Concerned about the NSA, FBI or other entity snooping on your personal or business email? There’s now an app that guards against that—and it’s free for personal use.
Enterprise file sharing and data protection newcomer Boole Server has launched a new service, BooleBox, that provides a new level of end-to-end encryption and security control of a company’s email and other data.
Boole Server’s on-premises-only data server provides serious security: full military-grade encryption to secure data beyond perimeter and device-centric controls and to keep it from falling into unauthorized hands. This type of security is not currently available on such widely used services as DropBox, Google Drive and Box.
BooleBox, based on Boole Server, features an email client with encryption so that users can send and receive messages securely. A user simply types in the recipient’s address, and BooleBox ensures that the email is kept safe from outsiders.
Files are automatically encrypted on the local disk as they are moved or copied into the BooleBox folder. Messages are received as a hyperlink, which recipients must click through to read, Boole executive consultant Laura Yecies told eWEEK.
Complexity and tediosity have always been the biggest reasons encryption in file-level security is avoided in many enterprise IT systems. BooleBox uses another approach: Only the end user holds the “private key”—a simple, personally chosen passcode—to encrypt and unlock files, Yecies said. Private keys are easily created and managed through BooleBox’s intuitive desktop software client and mobile app. Thus, the barrier to adopting encryption is removed, making its security benefits accessible to a larger number of users, Yecies said.
All protected files remain inaccessible to unauthorized parties, even if a user’s account credentials or the device are stolen. Thus, there is no opportunity for any third party—including even government agencies or the service provider—to access private files. Files remain secured at all times, even when they’re being shared, because the user always maintains control over file access and authentication.
With one click, users can set permissions on sharing and even restrict files from being printed, downloaded or forwarded, Yecies said.
BooleBox is available free for personal use; information on premium features for businesses and individuals as well as management features is available via its Web site.