Microsoft Private Folder

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Microsoft Private Folder
Private Folder notification area icon
Developed by	Microsoft
Latest release	1.0 / July 2006
OS	Windows
Genre	Encryption
License	Proprietary
Website	(Unoffical download)

Microsoft Private Folder was a controversial product released by Microsoft as part of their "Windows Genuine Advantage" program. It allowed users to protect private data in a password protected folder called 'My Private Folder' in the user's account.^[1]

[edit] Usage

Microsoft Private Folder created a single folder on the user's desktop which, when opened for the first time, prompted the user to assign it a password. Every subsequent time the folder was opened, the user had to re-enter the same password to gain access. While the core implementation details of this service are not yet public, it is assumed that Private Folder used strong encryption with a key based solely on this password to secure the data contained in the folder. This is in contrast to Microsoft's Encrypting File System, where encryption is tied to a keypair which can be made accessible to IT staff.

Private Folder used a system service called prfldrsvc (display name: Private Folder Service), the function of which is not yet publicly known.

[edit] Controversy

When Microsoft introduced this product in early July 2006, the news created quite a stir in the corporate IT community, partly because of the lack of information available on the product, and partly because of the apparent lack of any administrative override capability.

As a result of negative feedback, Microsoft announced that the Private Folder application will be discontinued and removed from the Download Center.^[2] The application was removed on July 14, 2006.^[3]

[edit] References