Creating Encrypted .tar.gz Archives

System Requirements: 

Instructions:

In order to create symmetric encrypted archive files, when public key encryption is not an option, archiving is required first. The process for creating secure archive files on a Linux system is as follows:

1. Copy the files into a directory which you can access, and have permissions to create new files and directories. Change your current working directory to be that of the new location, or alternatively remember to use full paths in the commands below. The archive will be created in the form of a single file in the same location. 

2. Ensure that you have a password ready to use for the file, which should be sent to the recipient by different means to the archive file.

3. Run the following command (items in bold should be substituted for your own values):

tar cz folder_to_encrypt | openssl enc -aes-256-cbc -e > CUST01_shield_policy.tar.gz.enc

4. Enter password twice when prompted.

5. You should now find the encrypted archive in the chosen location.