Re: [External] Re: [SECURITY] AES-256 and Sensitive Documents

["Bukaweski, Dylan S" <dbukawes () PROVIDENCE EDU>]

My understanding is that just because the browser supports TLSv1.3 doesn’t mean it is going to use it to connect to the 
server. If your server only supports TLSv1.2 (not 1.3) with AES-256 for example, the browser is going to have to use 
that suite or it isn’t going to be able to connect.

If the server in question is publicly accessible, you can use Qualys SSL Labs (https://www.ssllabs.com/ssltest/) to see 
what is supported as far as TLS versions and ciphers. ☺

From: The EDUCAUSE Security Community Group Listserv <SECURITY () LISTSERV EDUCAUSE EDU> On Behalf Of Ronald Loneker
Sent: Wednesday, November 28, 2018 3:22 PM
To: SECURITY () LISTSERV EDUCAUSE EDU
Subject: [External] Re: [SECURITY] AES-256 and Sensitive Documents

Okay, here's my follow up question, though, about using the web app.  If you are using Chrome and TLS is TLS 1.3, 
you're only encrypting in transit at AES-128 and the federal regulation (I'm getting the specific one from our 
Financial Aid staff member) is saying it has to be AES-256.  True or not true?

Ron
-----------------------------------
Ron Loneker, Jr.
Director, IT Special Projects
College of Saint Elizabeth
Henderson Hall, Room 202C
2 Convent Road
Morristown, NJ  07960

Phone:  973-290-4229<tel:973-290-4229>

e-mail:  rloneker () cse edu<mailto:rloneker () cse edu>



On Wed, Nov 28, 2018 at 2:38 PM Jones, Mark B <Mark.B.Jones () uth tmc edu<mailto:Mark.B.Jones () uth tmc edu>> wrote:
For such things we would provide a link to a Web application that would allow the user to upload the document instead.  
Let https encrypt the document in transit.

From: The EDUCAUSE Security Community Group Listserv <SECURITY () LISTSERV EDUCAUSE EDU<mailto:SECURITY () LISTSERV 
EDUCAUSE EDU>> On Behalf Of Ronald Loneker
Sent: Wednesday, November 28, 2018 1:30 PM
To: SECURITY () LISTSERV EDUCAUSE EDU<mailto:SECURITY () LISTSERV EDUCAUSE EDU>
Subject: [SECURITY] AES-256 and Sensitive Documents

Good Afternoon All -

Our Financial Aid office would like to have students and their parents, when e-mailing financial aid documents 
containing sensitive information, to comply with federal regulations saying the documents should be e-mailed with 
AES-256 encryption.

Since TLS 1.3 was released and is now in use in Chrome, the TLS 1.3 protocol uses only AES-128 encryption so we're 
considering asking our students and their parents, if e-mailing sensitive documents, to encrypt them with a yet to be 
decided encryption application at the AES-256 level and attach the encrypted file to the e-mail being sent to our 
Financial Aid office.  We would provide links to easy to use, free encryption software and provide directions on how to 
download, install and use it.  We are also considering adding this software to our computer lab images for those 
students who want to e-mail documents but don't have access to a computer at home.

Right now, the other web browsers seem to be using TLS 1.2, currently operating at the AES-256 level, with Firefox and 
Safari saying they expect to move to TLS 1.3 in the near future at some point.

I'm curious as to what other schools are doing, and whether they are putting any sort of language on their website 
saying that documents like this should be encrypted to prevent unauthorized access to the data.

Please note that I am not looking for vendor solicitations.

Ron Loneker, Jr.
Director, IT Special Projects
College of Saint Elizabeth
Henderson Hall, Room 202C
2 Convent Road
Morristown, NJ  07960

Phone:  973-290-4229<tel:973-290-4229>

e-mail:  rloneker () cse edu<mailto:rloneker () cse edu>



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