Upgrading DFW DataVault Security

You can upgrade backup archive security settings. You can specify increased levels of security for securing your encrypted data. You can secure your encryption with:

• Your account password (default)
• A private password
• A custom private key, which replaces the current encryption key

This article assumes you are familiar with these concepts:

• Archive Encryption Key Security

There are two options to upgrade the security for your backup data.

• Secure with Private Password (stronger security)
• Secure with custom Private Encryption Key (strongest security)

You can choose to use a private password, which is different from your account password, to secure your encryption key. Securing your encryption key with another password offers another level of security, but because you increase the probability that you will forget the private password, you increase the risk to your archive.

1. Click the Settings page.
2. Click the Security tab.
3. In the Archive Encryption Key area, click Secure with private password.
4. In the Private Password box, enter your private password.
5. Retype the password, exactly as you typed it above.
6. Click OK.
7. On the Settings page, click Save.

You replace the default encryption key with a custom private key to encrypt your archive. This custom private encryption key is never sent to our servers and is stored only on the source machine. You can create your private key in several ways:

• Enter a passphrase that will return a new private encryption key that you paste into the encryption key box
• Allow the DFW DataVault software to generate a new private encryption key for you without entering any text (just click the Generate option)
• Import your private encryption key that you had previously saved to a text file

Once you've selected the method for generating your new private key, you can export the key to a text file. Exporting the private key to a file makes it easier to locate the key in case you forget it. When you need to supply the private key on another computer to which you want to recover files, you can use the Import option to import the encryption key from the text file.

WARNING! All previously backed up data associated with the old encryption key is no longer available for restoring.

1. Click the Settings page.
2. Click the Security tab.
3. In the Archive Encryption Key area, click Replace with your own private key.
4. Click the Passphrase option.
5. Enter the text for the passphrase.
6. In the Repeat box, enter the passphrase again.
7. Click OK.
   The program generates a private key.
8. On the Settings page, click Save.

Note: This would be a good time to export your private key.

1. Click the Settings page.
2. Click the Security tab.
3. In the Archive Encryption Key area, click Replace with your own private key.
4. Click the Generate option.
   DFW DataVault generates the text for your new private key.
5. On the Settings page, click Save.

Note: This would be a good time to export your private key.

1. On the Settings page, click the Security tab.
2. In the Archive Encryption Key area, click Replace with your own private key.
3. After the software generates the text for your new private key, click the Export option.
4. Enter the name of the file to which you want to export the private key.
5. Click Save.
6. On the Settings page, click Save.

1. On the Settings page, click the Security tab.
2. In the Archive Encryption Key area, click Replace with your own private key.
3. Click the Import option.
4. Navigate to the file you wish to import.
5. Click OK.
6. On the Settings page, click Save.

• Each increased level of security requires greater user management.

• WARNING! All previously backed up data associated with the old encryption key is no longer available for restoring.

• Archive Encryption Key Security
• Reference - Security Settings