Vista relies primarily on AES (Advanced Encryption System), using it as the encryption algorithm both EFS (Encrypted File System) and BitLocker drive encryption.

How to Encrypt and Decrypt a File. Encrypting files on your computer helps to secure your data from unauthorized access. Microsoft Windows features the native ability to encrypt files and folders ...

The BitLocker encryption built into higher-end versions of Windows Vista goes a long way toward locking out intruders at the boot-drive level, but it's neither 100% hassle-free nor 100% secure.

How to Encrypt Files on Windows using Encrypting File System (EFS) EFS works by letting you apply encryption to already-existing files or folders in your file system.

That same year, the Russian agricultural business Miratorg was attacked by ransomware that used BitLocker to encrypt files residing in the system storage of infected devices.

The lab-developed ransomware strain relies on the Encrypting File System (EFS) component in Microsoft's operating system and can run undetected by some antivirus software.