Guide to encrypted document sharing

You may be starting a confidential project, sending a contract for review, or sharing financial reports with stakeholders. Encrypted document sharing secures your sensitive information while empowering collaboration with team members, clients, and partners. 

With file transfer options ranging from basic email encryption to cloud platforms, you can choose the best method based on the level of protection that best fits your needs. But if efficiency and top-tier security are priorities, go with the cloud to manage your entire content lifecycle, handling encryption all the way to safe delivery. Let’s review why. 

Top benefits of encrypted documents in the cloud 

The increase in data breaches and compliance regulations fuels the growth of the encryption software market, which is expected to hit $66.5 billion by 2032, according to Allied Market Research. 

Encrypting contracts, financial reports, and employee data help you: 

• Protect information against cyberattacks: In 2023, almost 60% of companies were affected by ransomware — and this is only one of the threats enterprises face when it comes to information security. Document encryption can keep your content secure against ransomware, unauthorized access attempts, man-in-the-middle attacks, and more. 
• Reduce the risk of accidental leaks: Human error is the cause behind 55% of cloud data breaches. Encryption scrambles data so only someone with the key can read the document, even if it’s sent to the wrong person. 
• Ensure compliance with data privacy regulations: Laws like PCI, HIPAA, CCPA, and GDPR require or recommend encryption to protect personal data from unauthorized access and breaches. By encrypting your documents, you can avoid potential fines and legal actions for non-compliance. 
• Enhance reliability and integrity: According to a PwC study, data protection and cybersecurity are the top elements of trust for executives, employees, and consumers. Implementing increased security controls shows that you take your customers’ privacy seriously, strengthening your reputation as a security-conscious business partner. 

How to share a document with encryption 

Cloud storage platforms offer these seven steps for encrypted document sharing: 

1. Document creation: You can create a document directly in the digital file management system or on the device of your choice 
2. Upload: If you created your file with software like Word or Adobe Acrobat, upload it to the cloud document storage once it’s ready 
3. Encryption: A strong algorithm like AES-256 automatically encrypts your file at rest, which means the document is securely encoded while it’s stored — during this step, the system can also define a key to protect your document, or you can choose the key yourself for complete control 
4. Key storage: The system will store your encryption key using robust security measures — remember to select a provider with a strong track record of data protection
5. Sharing: Whether generating a secure link or inviting users to access the file via cloud storage, ensure your solution encrypts data during transmission 
6. Decryption: When an authorized recipient opens the document, they receive access to the decryption key to view the content 
7. Access: Once the document is decrypted, the recipient can view, edit, or download it based on the permission level you granted them in the sharing step 

Best practices for sharing encrypted documents 

Follow these best practices to secure encrypted document sharing: 

1. Look for a document sharing system that supports advanced encryption 

Imagine searching for a specific contract buried among tons of files and folders. Beyond wasting valuable time, a lack of organization could expose sensitive information if documents end up in the wrong hands. 

Cloud-based document management acts as a central hub for easy access to your content. It streamlines file creation and storage, allowing you to define access permissions. 

When searching for a solution, make sure it offers: 

• Scalable cloud data storage: Opt for solutions to accommodate your growing data needs and ensure smooth performance at scale 
• File encryption: Advanced platforms use algorithms like AES 256-bit, RSA, and others to encrypt files in transit (when transferred) and at rest (when stored) 
• Enterprise file sharing: Enables secure collaboration on encrypted documents with authorized users 
• Cloud backup: Ensure your documents are recoverable in case of device failure or disaster 
• Electronic signature: To streamline the signing process of encrypted documents, look for solutions with built-in tools where you can pre-define signing orders and move documents through the approval chain 

2. Manage your encryption keys 

Think of your encryption key as the master password to your digital safe. Losing or compromising it could render your documents inaccessible. Respondents of the State of Zero Trust and Encryption Study rate key management as the most important feature of encryption solutions. For 39% of respondents, using keys generated/managed by the cloud provider is the main method for protecting data at rest in the cloud. 

Here’s how encryption key management becomes easy and secure with the cloud: 

• Easy setup: With a cloud-based file sharing system, you have user-friendly interfaces and support for quick configuration without complex IT expertise 
• Key rotation support: This feature helps you mitigate the risk of compromised keys by regularly generating new ones, quickly rendering any stolen keys useless for decrypting your data 
• Audit logs: Track all access activity related to your keys, including who accessed them and when, to identify unauthorized access and facilitate audit trails

3. Adopt a zero-trust approach to document security 

Zero trust is a security approach that assumes everyone needs verification before accessing your data. Leverage encryption in combination with these controls to strengthen document sharing security: 

• Multi-factor authentication (MFA): Add an extra layer of security to your account by requiring another verification step, like scanning your fingerprint 
• Single sign-on (SSO): Simplify the login process, allowing users to access multiple applications with a single username and password 
• Granular access controls: Define specific permission levels for users, such as view only, edit, and download, to prevent an authorized person from accessing an encrypted document without permission 
• Threat detection: Enable real-time monitoring of user activity related to your encrypted files that might indicate a potential security threat 
• Data leakage prevention (DLP): Set rules to control the flow of encrypted content to prevent sensitive information from being shared outside authorized channels 
• Automated data classification: Categorize encrypted documents automatically based on their content sensitivity with AI-powered tools 
• Vector-based watermarking: Embed identifiers within your document to track unauthorized distribution and identify the source if a leak happens 

Streamline encryption-enabled document sharing with Box 

Box provides a secure content management platform for creating, encrypting, storing, and organizing files in one place. With the Intelligent Content Cloud, encrypted document sharing is seamless and efficient. 

Count on Box KeySafe to encrypt every file in transit and at rest with an AES 256-bit algorithm. Manage your encryption keys from anywhere with customer keys housed by AWS/GCP and deployed in multiple availability zones. 

Enterprise-grade security and compliance empowers you to protect every document. You get: 

• Secure file sharing to send encrypted documents of any size and format 
• Granular access controls to help you safeguard your documents by limiting who can view or edit them 
• Password protection with strong user authentication via MFA and SSO
• Link expiration to help you reduce the risk of unauthorized access if the document falls into the wrong hands 
• Version control to make collaboration easier with your team, clients, and partners 

Let’s connect and discuss the best ways of sharing your encrypted documents securely and effectively. 

While we maintain our steadfast commitment to offering products and services with best-in-class privacy, security, and compliance, the information provided in this blog post is not intended to constitute legal advice. We strongly encourage prospective and current customers to perform their own due diligence when assessing compliance with applicable laws.