VeraCrypt Simplified User Manual for RUG employees [CIT Research Documentation]

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====== VeraCrypt Simplified User Manual for RUG employees ======

This is a simplified version of the VeraCrypt user manual created by the DCC using a Windows 10 system. It is meant to guide you through the installation of VeraCrypt, help you decide what level of security you need, and provide an easy to use, step-by-step manual on how to set up a VeraCrypt volume. Should you have any doubt on how to navigate this guide, please contact us at [[dcc@rug.nl|dcc@rug.nl]].

**Note**: We also offer regular workshops on VeraCrypt and its use.

**IMPORTANT: Please note that VeraCrypt provides a level of security that is determined by the user’s behavior as much as by the program itself. Read through the guide carefully and take note of what kind of behavior you need to follow to guarantee your data stays both safe and secure. As a quick reminder:**
  * **DO NOT leave your machine unattended (especially when a VeraCrypt volume is mounted),**
  * **DO NOT cache your passwords or keyfiles needed to mount a VeraCrypt volume, and**
  * **FOLLOW THE GUIDELINES provided in this manual or the original VeraCrypt manual to the letter. You can find the original manual here: https://www.veracrypt.fr/en/Documentation.html**

**Should you decide not to follow best practices, VeraCrypt cannot guarantee the security of your data (nor can the DCC).**

Throughout this manual, we will assume that you are going to install VeraCrypt on a Windows machine. There are versions of VeraCrypt available for Linux and MacOS as well, but they are beyond the scope of this guide. Should you want to install VeraCrypt on Linux or MacOS, please refer to the original VeraCrypt manual for more information. If you still have questions, contact us at [[dcc@rug.nl|dcc@rug.nl]].

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**Important Note**: Encryption is designed to prevent unauthorized access to data or a location in your file system. Your password is the way to prove your are authorized to access the data. If you lose your password, then **nobody will be able to recover the data** for you. Please **pay close attention** to where and how you manage your password(s). If you are in doubt, consider using a password manager.

VeraCrypt is useful for encrypting multiple files or a folder in your file system. If all you need to protect with encryption is a single excel sheet with your pseudonymization key, then excel has the functionality to encrypt that single file. For practicality reasons, only use VeraCrypt if you know (or foresee) that you will need to encrypt multiple files.

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==== What can you expect from VeraCrypt? ====

The way the DCC advises you to use VeraCrypt is to create a VeraCrypt volume. The idea behind an encrypted volume is to hide the location of multiple files behind a single file name. The file itself will also have the maximum size of the volume, regardless of whether the volume is full or empty. This is done to make it impossible to determine what data is stored in the volume and how big the data volume is. In order for the data to stay safe and secure, VeraCrypt needs you to follow some basic rules to prevent potential attackers from guessing the hidden information.

The way VeraCrypt encrypts and decrypts data is explained in detail in its manual. The short version of it is that the encrypted volume appears to contain random data and is inaccessible until the user provides a password and the volume is mounted by VeraCrypt. The data contained in the volume is decrypted by VeraCrypt when and while you are working on it. The decrypted information is stored in your RAM and will be overwritten once you dismount VeraCrypt. Only the encrypted data is saved on disk. This prevents sensitive data from ever being written in a location where it might be left unprotected should anyone gain access to your machine. 

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