TABLE OF CONTENTS
Sharing among Atakama users
Overview
Sharing is how users can access encrypted files. To share encrypted files, users (i.e., Atakama Profiles) must be part of the same Security Group and have access to the same Secure Folders. The cryptographic access control provided by Atakama sits on top of underlying file-level permissions, which are separately configured.
Sharing is decentralized
Unlike traditional access control systems (e.g., Active Directory), sharing in Atakama is decentralized and based on users' cryptographic access, as represented by Security Groups. An Atakama Profile that is a Full Client admin with access to a Security Group can permission other users (i.e., Atakama Profiles) at their discretion.
This decentralized sharing model, on top of existing file-level access control, provides meaningful data protection that protects against common attack vectors.
Anatomy of a Secure Folder
Secure Folders contain important, hidden files that enable sharing. For example, the .atakamashare.db folder contains:
Security Group access Keys in secure transit from one Atakama Profile to another
Backups of Security Group access Keys for all Atakama Profiles.
It's important not to modify or remove any of these hidden files.
Sharing Limitations
With the free version of Atakama Basic you are able to share files within a location (e.g., network drive, Dropbox, Google Drive) to one Atakama-enabled computer. If more than one Atakama-enabled computers attempt to access the shared file location, those additional computers will be unable to access Atakama-encrypted files.
To enable sharing with more than one computer you will need a subscription to Atakama Premium.
**This article pertains to shared file access within Atakama. This is different from Atakama's Secure File Transfer feature.