PGP Whole Disk Encryption

Overview

Mobile computers are quickly emerging as the industry standard for increasing user productivity. However, the portable nature of these devices increases the possibility of loss or theft. Consequent exposure of sensitive data can result in financial loss, legal ramifications, and brand damage.

PGP® Whole Disk Encryption provides enterprises with comprehensive, nonstop disk encryption for Microsoft and Apple Mac OS X, enabling quick, cost-effective protection for data on desktops, laptops, and removable media. The encrypted data is continuously safeguarded from unauthorized access, providing strong security for intellectual property, customer and partner data, and corporate brand equity.

• Easy, automatic operation–Protects data without changing the user experience.
• Enforced security policies–Automatically enforce data protection with centrally managed policies.
• Accelerated deployment–Achieves full disk encryption using the existing infrastructure.
• Reduced operational costs–Result from centrally automating encryption policies.

As a PGP® Encryption Platform-enabled application, PGP Whole Disk Encryption can be used with PGP Universal™ Server to manage existing policies, users, keys, and configurations, expediting deployment and policy enforcement. PGP Whole Disk Encryption can also be used in combination with other PGP® encryption applications to provide multiple layers of security.

Technical Specifications

Technical Specifications

Supported Operating Systems

• Microsoft Windows Vista (all 32-bit and 64-bit versions, including Service Pack 1)
• Microsoft Windows XP Professional 32-bit (Service Pack 1, 2 and 3)
• Microsoft Windows XP Professional 64-bit (Service Pack 1 and 2)
• Microsoft Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005 (requires attached keyboard)
• Microosft Windows XP Home
• Microsoft Windows 2003 Server (Service Pack 1 and 2)*
• Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional (Service Pack 4)
• Mac OS 10.4.10 and later: Intel platforms, all volumes
• Mac OS 10.4 and later: Power PC platforms, non-system volumes only

* Full disk encryption functionality is not supported on Windows 2000 Server or 2003 Server.

Supported Disks

• Desktop or laptop disks (partitions in the case of Windows, or the entire disk for Windows and Mac OS X)
• External disks, excluding music devices and digital cameras
• USB flash disks
• Solid-state drives

Authentication Options

• OpenPGP RFC 4880 keys
• X.509 keys

Symmetric Key Algorithms-PGP® Whole Disk Encryption

• AES 256-bit keys

Supported Keyboard Languages

PGP Whole Disk Encryption for Windows

• English, English (US-International)
  
• Belgian
  
• Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian and Slovenian
  
• Canadian Multilingual Standard
  
• Chinese Simplified (China/Singapore), Chinese Traditional (Hong Kong/Taiwan)
  
• Czech (QWERTY)
  
• Danish
  
• Dutch
  
• Estonian
  
• Finnish
  
• French, French Canadian
  
• German, German (Germany/Austria), German (Swiss)
  
• Hungary
  
• Icelandic
  
• Irish
  
• Italian
  
• Japanese
  
• Korean
  
• Norwegian
  
• Polish
  
• Portuguese (Brazil), Portuguese (Portugal)
  
• Romanian
  
• Spanish, Spanish (Latin America), Spanish Variation
  
• Swedish
  
• Swiss French
  

PGP Whole Disk Encryption for Mac OS X

• English
  

Two-Factor Authentication (PGP Whole Disk Encryption for Windows Only)

Supported Pre-Boot Authentication Smart Cards and USB Tokens

The following smart card readers are supported for communicating to a smart card at pre-boot time. These readers can be used with any supported removable smart card (it is not necessary to use the same brand of smart card and reader).

Most Chip/Smart Card Interface Device (CCID) smart card readers are supported. The following readers have been tested by PGP Corporation:

• OMNIKEY CardMan 3121 USB for desktop systems (076b:3021)
  
• OMNIKEY CardMan 6121 USB for mobile systems (076b:6622)
  
• ActivIdentity USB 2.0 reader (09c3:0008)
  
• Reiner SCT CyberJack pinpad (0c4b:0100)
  
• Athena ASEDrive IIIe USB reader (0dc3:0802)
• SCM Microsystems - Smart Card Reader Model: SCR3311
  

PGP Whole Disk Encryption supports the following smart cards for pre-boot authentication:

• ActivIdentity ActivClient CAC cards, 2005 models
• Aladdin eToken 64K, 2048-bit RSA-capable¹
• Aladdin eToken PRO USB Key 32K, 2048-bit RSA-capable¹
• Aladdin eToken PRO without 2048-bit capability (older smart cards)¹
• Aladdin eToken PRO Java 72K
• Aladdin eToken NG-OTP 32K
• Athena ASEKey Crypto USB Token for Microsoft ILM²
• Athena ASECard Crypto Smart Card for Microsoft ILM²
• EMC RSA SecurID SID800 Token³
• Charismathics CryptoIdentity plug 'n' crypt Smart Card only stick
• EMC RSA Smart Card 5200
• Rainbow iKey 3000
• S-Trust StarCOS smart card 2.3⁴
• Oberthur ID-One Cosmo V5.2D personal identity verification cards using ActivClient version 6.1 client software
• Giesecke and Devrient Sm@rtCafe Expert 3.2 personal identity verification cards using ActivClient version 6.1 client software

¹ Other Aladdin eTokens, such as tokens with flash, should work provided they are APDU compatible with the supported tokens. OEM versions of Aladdin eTokens, such as those issued by VeriSign, should work provided they are APDU compatible with the supported tokens.
² Athena tokens are supported only for credential storage.
³ This token is supported only for credential storage. SecurID is not supported.
⁴ S-Trust SECCOS cards are not supported.

Supported Smart Cards and USB Tokens-PGP® Virtual Disk and PGP Zip

PGP Whole Disk Encryption recognizes and works with the following:

• DoD Common Access Cards (CACs) with the ActivCard Gold 2.0 profile
• Athena Smart Card Solutions smart cards, including the ASEKey USB token
• AET SafeSign smart cards, including ASEKey 1.0
• Axalto (formerly Schlumberger) smart cards, including the Cryptoflex 32K
• SafeNet smart cards, including iKey 2032
• Aladdin smart cards, including eToken PRO USB 16K, 32K, and 64K
• Gemalto .Net v2 cards
• GemPlus smart cards, including SafesITe and GemXpresso Pro, using GemSafe Libraries 4.2.0-015 (Gold)

PGP Whole Disk Encryption also recognizes and works with smart cards from other vendors if the vendor includes a standards-based PKCS-11 library in its software drivers.

Centralized Management Requirements

• PGP Whole Disk Encryption is centrally managed by PGP Universal Server which requires a dedicated hardware server. For supported hardware and other information, please refer to the PGP Universal Server technical specifications.

FAQ

General

What is PGP Whole Disk Encryption and why is it important?

PGP Whole Disk Encryption is a solution for protecting all data on an entire desktop, laptop, or removable disk drive. PGP Whole Disk Encryption transparently secures disk contents, including system and temporary files, automatically safeguarding sensitive data from unauthorized access. PGP Whole Disk Encryption provides worry-free protection against unauthorized access of private and confidential data.

What business problem does PGP Whole Disk Encryption solve?

PGP Whole Disk Encryption enables individuals and organizations to secure sensitive data stored on systems or removable media, thereby meeting federal security mandates, partner requirements, and industry best practices for data protection.

How does PGP Whole Disk Encryption work?

The PGP Whole Disk Encryption engine operates at a system level between the operating system and the disk drive, providing user-transparent, sector-by-sector disk encryption and decryption. A successful pre-boot authentication unlocks the decryption key, enabling users to work without any other changes to their experience.

What is the end-user experience?

The only change in the end-user experience with PGP Whole Disk Encryption is the addition of a pre-boot authentication screen. The pre-boot authentication screen protects the system from being accessed by unauthorized users by disabling their ability to attack operating system–level authentication mechanisms. Once the end user provides valid authentication, encryption and decryption of the disk are transparent to both the user and the operating system. The pre-boot authentication passphrase can be synchronized with the Windows logon, enabling Windows users to be automatically logged into their system without requiring additional passphrases or user actions.

How does PGP Whole Disk Encryption fit into the PGP Encryption Platform?

As a PGP Encryption Platform–enabled application, PGP Whole Disk Encryption leverages PGP Universal Server users, keys, and configurations. Deploying one enterprise encryption application, such as PGP Whole Disk Encryption, automatically delivers the PGP Encryption Platform, allowing organizations to quickly deploy new applications such as secure messaging or network file sharing security within the organization. PGP Encryption Platform–enabled applications can be used together to provide multiple layers of security, all administered from a single, consolidated management console using centralized policy and configurations.

Features

Does PGP Whole Disk Encryption provide automatic and transparent data encryption to the end user?

Yes. PGP Whole Disk Encryption automatically encrypts the entire contents of the hard disk in the background and is transparent to the end user. 

