Policies
Overview
Before users can use Smartcrypt successfully, system administrators must establish effective data encryption policies. Smartcrypt policies, defined on this tab, are responsible for controlling the end user experience, configuring and locking program options and most importantly, specifying administrative policy keys for use by Audit, Discovery and Data Loss Prevention (DLP) people, processes and technology.
Each client device's agent application checks in with the manager at a standard (configurable) interval. When the client checks in, Smartcrypt Enterprise Manager (SEM) applies any policy changes. Policy order on the Policies page is important; the client agent processes the Policies list from the top down. The agent uses the first one that applies to its particular user. Each policy has a defined scope of users that it applies to. When group policies are applied to a client, those policies always override the site-wide policy. If no policy is defined for a particular user, they will receive the site-wide-default policy.
For example, let's say you want to define a policy that applies to your Admin group, composed of one person from each of your departmental groups (Sales, Executive, Marketing, IT). When you add a new policy, it assumes the top position. For the Admin group policy to be applied to those departmental representatives, you should define the departmental policies first. Otherwise, you can adjust the processing order by dragging policies Up or Down in the Order column. The Site-wide Default policy cannot be re-ordered.
Most policy controls will have four drop-down options:
Option | Description |
|---|---|
Allowed (default on) | Option is end user configurable and its default state is on |
Allowed (default off) | Option is end user configurable and its default state is off |
Required | Option is not end user configurable and has been locked on |
Disabled | Option is not end user configurable and has been locked off |
For administrative access to enterprise wide encrypted content, Smartcrypt supplies two options for customers. Contingency Keys and Contingency groups.
Contingency Public Keys
Contingency keys are third-party OpenPGP or X.509 formatted public keys that will be automatically included in every encryption operation performed by Smartcrypt. These can be keys that you generate outside of the Smartcrypt ecosystem in accordance with your organization's security policy.
Whether the files are password-encrypted or encrypted for specific recipient public keys, contingency keys provide a safeguard to be sure that important information belonging to the organization does not become inaccessible because no one in the organization can decrypt it.
Contingency keys must use RSA-2048 (or stronger) encryption. To add a contingency key to Smartcrypt Enterprise Manager (SEM) for use in a Policy:
- Go to Advanced > Policies.
- Click Add in the Contingency Public Keys section.
- Browse your system for the public key file.
- Click Upload.
Changing a Key Name
SEM uses the key file name to identify the Contingency Key. If you wish to change this Name, click Edit and type in the new Name.
Defining Policy
Smartcrypt provides a default Site-wide Default policy that Admins can edit. To add a group policy, you enter a similar form, but you will need to define the Group that the policy applies to.
General Settings
These settings regulate how often clients must connect with connect with Smartcrypt Enterprise Manager (SEM) for different purposes.
Setting | Description |
|---|---|
Name | The name of the policy (such as "Legal Group" or "Accounting"). If you don't name the policy, SEM will describe the Policy with a date and timestamp. Note: You cannot edit the name of Site-wide Default policy. |
Authentication Check Interval (minutes) | How often an agent re-authenticates with the Smartcrypt Manager (in minutes). Default: 15 minutes. Edit the field to change this interval. |
Offline Access Limit (hours) | Smartcrypt agents cache encryption keys they have access to on the systems they run on. If an agent loses connection with the manager (For example, the user's AD account has been disabled and the agent can no longer log in) this is the maximum time (in hours) the agent will keep the keys before it automatically purges them from that device. Default: 24 hours. Edit the field to change this interval. Note: Keys will be re-synced if / when the device is successfully re-authenticated. |
| Allow Smartcrypt Mobile App Access | Enables or disables the ability to use Smartcrypt for iOS or Smartcrypt for Android for the specific user set defined in the policy. |
| Reset Client Defaults | Checking this box will reset any existing policy on any Smartcrypt client device before applying this new policy. |
FIPS Mode
FIPS is an abbreviation for Federal Information Processing Standards, a set of standards for information processing in federal agencies in the United States. In FIPS 140 mode, encryption and decryption are done using only encryption and hashing algorithms that have been validated for compliance with FIPS 140-2 security requirements for cryptographic modules by NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology), a branch of the US government.
Click your preferred FIPS compliance options. Your selection will turn a bright blue; this is the default for clients that this policy applies to. The site-wide policy by default displays all the options, allowing clients to change from the default. To enforce just one selection (such as Use FIPS 140 Mode), delete the remaining options.
