File Encryption
When you upload files to a server configured as a content-protected host, you are prompted for a passphrase to protect the files with Aspera encryption. When you download those files, access to the files' contents requires that you provide the passphrase to decrypt them. Files can be decrypted during the download transfer, or decrypted after the download has completed. Files can be decrypted from within Connect, or by using the utility IBM Aspera Crypt, which is included in the Connect installation.
Encrypting Files
Servers to which you want to upload encrypted files must be enabled for content protection. For more information, see Content Protection.
When uploading files to a content-protected server, you are prompted for a passphrase to encrypt the files. You can either enter the passphrase in the text field, or check Keep files unencrypted to proceed without using this feature (if allowed by the server). To start the transfer, click OK.
Once Aspera-encrypted files have been uploaded to your server, they can be identified by an additional file extension, .aspera-env (Aspera Security Envelope).
Decrypting Files During Download
When you use Connect to download a content-protected file, a window opens prompting you for a decryption passphrase:
You have two options:
To proceed with the download, click OK. The Connect Activity window appears and shows the progress of the transfer. When finished, the progress bar disappears, indicating the files are now at their destination.
Decrypting Files after Download
When you launch Crypt, the following window opens:
If you launched Crypt from the Connect Activity window or by opening an aspera-env file, Crypt decrypts the files that were selected. From the Crypt window, you can also select Open Files or Open Folder and browse for files or folders to decrypt. When your encrypted contents are loaded into Crypt, a status message appears at the bottom of the application, displaying the number of items ready for decryption.
To unlock protected content, fill in the encryption passphrase and click Decrypt. The files are unlocked and the results displayed in the window:
The decrypted files are placed in the same directory as the original encrypted files:
If you choose to decrypt a file and there is already an unencrypted file of the same name in that folder, the newly decrypted version appears in the Crypt window and the folder listing with "(decrypted)" added to the filename, as in the above example. However, note that if you decrypt the file yet again, the "(decrypted)" file is overwritten without notice.