SYSCLOUD ENCRYPTION 101
Frequently asked questions
Auto-encryption is a feature on the SysCloud Encryption Application. It locks decrypted files automatically if there is no edit activity on the file. Auto encryption is supported for both files and folders in our application.
Note: Auto-encryption feature is available only for the paid version of the application.
Manual encryption can be done in two ways:
Through Google Drive:
1. Open Google Drive. Right-click on the file and select “SysCloud Encryption for Google Drive.”
2. Enter and confirm your password by clicking “Encrypt.”
Through the SysCloud Application:
1. Log in to SysCloud Application. Under the “Data Loss Prevention” module, select “Reports” and click “Document Sharing Insights.”
2. Select the files, click “Actions,” and select “Apply Encryption.”
3. Enter the password and click “Encrypt.”
SysCloud Drive Encryption Process
Take the source file.
Encrypt the file with the AES 256 algorithm.
Upload the new file to the Drive with the same title and a “.syscloud” extension.
Download the new encrypted file and decrypt to verify if the content is decrypted without corruptions.
After verification, remove the source file and retain the new decrypted file.
Note: The password for the encrypted file is encrypted and stored in our database. This is used to recover the file when a user forgets or loses the password.
How to install the application? (admin)
How to encrypt a Drive file? (admin, end-user, file)
How to encrypt a Drive folder? (admin, end-user, folder)
How to encrypt a team Drive? (admin, end-user, file, folder)
How to decrypt a Drive file/folder or Team Drive file/folder? (admin, end-user, file, folder)
How to remove encryption password for a Drive file/folder? (admin, file, folder)
How to reset the encryption password for a Drive file/folder? (admin, file, folder)
How to enable/disable encryption for an end user? (admin)
a. Install the application:
1. Search for Google Drive encryption applications in the G Suite Marketplace.
2. Click “DOMAIN INSTALL.”
3. Click “CONTINUE.”
4. Check the terms and conditions and click “Accept.”
5. Click “Launch.”
6. Click “Create an account.”
7. Go to “Tools” -> “Google Drive Encryption.” Click “INSTALL APP.”
8. After installation, click “SEND INSTRUCTION EMAIL.” Enter the name of recipients, click enter and select “SEND EMAIL.”
b. Encrypt a Google Drive file:
1. Open Google Drive. Right-click on the file and select “SysCloud Encryption for Google Drive.”
2. Enter and confirm your password by clicking “Encrypt.”
3. When you share this encrypted file, it will prompt the user to enter the password to open the file.
c. Encrypt a Google Drive folder
Follow these steps to encrypt a Google Drive folder:
1. Log in to your G Suite account, right-click on the required folder and choose “SysCloud Encryption for Google Drive.”
2. Enter and confirm your password by clicking “Encrypt.”
3. When you share this encrypted folder, it will prompt the user to enter the password to open any file in the folder.
Note: Encrypting a folder will automatically encrypt all the files inside the folder.
d. Encrypt Team Drive
1. Sign in to your G Suite account and open your Team Drive.
2. Select the drive, right-click on the file or folder you want to encrypt and choose “SysCloud Encryption for Google Drive.”
3. Enter and confirm your password by clicking “Encrypt.”
4. When you share this encrypted file/folder, it will prompt the user to enter the password to open the folder.
Note: Encrypting a folder will automatically encrypt all the files inside the folder.
e. How to decrypt a Drive file/folder or Team Drive file/folder?
1. Select the encryption notification email and click “open.”
2. Click “Open with” and select “SysCloud Encryption for Google Drive.”
3. Click “Decrypt” and enter the password for unlocking the file.
f. Remove encryption password for a Drive file/folder
1. Log in to Gmail with your G Suite credentials.
2. Log in to SysCloud Application. Under the “Data Loss Prevention” module, select “Reports” and click “Document Sharing Insights.”