Note: FIPS mode is not supported on MacOS X.
FIPS Setting | Description |
|---|---|
Prefer fastest available algorithms | Use the fastest version of the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) available on the system. This is the default. |
Use FIPS 140 mode | Use only FIPS-validated algorithms to encrypt or decrypt files, email messages, and email attachments. |
Use FIPS-validated algorithms; allow AE extraction | Always choose FIPS-validated algorithms for encryption and decryption, but allow unzipping files encrypted with the AE-2 algorithm used by some compression applications. |
Prefer FIPS validated algorithms | Choose FIPS-validated algorithms over others, but does not require them. |
Integration
If your user receives a ZIP archive with a single file in it, often they will want to open and read the zipped file without having to extract (decompress) it first. With the Integration section, administrators can define a set of file extensions that will automatically open. A default set of extensions, including Microsoft Office files, PDF and graphics files, are included.
To add a file type to the list, type the extension into the edit box. You'll be asked to confirm the addition.
To remove a file type from the list, select the extension by clicking the box and press Delete. You may undo the choice.
Users / Groups
Use these settings to define who is subject to this Group Policy.
Setting | Description |
|---|---|
Users/Groups | List of Active Directory users and groups for which this policy should apply. Note: If a user is defined in more than one policy, the first one in the policy list will be applied. |
Admins | List of Active Directory users and groups that are allowed to control and modify this policy. Note: If a user is defined that is not currently a Sys Admin, the user will be added to the SEM Admins list configured as a Security Admin. |
Note: The Smartcrypt Manager will query Active Directory to auto-complete an entry.
ZIP File Creation
Set encryption and signing policies for creating ZIP archives with the following.
Alternate Data Stream
In a sense, a file is a stream of data stored on a hard drive. When you open a file, the stream takes up space in a computer's memory. On modern Windows computers using the NTFS file system, individual files can contain multiple data streams. The content of a file is one data stream, but the same file can contain one or more alternate data streams. In the relatively rare instance that an alternate stream is created, it usually contains additional information about a file. For example, when Internet Explorer downloads a file from the Internet, it adds an alternate stream noting that the file originated outside the local network. Smartcrypt always retains this stream in archives. These streams are not common, but can add size to a file.
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Store Alternate Data Streams | Preserve the alternate data stream of a file during compression |
| Restore Alternate Data Streams | Re-apply the alternate data stream of a file when extracting |
Encryption
Administrators can choose whether to require every ZIP archive to be encrypted, and whether to allow users to Skip encrypting files on a case-by-case basis.
Algorithm
Smartcrypt supports AES in several key lengths as well as AE2 (256-bit) and 3DES (168-bit). By default, Smartcrypt uses the strongest available algorithm and key length (AES-256). This displays in bright blue. Other allowed key lengths are displayed in a grayer blue. Admins can delete any algorithm to prevent its use.
Passphrase
Smartkeys
In addition to the basic usage settings, these options are available when Smartkeys are allowed:
Setting | Description |
|---|---|
Allow users to create Smartkeys | Users can create and define recipients of Smartkeys. |
Allow users to delete Smartkeys | Users can delete Smartkeys they have created. |
Allow encryption with user's private Smartkey | Data can be encrypted with a private Smartkey issued with an account. Note: Files encrypted with private Smartkeys are not decryptable by contingency keys or contingency group members. |
Allow encryption using Smartkeys owned by other individuals (besides community keys) | Data can be encrypted with a Smartkey owned by another user. Note: "Another User" may be a Smartcrypt user outside of your organization. |
Certificates (X.509)
If you allow users to employ public key encryption In addition to Smartkeys, check the appropriate box to configure these options:
Setting | Description |
|---|---|
Allow X.509 Certificates | Users can encrypt with X.509 personal certificates |
Allow OpenPGP Keys | Users can encrypt with OpenPGP keys |
Perform Strict checking | Strict checking identifies certificates that are valid and designated for encryption. See next section for Strict Checking Options. |
Filter Issuer (CN) | If you wish to only see certificates created by a specific certificate authority, type the complete issuer's name in this box. You'll find this information in the Details tab of Certificate Properties. Look for the Issued by section in the Details tab, and type everything after CN=. For example, if all your company's certificates are issued by COMODO, type (no quotes) "COMODO Client Authentication and Secure Email CA" in this box. |
