file encryption - password used, what if i change it?

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Contractor5Prepays9
Posts: 76
Joined: Wed Sep 23, 2020 10:38 pm

file encryption - password used, what if i change it?

Post by Contractor5Prepays9 »

syncovery, encrypted file backup from left to right, and decrypt right to left.

WHAT if i decided to CHANGE the current encryption password. On the NEXT BACKUP, would syncovery know, for the EXISTING right sided files, that it would need to re-upload them due to new encryption password? or would i have to first DELETE right side, then do full new backup?

reason
i am gradually changing my passwords
from random 30-character +/-, such as zoasdf13432vk!# .....
to random generated nonsencical phrases such as Mathias!will1!unfold3!A2!cart.

the reason for that is so that in some event where COPY/PASTE does not work, for copying of a password, it is much easier to type the nonsensical phrase as each part of it makes some cerebral sense, where it is much more difficult to type the random characters correctly

anyway, just seeing how that would work wit syncovery
thanks

tobias
Posts: 1604
Joined: Tue Mar 31, 2020 7:37 pm

Re: file encryption - password used, what if i change it?

Post by tobias »

Hello,
if you change the password, your backup will have mixed files, some using the old and some using the new password. Syncovery can restore such mixed backup sets just fine, but if you want to avoid it, please start a new backup by specifying a new destination folder, and/or deleting the old backup folder.

Contractor5Prepays9
Posts: 76
Joined: Wed Sep 23, 2020 10:38 pm

Re: file encryption - password used, what if i change it?

Post by Contractor5Prepays9 »

thanks, no problem, i just wanted to make sure i understood.

BUT, just to confirm, if i change it, syncovery CAN DETECT which NEW files should use the new password, but it will still remember the OLD password for the existing files?? (that is a FEAT !)

do the files on the right side have a key that detects which password should be used?

tobias
Posts: 1604
Joined: Tue Mar 31, 2020 7:37 pm

Re: file encryption - password used, what if i change it?

Post by tobias »

Hello,
Syncovery won't remember the old password. When you restore, and it finds a file that uses a different (older) password, it will ask you for it. But you need to enter it only once for the restore, additional files will automatically use the relevant password. Yes there is a little password hash in each encrypted file that serves to quickly determine if the password is correct or not.

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