PGP Whole Disk Encryption
Secure Passphrases – Creating, Changing, and Recovery

• A passphrase is not the same as a password. Passphrases are longer and allow you to use a larger variety of characters – take advantage of this and create something unique and secure.
• Pay attention to the Passphrase Quality Bar when creating passphrases. The strength of your passphrase should correspond with the importance of the information you are securing.
• Don’t use strings of consecutive letters or numbers (ABC or 123). These are very easily hacked.
• Make it memorable. This will prove especially useful if a group will be using the same passphrase (for example, to access a shared USB stick). Make it straightforward enough for everyone to remember, but specific enough to avoid being compromised. Try a unique quote or phrase familiar to the people in the group, ideally using a variety of capitalization and punctuation.

Change your passphrase if…

• Your current passphrase has been compromised in any way
• You need to share a removable disk with someone

To change your passphrase:

1. In PGP Desktop, select the encrypted drive for which you wish to change the passphrase.
2. Under User Access, select your username (or the name of the user whose information you’d like to change) and click Passphrase.
3. Enter the current passphrase and click OK.
4. Enter the new passphrase in the Enter Passphrase and Confirm Passphrase fields. Click OK.

When you encrypt a disk, PGP Desktop automatically creates a recovery token for IT administrators in the event your login information is lost or forgotten. This token can only be used once in order to gain emergency access to the system; once you are back in the system, you will have to create new credentials. Contact the AskIT Help Desk at AskIT or 6-5555 if you forget your password.