Filter Subject (OU) | If you wish to only see certificates issued to someone in a specific organization, type the complete Organizational Unit (OU) name in this box. You'll find this information in the Details tab of Certificate Properties. Look for the Issued to section in the Details tab, and type everything after OU=. For example, if all your company's certificates have an OU of Corporate Secure Email, type (no quotes) "Corporate Secure Email" in this box |
Check certificate revocation | This option causes Smartcrypt to warn you if a selected certificate to add a signature appears on an accessible list of certificates that have been revoked. If strict checking is also turned on, Smartcrypt does not use a revoked certificate. You must first download a list of revoked certificates from a certificate authority to use this option. |
Strict Checking Options
Option | Description |
|---|---|
Check Key Usage | Check the purpose for which the certificate is designated (encryption or signing). |
Check Time Validity | Check whether the current date is within the valid range of dates for the certificate |
Check Time Nesting | Check whether the period of validity of the certificate does not extend past the dates when the issuer certificate is valid. For example, if the issuer certificate is valid from February 1, 2015, to January 31, 2018, the date range during which the selected certificate is supposed to be valid does not begin before February 1, 2015, or end after January 31, 2018. |
Signing and Certificate Options
Option | Description |
|---|---|
Signature Algorithm | The signature algorithm creates a hash value for the file to be signed. The hash value uniquely represents the file: any change to the file gives it a different hash value. Comparing the hash value of the file when it was signed with the file's current hash value reveals whether the file has been changed. Smartcrypt uses the SHA2 hash algorithm at 256-bit strength by default. Stronger versions (384- and 512-bit) of SHA2 are also available. Click the button to approve the use of either of these algorithms. Note: You may allow the use of the MD5 or SHA1 algorithms by clicking in a blank space on this line. These algorithms are deprecated for signing keys, and not recommended. |
Perform Strict checking | Strict checking identifies certificates that are valid and designated for encryption. See Strict Checking Options. |
Filter Issuer (CN) | If you wish to only see certificates created by a specific certificate authority, type the complete issuer's name in this box. You'll find this information in the Details tab of Certificate Properties. Look for the Issued by section in the Details tab, and type everything after CN=. For example, if all your company's certificates are issued by COMODO, type (no quotes) "COMODO Client Authentication and Secure Email CA" in this box. |
Filter Subject (OU) | If you wish to only see certificates issued to someone in a specific organization, type the complete Organizational Unit (OU) name in this box. You'll find this information in the Details tab of Certificate Properties. Look for the Issued to section in the Details tab, and type everything after OU=. For example, if all your company's certificates have an OU of Corporate Secure Email, type (no quotes) "Corporate Secure Email" in this box |
Check certificate revocation | This option causes Smartcrypt to warn you if a selected certificate to add a signature appears on an accessible list of certificates that have been revoked. If strict checking is also turned on, Smartcrypt does not use a revoked certificate. You must first download a list of revoked certificates from a certificate authority to use this option. |
Check certificate revocation when verifying | Check whether an X.509 certificate has been revoked that has been used to sign or encrypt any file in the archive or the archive itself |
OpenPGP File Creation
OpenPGP File Creation is optional in Smartcrypt. If you want to permit clients to create OpenPGP files, check Allow OpenPGP file creation.
Option | Description | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ASCII Armor | ASCII armor (also known as Radix-64) is a character format that creates an ASCII character stream that could be used in transferring OpenPGP files through transport mechanisms that can only handle character data (for example, email body text). | ||||||||
Encryption Algorithm | Smartcrypt offers the choice of the algorithms shown below. Different key lengths are supported for the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) algorithm. In general, the longer the key, the stronger the encryption. Encryption also takes slightly longer in proportion to the length of the key.
| ||||||||
Sign Files Algorithm | Smartcrypt uses the SHA2 hash algorithm at 256-bit strength by default. Stronger versions (384- and 512-bit) of SHA2 are also available. Click the button to approve the use of either of these algorithms. Note: You may allow the use of the MD5 or SHA1 algorithms by clicking in a blank space on this line. These algorithms are deprecated for signing keys, and not recommended. |
Configuring Passphrase Complexity
To secure passphrase-encrypted files, use passphrases that are long enough and are not easy to guess. Smartcrypt helps administrators set requirements for both minimum and maximum passphrase lengths. Check the Enforce passphrase complexity rules box to do this.