Does PGP Whole Disk Encryption provide complete disk and removable media encryption?

Yes. PGP Whole Disk Encryption provides complete disk and removable media encryption.

Does PGP Whole Disk Encryption provide encryption of individual partitions?

Yes. PGP Whole Disk Encryption for Windows provides encryption for individual partitions on fixed or removable drives. This feature enables users to encrypt the entire contents of a disk or encrypt only selected partitions. PGP Whole Disk Encryption for Mac OS X does not support encryption of individual partitions at this time. PGP Virtual Disk can be used to create encrypted virtual volumes, providing an additional layer of security for powered-on systems.

Can PGP Whole Disk Encryption and PGP Virtual Disk encryption be used at the same time?

Yes. PGP Virtual Disk can be used with PGP Whole Disk Encryption when encrypted files/folders are needed to protect data. For example, PGP Virtual Disk can be used to secure confidential data on multi-user shared systems protected with PGP Whole Disk Encryption, allowing individuals to ensure the privacy of their work on shared systems.

What performance impact should be expected when PGP Whole Disk Encryption is in use?

Once the hard drive is encrypted, the performance impact of PGP Whole Disk Encryption is negligible. Some users may notice a performance impact during the initial encryption process; however, this is a one-time-only event during which all current-generation PCs will perform normally, although disk-intensive computing processes may take slightly longer. The initial encryption process can be suspended at any time to complete time-sensitive or disk-intensive tasks.

Does PGP Whole Disk Encryption allow encrypted data to be recovered if the key or passphrase is lost?

Yes. In a managed deployment, PGP Whole Disk Encryption allows users to regain access to their systems in the event the key stored on an Aladdin eToken Pro USB token or passphrase used for authentication is lost or forgotten. In such cases, PGP Whole Disk Encryption administrators issue a one-time-use recovery passphrase that allows users to regain access. Once the recovery passphrase is used, it is no longer valid and a new recovery passphrase is created for future use.

Does PGP Whole Disk Encryption enable users to have separate accounts, regardless of the number of users?

Yes. PGP Whole Disk Encryption for Windows provides the capability to have up to 28 separate user accounts on a single system.

Does PGP Whole Disk Encryption require authentication for access to all encrypted data?

Yes. PGP Whole Disk Encryption requires authentication via either a passphrase or USB token prior to granting access to the encrypted disks.

Does PGP Whole Disk Encryption prevent unauthorized access to encrypted data?

Yes. Only users with either the proper hardware token and/or passphrase can access encrypted data.

Technical

What operating systems are supported?

PGP Whole Disk Encryption supports Windows and Mac OS X operating systems. For a detailed list of technical specifications please visit the Tech Specs page.

Does PGP Whole Disk Encryption store keys and passphrases in an encrypted format?

Yes. PGP Whole Disk Encryption stores all keys and passwords in an encrypted format.

Does PGP Whole Disk Encryption provide pre-boot authentication?

Yes. A PGP Whole Disk Encryption user will be prompted to enter either a passphrase or hardware token to unlock the encrypted disk.

Does PGP Whole Disk Encryption support screen saver functionality?

Yes. PGP Whole Disk Encryption is fully compatible with screen savers.

Does PGP Whole Disk Encryption support standby and hibernation modes?

Yes. At any time, even during initial hard drive encryption, a user may shut down the system or place it into standby or hibernation mode. When the system is shut down or placed in hibernation mode, a user must re-authenticate to PGP Whole Disk Encryption to access the system. If an initial drive encryption was in progress, it will be immediately resumed following successful authentication.

Does PGP Whole Disk Encryption provide the ability to use USB tokens for logon?

Yes. PGP Whole Disk Encryption for Windows Operating Systems provides the ability to use hardware-based tokens such as the Aladdin eToken Pro USB token.

Does PGP Whole Disk Encryption provide the ability to use smart cards for logon?

Yes. PGP Whole Disk Encryption for Windows supports smart cards and smart card readers for communicating to a smart card at pre-boot time. These readers can be used with any supported removable smart card (it is not necessary to use the same brand of smart card and reader). For a detailed list of supported smart cards and smart card readers please refer to the Technical Specifications. PGP Whole Disk Encryption for Mac OS X does not support smart cards at this time

Does PGP Whole Disk Encryption support certificates for pre-boot authentication?

