A Discussion of Best Practices for Microsoft's Encrypted File System

Organizations are purchasing laptops and network connected desktop computers for their users everyday. This allows users to work on the road and bring their work home with them. It allows for the easy sharing of files across the network. It also introduces a new level of risk to organizational data. Laptops that are stolen may have sensitive organizational data on them. Network connected computers are at risk whenever the power is turned on. The challenge to the security professional is to mitigate the risk associated with mobile and network computing and protect organizational assets. This paper discusses using Microsoft's Encrypted File System to mitigate the risk associated with mobile and network computing. Specifically, it addresses file system security in relation to encryption and EFS. It will discuss many of the best practices, as recommended by Microsoft and other sources. The goal is to bring a level of understanding to the 'why' behind the best practice recommendations and how they may affect an organization.