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PaulCan we send keys via text message? I have a client that would prefer another layer of security. Send file through Dropbox, send key through text on his phone.
Sorry if this has been answered. I cannot find a search option in this forum.
Thans!
HarryNo you can’t.
What you’re suggesting isn’t possible because of how AxCrypt works. The term ‘Key Sharing’ is a misnomer in the sense that you’re not sharing a key – you’re using another users public key to encrypt the shared file with.
As a user all you need to do is first select the option to share with your friend and second email (or upload to Dropbox) him the file. He only needs to use his password (and not yours!) and he can decrypt it.
Even if a hacker gained access to the file by breaking into your Dropbox he’d still be unable to view the file because it would be protected by encryption. Therefore you need two things: the file and the password; without both your files are secure.
PaulThanks for the reply. Okay, forgive my ignorance but are you saying:
I have Axcrypt and have a file to send to Bob who also has Axcrypt.
I select “Share” on the file and enter Bob’s email address. This tells Axcrypt that the file from me can be decrypted by Bob(?). Assuming I upload the file to Dropbox and send him a link to that file for him to download and decrypt.
Since Bob set up an Axcrypt account with his own password, he can now open the file I shared with him through Axcrypt… correct?
HarryI select “Share” on the file and enter Bob’s email address. This tells Axcrypt that the file from me can be decrypted by Bob(?)
Yes.
The simplified technical explanation is that AxCrypt re-encrypts the file with Bob’s public key (which AxCrypt store).
After you’ve used the “Share” feature you’re free to upload the file to Dropbox (or send by email) but not before. If you sent the file to Bob before you’d shared it, he’d be unable to access it because it would only have your encryption on it.
Since Bob set up an Axcrypt account with his own password, he can now open the file I shared with him through Axcrypt… correct?
Yes.
As long as Bob has an AxCrypt account then you can forget about public and private keys. Just select “Share” and everything else is handled by the software. All you need to know is Bob’s email address.
You use your password, Bob uses his. Remember that AxCrypt don’t know your password (so don’t lose it!).
If you want to unshare it, you can. Obviously he may have printed or photographed your file so don’t rely on this feature in circumstances where you can’t trust the recipient!
There’s a little video tutorial here –
PaulThank you for that Harry. Makes perfect sense! Now I get it. I’m in the old-school thought process (key follows encrypted file, like password protection on a zip file or pdf), no wonder it didn’t make sense.
Now I get it. Thanks a lot!
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