Summary
The Encrypting File System just announced for the first time in Windows XP Professional shows promise as a technology for keeping encrypted files from being accessed despite other operating systems being installed on secured workstations. The direction Microsoft is going with regard to security clearly shows that file authentication through the use of public keys is the preferred approach. The one open area is where an intruder installs a down-rev operating system that doesn't have the characteristics of the NTFS file system.