3. Click on the search bar, set the drop-down in “Encrypted” section as “Yes,” and click on “Search.”
4. Select the files, click “Actions,” and select “Remove Encryption.”
Note: You can also select a user account in the “Owner” filter to search for a specific person’s files and decrypting them.
g. Reset encryption password for a Drive file/folder
1. In the “Data Loss Prevention” module, select “Reports” and click “Document Sharing Insights.”
2. Click on the search bar, set the “Encrypted” option to “Yes” and click “Search.”
3. Select the files, click on “Actions,” and select “Reset Encryption Password.”
Note: You can also select a user account in the “Owner” filter to search for a specific person’s files and decrypting them.
h. Enable/disable encryption for an end user
1. Go to “Tools” -> “Google Drive Encryption.”
2. Under “Encryption app settings,” click the drop-down arrow beside the domain name and toggle the status button to enable or disable encryption for an end user.
SysCloud has settings for sending an email to collaborators after a file gets encrypted. You can turn on the settings as shown below.
Basic file sharing controls are defined by the default access on Google Docs: read, comment, or edit. Syscloud encryption application verifies only the encryption password and grants access to collaborators. The only difference is that users outside the domain cannot re-encrypt the file.
If you delete an encrypted file, it will automatically be deleted from the Drive for everyone, including the collaborators.
Currently, we do not have a password requirement for encrypting file/folder. However, it is recommended to use at least one numeric character, one uppercase letter, and one special character to create a strong password.
Currently, end users do not have the option to request a password reset. An administrator can reset the password through the application.
Note: Password reset feature is available only for the paid version of the application.
An administrator can install the SysCloud Google Drive encryption application from the G Suite Marketplace. The application has the provision for administrator to send instruction mail for end users to install the application.
An administrator can enable/disable encryption for a user in the SysCloud encryption application.
There could be a server problem. Try opening the file after some time. If the problem persists, contact helpdesk@syscloud.com.
We use the AES-256 algorithm. It is one of the most secure methods used for encrypting data. We use it for encrypting data at rest and in motion.
Select “Manage apps.”
Uncheck “Use by Default” for the Syscloud Encryption application.
Click “Done.”
Yes. The application is our gateway for making authenticated API calls to backup and archive users’ data in your domain. If you uninstall the application, the services will stop.
No. You can use SysCloud Drive Encryption application only to encrypt Drive files.
Go to “Tools” -> “Google Drive Encryption” -> “Encryption App Settings.” You will see the domains listed under this section. Here, you can switch encryption ON/OFF for the domains.
You can enable/disable encryption at the user-level by clicking on the drop-down beside the domain name and selecting from the list of users in the domain.
If the file does not exist, check if the file in the drive is present with the “.syscloud” extension.
If not, check if the encryption is turned on for your domain in “Tools” -> “Google Drive Encryption page.” Turn on the encryption in the “Encryption app settings” and try encrypting your file again.
When you are decrypting a document, you have an option: “Auto encrypt the file after modification.” Click on the checkbox to turn it on. The file will be encrypted after a user closes the document.
Note: it will take at least 30–45 minutes to auto-encrypt the closed file.
No. You can set the encryption on or off for the entire domain or for specific users in the domain.
Domain:
End user:
Yes. You can share an encrypted file with a user outside your domain. The external domain users can decrypt the file, but cannot re-encrypt it.
1. Go to “Tools” -> “Google Drive Encryption.”
2. Under the “Encryption app settings,” toggle the button next to the domain name to switch on the encryption.
Note: You can also enable or disable encryption for specific users. Click on the drop-down beside the domain name and select the user from the list.
If you are unable to see the “Tools” option, check and disable the “Lite Version” and try.
1. Go to the top right-hand corner of the screen, click on “Hello (your username)” and select “My Profile.”
2. Toggle the “Switch to Lite Version” to OFF.
No. As of now, you can’t use the encryption feature on Google file stream.
Yes, the files inside the folders will be encrypted. All the files will have the same password that was used for encrypting the folder.
Yes, the newly-added sub-folders and its files will also be encrypted. All the files will have the same password that was used for encrypting the folder.
Yes. Both the owner and collaborators can add new files into an encrypted folder. The new files will be encrypted with the same password used for the folder.
Yes. All Team Drive members are treated as file owners. So, all users can decrypt the file.
1. Go to “Tools” -> “Google Drive Encryption.”
2. Under the “Encryption app settings,” toggle the button next to the domain name to switch off the encryption.
Yes. It will be visible to all the users in your domain. If you want to remove encryption for specific users, click on the drop-down beside the domain name and select users from the list.
Wait for 30–45 minutes after encryption. If it doesn’t work, contact support at customercare@syscloud.com.
