Data Encryption | IT Security – East Carolina University

Are You Responsible for Sensitive Data?

Do you store sensitive information on your workstation, laptop, flash drive or mobile device? Do you email sensitive data to persons outside the ECU network? If so, you should encrypt these files and emails to protect them from unauthorized access or theft. Read on to learn categories of sensitive data and a few simple tools you can use to add a significant layer of protection to your information.

Sensitive data includes the following:

Encryption scrambles data to make it unreadable. Only persons with the password key can unscramble, or decrypt, the information. This not only prevents identity theft but also protects you and the university from unnecessary liability if your device or email is stolen, hacked or otherwise breached.

From the Start button, type BitLocker into the search. Choose BitLocker Drive Encryption.

All faculty and staff have encryption enabled and are required to encrypt messages containing sensitive information when addressed to recipients outside the ECU network. For example, do you send HIPAA information to users at Vidant? Then encrypt these messages before sending. Messages sent within the ECU network do not need to be encrypted.

Its easy to encrypt email. Follow the instructions found at http://www.ecu.edu/cs-itcs/email/encryption.cfm. There are also printable instructions for decryption that can be sent to recipients.

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Data Encryption | IT Security - East Carolina University