File Encryption

[SixSigmaAutomat]

I am new to VPNs and have a few questions. Sorry for my lack of knowlege in this area.
I need software which (by default) only allows files to leave the PCs in my VPN in encrypted form. If the files end up at an other computer not defined as part of my VPN (like due to erroneous attachment to E-mail), the files should not be readable/openable.
Is that one of the features of WinGate?
If I want to send a file to someone I do NOT want to be in my VPN with the intention to be readable, it needs to be send in non-encrypted form (non default situation). Is it possible with WinGate to label/define a file as such and how would I do that?
If WinGate does not have these features, which software has?

Thanks for your help,

Regards,

Vince

[erwin]

Hi there

VPN's in general will only encrypt the data that travels between VPN sites, and the tunnels that connect them. The actual data wont stay encrypted once it was out of the VPN tunnels unless it was encrypted by some other way before hand.

File encryption as you described is an OS or specialist application issue/feature. Win 2000, XP,.NEt offers File encryption services if thats what your after.

Regards
Erwin

[SixSigmaAutomat]

Thanks for your comments Erwin. Still not quite clear to me.

To illustrate what I mean. My wife works for a large coporation and it appears that files generated within the company's VPN and E-mailed to an address NOT in the VPN arrive, but cannot be opened/read.
It appears to me that the files are either stored on HD in encrypted form, or are encrypted just before sending over LAN or E-mail.
Is that how a typical VPN works?
Actually that is what I would like to have.

Thanks and Regards,
Vince

[erwin]

Hi Vince

To clarify my earlier post for you:

VPN typically works like this:

Office 1 creates a special secure tunnel across the public highway of the Internet to Office 2, which only these two Offices can use.

Through the VPN tunnel the Office 1 network will be able to access machines/shares/files etc in Office2 as if it was on the same LAN

VPN traffic( file transfers,data etc) is only encrypted while in the VPN tunnel. Files created moved and saved during a VPN connection are treated as normal (with NO special encryption lingering as a result of being moved across/or involved in a VPN.)

E.G. Office 1 and Office 2 have a VPN tunnel/connection between them.

The pc at Office 1 has a document saved on its hard drive

As long as there is no permissions/encryption on the file that could be SET BY THE OPERATING SYSTEM, the file will be able to be read by other machines, regardless of whether the computer participates in a VPN or not. So you could save it to a CD or floppy and open it on another machine.

When participating in the VPN, the PC at office 2 will see the document on the hard drive at Office 1 PC.

The office 2 pc grabs a copy of the file through the VPN tunnel.
(As the document travels down the tunnel, this is the only place where the document is temporarily subject to encryption).

Once it leaves the tunnel and is saved to the hard drive of the pc in Office 2 it is no longer encrypted, or will suffer any after effects of the encryption that happened in the VPN tunnel.

So in the case you described there should be no reason why files created in a VPN and then later emailed to some address should have difficulty being opened unless some form of file encryption/or access rights has been set on the file by some other means. i.e. Operating system/application feature.
(The VPN will have NO affect on this)

Hope this gives some clear meaning to your problem.

Regards
Erwin