How effective is BootLock?

[Craig]

The YEO handbook does not dwell too much on BootLock and I wonder if
someone could comment on its effectiveness. In particular, how does
its encryption compare to SmartLock?

Can I draw any comfort from believing that if my PC were to be stolen
that BootLock would render all the data on the Hard Drive
inaccessible, including the operating system, and that to use the
machine the thief would have to reformat the drive, wiping its
contents in the process?

The handbook (page 96) mentions that Symantec Technical Support can
sometimes remove BootLock - could this also indicate that it might be
within the technical skills of the "average" (sic) hacker to defeat
too, or would it require access to resources generally only available
to governments?

Craig

[Keith Larman]

Bootlock does not encrypt any data on the harddrive except a few areas
necessary for the operating system to properly detect and mount the drive.
One with some fairly high end equipment and technical ability *could* remove
the drive from the computer and retrieve the data from the harddrive with a
some effort. It's not impossible for someone with data recovery skills and
hardware (normally used for crashed harddrives).

Bootlock is appropriate for if you are concerned about theft. Most bad guys
who steal laptops generally aren't all that interested in your data, but are
interested in selling off your hardware for a few extra dollars. If they
can't get it to work, they toss it. It's probably more accurate to look at
Bootlock as harddrive disabling software.

The best option with YEO is to use bootlock to secure the drive, then use
YEO smartfolders for your sensitive datafiles. Bootlock will keep the
everyone but the more technically able from even looking at the drive. Then
YEO will keep your data away from their eyes, even if they can hack past the
bootlock.

Keith

Craig wrote in message <353e8809...@service.symantec.com>...

[Nick Sparks/Symantec]

On Tue, 21 Apr 1998 12:42:50 GMT, c...@xtra.co.nz (Craig) wrote:

>The YEO handbook does not dwell too much on BootLock and I wonder if
>someone could comment on its effectiveness. In particular, how does
>its encryption compare to SmartLock?
>
>Can I draw any comfort from believing that if my PC were to be stolen
>that BootLock would render all the data on the Hard Drive
>inaccessible, including the operating system, and that to use the
>machine the thief would have to reformat the drive, wiping its
>contents in the process?
>
>The handbook (page 96) mentions that Symantec Technical Support can
>sometimes remove BootLock - could this also indicate that it might be
>within the technical skills of the "average" (sic) hacker to defeat
>too, or would it require access to resources generally only available
>to governments?
>
>Craig

Craig,

Thanks for using our online technical support forum.

I just wanted to give you a quick reply to let you know that Keith Larman
does volunteer to help supporting YEO on a regular basis. However, on such
a sensitive question, I thought you might want to hear something from a
Symantec Employee also.

Keith is right on the money. I agree with everything he has said. BootLock
is a front line defense only. And the skills it takes to remove BootLock is
pretty advanced.

The real security provided by Your Eyes Only is file encryption. If you
choose an appropriate password or pass-phrase that other people do not know
and cannot guess, then no assailant will get your data. It's just that
simple. Symantec cannot even recover your data. That's why it is so
important to remember your password when dealing with file encryption.

Please let us know if you have any further questions about BootLock or Your
Eyes Only in general.
--------------------------------------
Nick Sparks
Your Eyes Only Support Analyst
Symantec Corporation

Please continue to post your messages to the public discussion group as
Symantec does not provide support via private e-mail. Thank you.

For more online YEO technical assistance, visit:
http://service.symantec.com/yeo