Encrypting file system and method

In a computer system having a file system, a method of reading unencrypted file data or encrypted file data and returning the data read as unencrypted file data, comprising, receiving at the file system from a requesting program a request to read file data from a non-volatile storage, reading the file data, determining at file system software if the file data is encrypted, and if the file data is not encrypted, returning the file data to the requesting program, and if the file data is encrypted, obtaining a file encryption key for that file by applying a private key to the file encryption key data, the file encryption key data including the file encryption key encrypted with a public key and stored on the same non-volatile storage and in association with the file, providing the file encryption key and the file data to a file system level decryption mechanism, decrypting the file data into unencrypted file data, and returning the unencrypted file data to the requesting program.

In a computer system having a file system, a method of storing selected file data as encrypted file data, including receiving at the file system a request to write the file data and the file data to be written as encrypted, encrypting the file data via file system level software into encrypted file data by using a file encryption key, encrypting the file encryption key with a public key, writing the encrypted file data to a non-volatile storage, and writing the encrypted file encryption key to the same non-volatile storage as the encrypted file data and in association therewith.

In a computer system having a file system, a system for encrypting data written by the file system to a non-volatile storage, comprising, means for obtaining a file encryption key, a software encryption mechanism at a file system software level for converting unencrypted data to encrypted data based on the file encryption key, the file system writing at least some of the data as encrypted data to a file in the non-volatile storage, and means for encrypting the file encryption key, the file system writing the encrypted file encryption key to the same nonvolatile storage as the encrypted data and in association therewith.

In a computer system having a file system, a system for encrypting data written by the file system to a non-volatile storage, comprising, a file encryption key, a software encryption mechanism connected to the file system and configured to convert unencrypted data to encrypted data based on the file encryption key, the file system communicating with the encryption mechanism to write at least some of the data as encrypted data to a file in the non-volatile storage, a mechanism configured to encrypt the file encryption key into at least one set of encrypted key data, the file system writing each set of encrypted key data to the same non-volatile storage as the encrypted data and in association therewith.