How to Encrypt Your Computer
Encryption is vital for ensuring information security, in compliance with the British Columbia Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA) and with UBC’s own policies to protect Personally Identifiable Information (see a Quick Overview of UBC Security Policies).
If your computer contains sensitive or personal information, which includes ANY information about students (student numbers, addresses, email addresses, full names, etc.) or UBC employees, you will be in violation of UBC policy if your computer is not encrypted. Any computer that stores UBC email must be encrypted. This applies to all teaching faculty, including sessional lecturers.
Why Should You Encrypt Your Data?
- Your operating system’s login passwords do not protect your data; data on stolen computers is easily accessed by thieves.
- It is used by over 2000 faculty and staff computers campus-wide, and uses your computer’s built-in encryption tools. No new software is needed.
- Encryption does not interfere with any file sharing applications.
Getting Started
If you need to encrypt your computer, visit us at the Help Desk in Buchanan C113 or contact us using the web form below. Enabling the encryption function in your operating system takes only minutes to complete.
Encryption Overview
- The encryption takes 30 seconds to enable per computer, and then will run in the background. This has little to no noticeable performance impact on your computer. You can also use your computer as usual immediately. Restarting, sleeping, hibernating, and shutting down the computer with no impact on the encryption process.
- Encryption may take up to 1 full day to finish, depending on the speed of the computer. You do not need to check on the progress. It will be done slowly.
- You continue to use your operating system’s login account credentials to log in to your computer. If you forgot your login password to your computer, you will need the recovery key.
- You will be shown an encryption backup recovery key, you must keep it safe somewhere. You can print it and store it somewhere safe, you can also take a screenshot and save the picture somewhere safe. Due to privacy reasons, Arts ISIT does not keep records of your recovery key. If you lose this recovery key, you will forever lose access to your computer and all its files are irrecoverable.
Windows 10 encrypted before January 1, 2021
- You continue to use your operating system’s login account credentials to log in to your computer. If you forgot your login password to your computer, you will need the recovery key.
- Your computer was likely encrypted using our old software, McAfee Agent. We may have your recovery key on file should you lose it. Please contact us if you need the key.
Windows 10 encrypted after January 1, 2021
- You continue to use your operating system’s login account credentials to log in to your computer. If you forgot your login password to your computer, you will need the recovery key.
- You will be shown an encryption backup recovery key, you must keep it safe somewhere. You can print it and store it somewhere safe, you can also take a screenshot and save the picture somewhere safe. Due to privacy reasons, Arts ISIT does not keep records of your recovery key. If you lose this recovery key, you will forever lose access to your computer and all its files are irrecoverable.
Encryption Overview
- The encryption takes 30 seconds to enable per computer, and then will run in the background. This has little to no noticeable performance impact on your computer. You can also use your computer as usual immediately. Restarting, sleeping, hibernating, and shutting down the computer with no impact on the encryption process.
- Encryption may take up to 1 full day to finish, depending on the speed of the computer. You do not need to check on the progress. It will be done slowly.
- You continue to use your operating system’s login account credentials to log in to your computer. If you forgot your login password to your computer, you will need the recovery key.
- You will be shown an encryption backup recovery key, you must keep it safe somewhere. You can print it and store it somewhere safe, you can also take a screenshot and save the picture somewhere safe. Due to privacy reasons, Arts ISIT does not keep records of your recovery key. If you lose this recovery key, you will forever lose access to your computer and all its files are irrecoverable.
macOS encrypted before January 1, 2021
- You continue to use your operating system’s login account credentials to log in to your computer. If you forgot your login password to your computer, you will need the recovery key.
- Your computer was likely encrypted using our old software, McAfee Agent. We may have your recovery key on file should you lose it. Please contact us if you need the key.
macOS encrypted after January 1, 2021
- You continue to use your operating system’s login account credentials to log in to your computer. If you forgot your login password to your computer, you will need the recovery key.
- You will be shown an encryption backup recovery key, you must keep it safe somewhere. You can print it and store it somewhere safe, you can also take a screenshot and save the picture somewhere safe. Due to privacy reasons, Arts ISIT does not keep records of your recovery key. If you lose this recovery key, you will forever lose access to your computer and all its files are irrecoverable.
- macOS offers you to store the encryption key with Apple, if you enabled this feature, you may contact Apple by phone to retrieve this key.