourself from getting at them either.

See "encryption" in Help and Support for full info; unfortunately it's a
lot of reading but it's worth it for security.

HTH




"JMF" wrote in message
...
I'm thinking of using a password on a Word file to store some
sensitive information. The idea is that if the computer is stolen,
the bad guys won't be able to look at that file.

So my question is: how powerful is this mechanism? I'm thinking
that, for example, maybe even if they didn't guess the password they
might get to the file's contents in some other way. Does somebody
have some info in this regard?

Thanks,

John

[JMF[_2_]]

"Microsoft" wrote in message
...
As Graham says - but it cannot be emphasized sufficiently to make the
password long and strong - really random and preferably 16 random
characters.

You can also encrypt the data on your hard disk using Windows and
make it only crackable on your PC if it has a TPM chip installed
which many laptops have these days. (Use Windows Help on this.)

That's good advice.


NOTE: If you decide to use NTFS encryption, be CERTAIN you create the
suggested recovery disk. Those files, if you should reinstall windows or
move them to another computer with the exact same operating system and
programs, will NOT be readable unless you have the safety net encryption
recovery disk.
Many people "forget" the safety advice and have a disk crash requiring
the hard drive to be replaced, or get a new computer, and are
understandably pretty put out when suddenly they can no longer access the
files using their "known to ber good" methods! XP's Encryption is great;
but follow the rules. The combo of a good password and XP file encryption
is pretty strong protection. Just be sure you don't protect yourself from
getting at them either.

See "encryption" in Help and Support for full info; unfortunately it's a
lot of reading but it's worth it for security.

HTH

Wow - thanks for the heads-up on this. I had absolutely no idea. I'll read
the encryption info now.

Thanks again,

John

[Twayne]

"Microsoft" wrote in message
...
As Graham says - but it cannot be emphasized sufficiently to make
the password long and strong - really random and preferably 16
random characters.

You can also encrypt the data on your hard disk using Windows and
make it only crackable on your PC if it has a TPM chip installed
which many laptops have these days. (Use Windows Help on this.)

That's good advice.


NOTE: If you decide to use NTFS encryption, be CERTAIN you create
the suggested recovery disk. Those files, if you should reinstall
windows or move them to another computer with the exact same
operating system and programs, will NOT be readable unless you have
the safety net encryption recovery disk.
Many people "forget" the safety advice and have a disk crash
requiring the hard drive to be replaced, or get a new computer, and
are understandably pretty put out when suddenly they can no longer
access the files using their "known to ber good" methods! XP's
Encryption is great; but follow the rules. The combo of a good
password and XP file encryption is pretty strong protection. Just
be sure you don't protect yourself from getting at them either.

See "encryption" in Help and Support for full info; unfortunately
it's a lot of reading but it's worth it for security.

HTH

Wow - thanks for the heads-up on this. I had absolutely no idea. I'll
read the encryption info now.

Thanks again,

John

Unfortunately, that's the response of a lot of people; AFTER they
discover they can no longer access their encrypted files.

[GreenieLeBrun]

JMF wrote:
"Microsoft" wrote in message
...
As Graham says - but it cannot be emphasized sufficiently to make
the password long and strong - really random and preferably 16
random characters.

You can also encrypt the data on your hard disk using Windows and
make it only crackable on your PC if it has a TPM chip installed
which many laptops have these days. (Use Windows Help on this.)

That's good advice.


NOTE: If you decide to use NTFS encryption, be CERTAIN you create
the suggested recovery disk. Those files, if you should reinstall
windows or move them to another computer with the exact same
operating system and programs, will NOT be readable unless you have
the safety net encryption recovery disk.
Many people "forget" the safety advice and have a disk crash
requiring the hard drive to be replaced, or get a new computer, and
are understandably pretty put out when suddenly they can no longer
access the files using their "known to ber good" methods! XP's
Encryption is great; but follow the rules. The combo of a good
password and XP file encryption is pretty strong protection. Just
be sure you don't protect yourself from getting at them either.

See "encryption" in Help and Support for full info; unfortunately
it's a lot of reading but it's worth it for security.

HTH

Wow - thanks for the heads-up on this. I had absolutely no idea. I'll
read the encryption info now.

Thanks again,

John

A little "light" reading for you

The Encrypting File System
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sec...hyetc/efs.mspx

Best practices for the Encrypting File System
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/223316/en-us

How to back up the recovery agent Encrypting File System (EFS) private key
in Windows Server 2003, in Windows 2000, and in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/241201

How To Encrypt a Folder in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=308989

How To Remove File Encryption in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=308993

How To Encrypt a File in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=307877

[JMF[_2_]]

A little "light" reading for you

The Encrypting File System
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sec...hyetc/efs.mspx

Best practices for the Encrypting File System
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/223316/en-us

How to back up the recovery agent Encrypting File System (EFS) private key
in Windows Server 2003, in Windows 2000, and in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/241201

How To Encrypt a Folder in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=308989

How To Remove File Encryption in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=308993

How To Encrypt a File in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=307877

That is REALLY useful. Thanks very, very much for this!

John