Over the years, the increase in cybersecurity threats and incidents of fraudulent access has become a massive concern. As a result of the financial and reputational damages that businesses can incur following such activity, there’s an urgent need for security measures.
For individuals and companies with confidential files and personal information, full-disk encryption acts like a high-tech lock against such incidents. The technology has safeguarded encrypted data, keeping unauthorized breaches away from critical information.
Full-disk encryption is crucial to data security and protecting sensitive information on physical devices. It’s particularly beneficial for desktop computers, laptops, and mobile devices at risk of physical loss of information.
In this article, we'll explore the functions of full-disk encryption, its implementation, and its impact on compliance with data protection regulations.
What Is FDE?
FDE, generally known as full-disk encryption, is a security measure used to protect private data from illegitimate access. This technology addresses pervasive threats while ensuring all data stored on a device's hard disk is encrypted.
Once implemented into a computer system, it automatically stores all information on the computer drive. This includes the system metadata, operating system, configuration files, and even temporary files. This process converts all this vital information into complex algorithms that can only be decrypted by the correct key.
This technology operates in real time, making it possible to read data directly from the disk. This function is handy for finance and healthcare sectors, where data integrity is crucial. Since biodata and financial information are stored in real time, the encrypted disks will be less susceptible to tampering, ensuring that the data remains authentic.
Computer devices often have built-in encryption technology like BitLocker, LUKS, or FileVault. To better understand the benefits of these security measures, let’s first look at the technical process that enables full-disk encryption to function effectively.
How Does Full-disk Encryption Work?
Before activating full-disk encryption technology, specific encryption processes ensure comprehensive data protection. Here are the significant processes needed for FDE:
Initialization Setup
The FDE encryption process involves using advanced encryption algorithms with crucial bits of information. When it’s activated, the encryption software or hardware begins by setting up the encryption process. This involves generating an encryption key and preparing the disk for encryption.
Creation of Encryption Key Access
At this stage, it’s time to create a unique personalized encryption key for authorization. The algorithm for encryption setup is also used for the customized key generation needed to encrypt and decrypt the data on the disk. The key must be kept secure, as access to it is essential for data recovery. Many encryption technologies come with hardware security modules or secure critical management systems for access.
Encryption of System Data
Once the encryption setup is complete, full-disk encryption encrypts all data on the disk. At this point, the technology stores all the system information by converting the readable data into encrypted cipher codes.
The duration of this process depends on numerous factors, including the type of FDE software, the disk size, and the chosen encryption method. Newly added data will be automatically encrypted through real-time encryption processes.
Authentication Registration
To gain full access to the encrypted information, users must provide authentication credentials, passwords, and, in some cases, biometric information. This authentication is required when the system is powered on or the user logs in.
Upon successful authentication, FDE decrypts the data as it is accessed in real time. This process ensures that data remains encrypted when stored and only becomes readable when actively used.
Meanwhile, a secure boot process is essential for implementing this technology. In many cases, the secure boot acts as a standard designed to guarantee that only authenticated and authorized software operates on the device.
This security standard ensures that a device starts only with software approved by the original equipment manufacturer. During the boot process, Secure Boot verifies every component of the boot sequence, including the OS loader, Option ROMs, and system drivers.
Why Full-disk Encryption (FDE) Is Beneficial
Full-disk encryption technology offers numerous benefits to individual and corporate users. Here are the significant benefits of this security measure:
Compliance with Security Regulations
Many organizations are subject to regulatory requirements set by security bodies like PCI DSS, HIPAA, and GDPR.
Companies with personalized user data must employ active encryption validated by user data protection bodies to ensure they’re protecting sensitive information and maintaining compliance with regulations.
Activation of Data Security
Data security is the most significant advantage of full-disk encryption. This technology employs robust encryption algorithms to secure all data on your computer's drives. This means that even if a drive is removed and inserted into another device, the data remains inaccessible without the correct encryption key.
Prevents Manual Encryption Error
Since FDE encrypts data automatically, it eliminates the possibility of user mistakes that can occur with manual encryption. These errors may involve improper configuration of encryption settings, mishandling or loss of encryption keys, or failure to apply encryption measures consistently.
This technology eradicates the risk of manual encryption errors through its automated and comprehensive approach to data protection. Unlike manual encryption, this security measure protects the entire disk without requiring individual intervention for each file or folder.
Enables Easy Security Integration
FDE is designed to integrate easily with the operating systems of a computer hard drive. It ensures that encryption can be implemented without disrupting normal business operations or requiring extensive changes to the IT environment.
Unlike file-level or folder-level encryption, FDE automatically encrypts data as written on the hard drive. This automatic process ensures that all data is encrypted seamlessly, without requiring manual selection of files or folders, making it more convenient than other encryption methods.
How to Implement Full-disk Encryption
When implementing full-disk encryption for your device, consider the following best practices:
1. Choose the Right Encryption Algorithm
Generally, encryption algorithms are selected based on the specific use case and nature of the data being protected. This choice is straightforward yet crucial for adequate data security.
As a result, effective encryption should be tailored to the data use case, appropriate to the storage or transmission method, and applicable to both data at rest and in motion. The most effective security technology is usually integrated with a comprehensive security program and is well-considered in crucial management and risks.
By taking note of these factors, you can ensure that encryption effectively safeguards your data while aligning with best practices in information security. Some widely recognized encryption algorithms include Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), RSA, and Blowfish. Avoid outdated algorithms, such as DES, or weak ciphers.
2. Pre-boot Authentication
Implement pre-boot authentication to prevent unauthorized access before the operating system loads. It requires users to enter a passphrase or use an intelligent card/token for access. Examples include BitLocker for Windows, FileVault for macOS, and LUKS for Linux.
3. Key Management
Using a key management system to store encryption keys securely is essential. Keys should not be stored on the same disk they encrypt. Consider employing hardware security modules (HSMs) for enhanced protection.
Conclusion
Drive encryption is a highly effective data protection method that can be straightforward to implement with the appropriate tools. A modern data storage solution like Pure Storage® FlashArray™ can help you safeguard valuable and sensitive information like customer data, credit card details, and employee records. FlashArray encryption is FIPS 140-2 certified, NIST compliant, NIAP/Common Criteria validated, and PCI-DSS compliant.
These certifications and compliance standards ensure that FlashArray encryption protects data through full-disk encryption and adheres to the highest security standards recognized globally. Like many encryption technologies, Pure Storage uses data-at-rest encryption (DARE). Unlike some FDE technology, though, the Pure Storage platform is built with a cyber resiliency architecture that helps with disaster recovery and business continuity.