For example, you can require a minimum passphrase length of 15 characters, or even 260 characters, instead of the default minimum of eight. Whenever your user encrypts with a passphrase, Smartcrypt enforces your rules by rejecting any proposed passphrase that does not comply.
You define these requirements after checking the box:
Requirement | What it means | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Minimum Length | The minimum number of characters that a passphrase must contain. Passphrases shorter than this are rejected. Longer passphrases are harder to guess. You can require a minimum length as great as 260 characters. Default is 8 characters. | ||||||
Maximum Length | The maximum number of characters that a passphrase can contain. Passphrases longer than this are rejected. Default is 250 characters. You can assign a maximum length as great as 260 characters. | ||||||
Maximum Repeats | Sets the maximum number of adjacent, case-sensitive occurrences of the same character. A setting of 1 allows no repetitions. A setting of 2 allows two adjacent occurrences, and so on. A setting of 0 (the default) turns the option off and allows all repetitions. For example, a setting of 2 disallows a passphrase that contains aaa but allows aAa or a1a2a. | ||||||
| Minimum Lowercase | Minimum number of lower case alphabetical characters a passphrase requires. Default is 0. | ||||||
| Minimum Uppercase | Minimum number of upper case alphabetical characters a passphrase requires. Default is 0. | ||||||
| Minimum Digits | Minimum number of digits (integers 0-9) a passphrase requires. Default is 0. | ||||||
| Minimum Symbols | Minimum number of special characters a passphrase requires. By default a special character is defined as any non-alphanumeric character. Examples include
Default is 0. | ||||||
| Placement rules | These rules restricts certain character types from being used as the FIRST character or LAST character of a passphrase. Use the drop-down menu next to the relevant character type (Lowercase, Uppercase, Digits, or Symbols).Choices include:
By default, Smartcrypt does not check for placement. |
Configuring Contingency Keys
Choose from a list of existing contingency keys associated with this installation.
To define a contingency key, return to the main Policies page and click Add New Contingency Key.
Configuring Contingency Groups
Choose from a list of Active Directory users to define Smartcrypt users that will be able to decrypt all information encrypted by users in this policy.
Outlook Plugin Policy Settings
The Smartcrypt Desktop application on Windows has a plugin that can run to control encryption operations for outgoing email in Outlook. There are several policies that dictate the use and control of the encryption settings.
Check the Enforce Outlook Integration box to set policy options for the Smartcrypt Outlook Plugin. The following options will display.
General Settings
| Setting | Description | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smartcrypt Plugin Actions | This allows for control on the default and available actions from the Smartcrypt Outlook Plugin. The default option displays in bright blue. Other allowed actions are displayed in a grayer blue. Admins can delete actions to prevent there use.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Extensions to Include | Defining extensions in the extensions to include creates a small subset of extensions that will be considered by the Smartcrypt Plugin when performing Compress attachments only and Encrypt Attachments only actions. Example Setup - The policy is set to include extensions ".pdf" User Action - The user sends an email with a .PDF and attached the the email
User Action - The user sends an email with a .PNG and attached the the email
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Extension to exclude | Defining extensions in the extensions to exclude creates a small subset of extensions that will be ignored by the Smartcrypt Plugin when performing "Compress attachments only" and "Encrypt Attachments only" actions. Example Setup - The policy is set to exclude extensions ".pdf" User Action - The user sends an email with a .PDF and attached the the email
User Action - The user sends an email with a .PNG and attached the the email
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Exclude Email Signature | If this option is enabled, text and pictures included in the signature element in an email will not be included in the archive and will appear in plain text in the email. |
Recipient Filtering
Recipient filtering allows for specific rules to apply based on who the email is being sent to. The Smartcrypt Outlook Plugin can scan the To, and Carbon Copy (CC) fields and mandate certain Smartcrypt Outlook Plugin actions occur based on recipients.
To enable recipient filtering, type the email address to filter in the field next to the action you want done. Use wildcards to identify multiple addresses, as you see in the following example.
Example Recipient Filtering Rules
| Smartcrypt Outlook Plugin Option | Email List |
|---|---|
| Email Body Encryption | legal@pkware.com |
| Encrypt Attachments | |
| Compress Attachments | |
| Skip Actions | *@pkware.com |
In this example, any email addressed to legal@pkware.com will automatically apply the action to encrypt message body and attachments, regardless of what the user has selected.
