Increases in threats from cyber-criminals and the introduction of stricter security standards demands an advanced approach to the safekeeping of classified and sensitive data by government agencies. These agencies and departments hold vast amounts of data on civilians as well as state secrets.

Using data encryption in government institutions should be mandatory. It is the simplest way, and the first step these institutions should take, to protect the mammoth amount of information they have to process and store.

Data encryption is a common and very effective method of securing sensitive and classified information. It is the most straightforward way of protecting data of individuals and organization.

• Authentication

This is an important feature in proving that a website is legitimate and has been assigned an SSL certificate. With an increasing number of fraudulent websites online, authentication is becoming an extremely important function. Ensuring that data shared, stored, or archived is encrypted helps to prevent data modification or data breach.

• Privacy

Encryption software guarantees that messages, emails, and files containing sensitive information cannot be read while they are in transit or at rest.

• Compliance

Many industries, and particularly government institutions, have strict rules in place that ensure all data they collect and/or store is encrypted. Examples of these directives include the GDPR, HIPAA, and CCPA.

• Security

If an employee has their mobile device stolen, encryption software would protect the data stored on the device from falling into the wrong hands. It assists organizations with communication and ensures that their transmissions cannot be intercepted.

The Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) is the industry standard for governments, the military, financial organizations, and the healthcare sector. The data encryption standard is available in 128-bit, 192-bit, and 256-bit. AES is considered being impervious to brute force attacks.

AES encryption software should be used in government institutions to protect:

• Data in Transit – this is active data traveling between devices, through private or public networks such as email or messaging services.
• Data at Rest – this is data that is stored in any digital form, such as databases, mobile devices, and hard drives. It is estimated that over 90% of data is stored in this state.
• Data in Process – this is active data that is being used by an application or individual and is being frequently changed.

The ever-changing security regulations that Government Departments must navigate is helped by WinRAR’s constant development, retaining its title as one of the most reliable and well-known compression solutions on Windows.

With WinRAR, users can set passwords for files and archives, which will not only encrypt the names with AES 256-bit, FIPS-compliant encryption technology but will also encrypt the metadata too, making it virtually impossible for the contents of the files to be guessed or intercepted. These archives and files can then be safely stored on mobile devices and in the cloud.

With the ability to set up Administrator rights, organizations are in complete control over the data they store and, more importantly, over who can access it. WinRAR’s built-in password manager is also a very useful addition to an already extensive arsenal, helping users to keep track of the many and difficult passwords required to keep sensitive data away from prying eyes.

WinRAR automatically stores the exact time that a file or archive was modified thanks to its time-stamping feature. The software also offers further control to system administrators regarding when and by whom data is being accessed. This goes hand in hand with WinRAR’s built-in back up options and its lock archive function, which prevents any accidental file modification.

Setting the recovery record with WinRAR can help with restoring damaged archives. Used alongside existing anti-virus tools, WinRAR can also scan files and archives for malicious content before the data is unpacked onto users’ computers.

WinRAR’s knowledgeable Sales & Support team have over 25 years of expertise. WinRAR is the leading software for file and data compression and encryption, used by Government departments all over the world. Compliancy with the GDPR, CCPA, and other privacy regulations has never been easier using WinRAR’s AES 256-bit encryption solutions.