Boxcryptor Local Account - Keyfile - Boxcryptor Community

Boxcryptor Local Account - Keyfile

dodog

I have Apple Mac with OS X Yosemite.

I have set up Boxcryptor with a Local Account with the Keyfile created by Boxcryptor. I have backed up Keyfile. Two questions:

1) Do I need both the password and the Keyfile to decrypt files?? Or can I decrypt files with just the Keyfile.

2) If I lost the Keyfile and I then reinstalled Boxcryptor as a Local Account using the same password will the new Boxcryptor installation create an identical Keyfile such that I can decrypt previously encrypted files??

Many thanks

Bugtrapper

I am not the Moderator, but I think,
1) you need key AND password
2) you are completely right, that's the intention how it should work

But be cateful, please test it for a few files if it is working on Mac.
I have no experience with Mac.

dodog

If I am correct in my point (2) I actually only need my password because I can recreate the Keyfile??

Would appreciate a Moderator's input.

Thanks.

Bugtrapper

You can export the key file always from boxcryptor
Web site login, why should the key file be different,
if you reinstall anything ? Only problem is, that you may not
forget your password, and if you have forgotten it, all your
files are lost. But you also can backup your exported
keyfile to different places on several device, so you don't
lose anything if one device is damaged.

After you lose your password, your account can only be
reset, and you are losing your files, if you don't have
several backup positions.

A moderator is missing here, but meanwhile I only wanted
to help, so we are waiting for the moderator, maybe he is on a
vacation ?!

Cumulonimbi

You can not recreate a keyfile. I'm not a moderator but I tried this for myself: signed out of Boxcryptor and created a new keyfile with exactly the same password as my original one. The encrypted files in my Dropbox were shown as encrypted files in the Boxcryptor Drive as well (in other words: they could not be decrypted).
This is actually good: otherwise one could recreate a keyfile and only the password was needed (as you suggested).

Note that it is possible to copy your keyfile (so you can have one keyfile in your cloud storage and one on your hard drive, for example). You can decrypt your files with both keyfiles.
However: if you change your password for one keyfile, the password for the other keyfile does not change!! It is important to keep that in mind.

You can try these (and other) things out yourself, by creating different keyfiles. (make sure you give them clear names, so that you can distinguish your original keyfile from others)

Robert

Hello,

1) Yes, you need both - the password AND keyfile - to sign into your local account.

2) It is NOT possible to recreate a keyfile - not even if you use the same password. When you create a local account, a completely random key pair is generated and the private key is encrypted with your password. The password is not used in the key pair generation process.

Best regards,
Robert