An email to any other @pkware.com email address will skip all processing. In this example, all internal email to @pkware.com except to the legal mailbox would be un-encrypted, and un-compressed.
Content Filtering
Content filtering allows you to mandate a Smart Filter Bundle for Discovery purposes. Click in the Discovery Filter field, and use the drop-down menu to display the current list of Smart Filter Bundles (defined on the Discovery page). Select a filter bundle, or leave it blank.
Check Override Recipient Filtering to resolve conflicts between the actions mandated by the Discovery Filter and the actions mandated by the Recipient Filter.
Outlook Plugin Behavior Settings
The Outlook Plugin has some basic behaviors that trigger a different user experience. The same 4-state drop down options apply here as well (Allowed On, Allowed Off, Required, Disabled) to the following options:
Behavior Option | Description |
|---|---|
Prompt Before Zipping | There is another dialog that the Plugin can open to select user controlled options for Smartcrypt. This is useful when sending email outside of outlook (from a "send an email option" in other applications). |
Auto-search Recipients | Auto-Search Recipients will look at the users existing Smartkeys are try to pick a Smartkey that all recipients have access to. If a Smartkey is not found, a new only can be created with all recipients included on the email message. |
Include Unzip Instructions | Smartcrypt can include a plain text (non encrypted) document with instructions on how to decrypt the attachment. |
| Instructions | Text added here will be provided in a text file that is sent out automatically when a user sends an encrypted attachment. This text can be plaintext or HTML formatted. Note: This is not used when email body encryption is activated or when discovery filter override recipient filtering is not checked. |
Sign Attachments | The zip archive produced by Smartcrypt can be automatically signed with a digital certificate (when present). |
| Re-Encrypt Attachments | Users can change the encryption on existing ZIP archives attached to an email message. This option must be set if you want Smartcrypt to encrypt existing archives. |
| Default ZIP Name | Smartcrypt gives the same, generic name to all ZIP file attachments that contain multiple files. In this field, specify the generic name to use. When you zip a single attached file, ordinarily the ZIP file is named after the attached file itself. For example, if the attached file is my_file.docx, Smartcrypt names the ZIP file my_file.zip. (Exception: If the Security option to Encrypt file names is set, the generic name is always used.) Following the Default ZIP Name, you can also define an alternate three-character extension for ZIP archives. Some networks have security settings that prevent file attachments with the ZIP extension from being sent or received. Use this feature if this is an issue for you or your recipient |
If a standard name is required for all ZIP attachments (to possible be allowed through a mail gateway or to skip some other processing), a standard name can be defined as well by entering a name in the Default Zip Name field.
MacOS Settings
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Extract file location(s) | By default, Smartcrypt extracts compressed files in the same directory as the original archive. If another file with the same name is located in that same directory in Finder, the newly-extracted file is added as a copy of the original file. This setting allows you to select a new default folder, or be prompted for a destination folder each time you open an archive. Choose from these options:
|
| Extract email attachment location(s) | By default, Smartcrypt extracts compressed files in the same directory as the original archive. If another file with the same name is located in that same directory in Finder, the newly-extracted file is added as a copy of the original file. This setting allows you to select a new default folder, or be prompted for a destination folder each time you open an archive. Choose from these options:
|
| File select action option(s) | Define what happens when a user selects an archive. Extract Archive: Unzip the files in the archive in Finder. View Archive: Display the files in a Smartcrypt window. |
| Automatically open extracted items | When the user extracts file(s) from an archive, open them in the associated application. |
| Delete file(s) on encryption | When a file is encrypted, the unencrypted file is removed from the system. |
| Delete archive on decryption | When files are decrypted (encryption is removed), the encrypted archive is deleted. |
Cloning a Policy
Administrators can develop very finely-grained policies. Policies can be applied to individual users and groups, defined narrowly or widely. As an administrator, you might find that an effective set of permissions for one group simply do not work for one group. In cases where administrators want to tweak some policy settings for some users, you can Clone a policy to copy all its settings in a separate policy. You can then use the cloned policy as a template for the clone. When you have completed changing the settings in the clone, save the changes.
In the User and Group Policies section, click Clone to the right of the Policy you want to serve as the template for your new version. The new policy is named "Policy cloned from <original policy name> at <timestamp>.
You can then Edit the cloned policy as you would any other.
Note: You do not need to clone the Site-wide Default policy. It is the template for any new policy.