Enabling archive key password security for backups

Updated

Objective

Enabling archive key password security adds an additional password requirement to access your backups. CrashPlan generates the encryption key, but it is protected by a second, user-created password. You must provide this second password whenever you restore data or replace your device. This article provides instructions for enabling this setting.

Prerequisites

  • CrashPlan app
  • Permissions: You must have permission to change this setting. Depending on your organization's configuration, your administrator may prevent you from changing this setting.
  • Plan: This setting is only available for CrashPlan Enterprise and CrashPlan for MSPs subscriptions.
  • Risks and limitations: Ensure you have reviewed the risks and limitations for this security setting before proceeding.

  • Recovery limitations: If you do not set a recovery question, or if you lose both your password and your recovery answer, your backup data is permanently lost across all your devices.

    CrashPlan cannot recover a lost archive key password.

Procedure

Administrator-required setup
If your administrator has mandated archive key password security, the setup dialog will open automatically the next time you sign in to the CrashPlan app. Skip Step 1 and Step 3, and proceed directly to setting up your password in Step 2.

Step 1: Change your Account Encryption Key Security setting

  1. Open the CrashPlan app and sign in.
  2. Click Settings.
  3. Select the Security tab and click Upgrade.
    If this tab or button is unavailable, your administrator has locked this setting.
  4. Select Archive Key Password.

Step 2: Set up your archive key password

  1. Enter the password you'd like to use as your archive key password.
    Your password must be at least 8 characters and can include any combination of letters, numbers, symbols, and spaces.
  2. Re-enter the archive key password exactly as you entered it in the previous field.
  3. (Optional but highly recommended) Enter a recovery question and answer that can be used to reset your archive key password in the event that it is lost or forgotten.
  4. Click Save.
Security menu with archive key password selected

Step 3: Confirm your security upgrade

  1. Read the on-screen warnings carefully.
  2. Check the box for I understand the risks.
  3. Click Save to permanently upgrade to archive key password. A success message will appear.

Additional resources

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