Yes. PGP Whole Disk Encryption for Windows supports certificate-based pre-boot authentication certificates as long as the certificate used is on a supported smart card or USB token. Any key or certificate can be used for non-boot volumes or flash drives. When not used for boot-level security, a token is not required to use a key or certificate.

Is PGP Whole Disk Encryption for Mac OS X compatible with Apple's Boot Camp feature?

Currently PGP Whole Disk Encryption does not support the encryption of individual partitions on Mac OS X drives. Apple Boot Camp partitions a disk drive for OS X and Windows and is not currently compatible with PGP Whole Disk Encryption for Mac OS X. PGP Whole Disk Encryption for Mac OS X is fully compatible with virtual machine environments that run within Mac OS X. Virtual machines can be stored on encrypted boot or external disk drives.

Does PGP Whole Disk Encryption for Mac OS X support both Tiger and Leopard? Power PC and Intel-based Macs?

PGP Whole Disk Encryption for Mac OS X supports both Tiger (10.4.10 and later) and Leopard (10.5 and later). The product runs on both Power PC and Intel-based Macs, but boot volume encryption is only supported on Intel-based Macs.

Is PGP Whole Disk Encryption for Mac OS X available for Mac OS X Server?

PGP Whole Disk Encryption is not available for Mac OS X Server.

Interoperability

Does PGP Whole Disk Encryption interfere with other systems or application software?

No. Both PGP Whole Disk Encryption and PGP Virtual Disk encryption operate transparently and do not interfere with the operating system or other application software.

Is PGP Whole Disk Encryption compatible with dual-boot environments?

Yes. PGP Whole Disk Encryption provides partition-level encryption, making it compatible with dual-boot environments with multi-partition disks that use different operating systems on each partition.

Does PGP Whole Disk Encryption work in conjunction with single sign-on solutions?

Yes. PGP Whole Disk Encryption for Windows can automatically synchronize with existing Windows account passwords, providing the user with a single sign-on solution for logging into Windows. PGP Whole Disk Encryption for Mac OS X does not currently provide integration with Mac OS X login.

Does PGP Whole Disk Encryption support the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) algorithm?

Yes. PGP Whole Disk Encryption supports AES 256.

Does PGP Whole Disk Encryption integrate with LDAP directories?

Yes. PGP Whole Disk Encryption is compatible with Microsoft Active Directory 2000 and Microsoft Active Directory 2003.

Does PGP Whole Disk Encryption work with systems management tools?

Yes. PGP Whole Disk Encryption is compatible with system management tools such as Microsoft SMS that support Microsoft MSI installers.

How does PGP Whole Disk Encryption for Apple Mac OS X support or work with my iPod or iPhone?

PGP Whole Disk Encryption is designed to secure data on Mac OS X desktop and laptop computers in addition to attached disk drives. While other Apple devices such as the iPhone are based on variants of Apple Mac OS X, there are numerous differences between platforms and desktop/laptop systems. User can continue to use their iPhone or iPod on Mac OS X or Windows systems secured with PGP Whole Disk Encryption.

Can I use a PGP Whole Disk encrypted USB device across both Windows and Mac OS X systems?

Yes. Removable drives encrypted with PGP Whole Disk Encryption are interoperable between Windows and Mac OS X platforms.

So for example, an individual can encrypt a removable drive using a passphrase or a public key on Mac OS X, and when this drive is inserted on a Windows system, the user would authenticate via a configured passphrase or key.

Management

How is PGP Whole Disk Encryption managed?

PGP Whole Disk Encryption is managed using PGP Universal Server. Once PGP Whole Disk Encryption is deployed, defined security policies are automatically enforced. User group management can be further automated by integrating PGP Whole Disk Encryption with Microsoft Active Directory. Please refer to the PGP Universal Server documentation for more information.

Can encryption of disks and removable media be enforced by policy?

Yes. When PGP Whole Disk Encryption is deployed with PGP Universal Server, administrators can force encryption of disks and removable media by policy.

Can a rollout of PGP Whole Disk Encryption be automated?

Yes. Distribution and installation of the PGP Whole Disk Encryption MSI installer can be performed using systems management tools such as Microsoft SMS. Initial enrollment of users into the system is automated using email or LDAP-based authentication. Once PGP Whole Disk Encryption is installed, policy updates are automatically distributed to installed end-user systems.

Can email encryption be added to PGP Whole Disk Encryption?

Yes. To add gateway-based or end-to-end email encryption, PGP Whole Disk Encryption customers can simply purchase the respective email encryption license. Please contact a PGP sales representative for more information.