Protecting with a Certificate or Password

The Protect dialog allows the author to use either a certificate or a password to protect a file.

Protecting with Certificate is the preferred method. The file is encrypted using a random key, then creates a license with unlimited rights for the specified certificate.

Protecting with Password allows the author to supply a password to protect the file. MicroStation encrypts files using the password and creates a password license with unlimited rights for that password.

Note: Typically, the author identifies his own certificate to protect a file. This gives the author access to the file allowing for additions or changes to the licenses. The author also can use some other person’s certificate to protect the file. In that case, the file is accessible to that other person only. This approach only makes sense when applied to a copy of the file and only if the author will not need access to the file in the future.

Protecting a File with a Certificate

The author can select certificates from their personal certificate store or certificate files. After the author identifies a certificate, the OK button on the Protect dialog is enabled. When the author presses OK, the file is protected.

Protecting a File with a Password

The author can limit access to a file so that a user must supply the correct password before gaining access to the file. Protecting with a password is recommended only for those who do not have a digital certificate because password protection can be less secure than a certificate because it is easier to lose or accidentally disclose. However, password-protecting a file can be convenient because recipients do not need certificates. Additionally, passwords can be a good solution for archiving protected files because they do not have to expire.