How to setup a PC so files on it can be accessed securely?

TheMystic · Nov 13, 2021

I have a few folders on my PC that have sharing enabled. I have created a dedicated user on the PC who has read/ write permissions to these folders.

When on local network, I can access these folders from my other devices over SMB. I use the login credentials of the user created just for this purpose. That way I don't have to give away my Microsoft account credentials to 3rd party apps that I use to connect to these folders from other devices.

But when not in LAN, there is no way to access them with the existing setup.

What is the best way to setup secure file access on a PC over the internet?

Thanks.

.

barman58 · Nov 13, 2021

Disconnect from the network, lock all the doors and windows - use a USB Pendrive or external HDD to do the transfer - that is the old fashioned way that some of us started to transfer files in a secure environment

But these days, simply connect the devices with ethernet and disconnect the PCs from the net and you should be safe enough

TheMystic · Nov 13, 2021

barman58 said:
Disconnect from the network, lock all the doors and windows - use a USB Pendrive or external HDD to do the transfer - that is the old fashioned way that some of us started to transfer files in a secure environment

But these days, simply connect the devices with ethernet and disconnect the PCs from the net and you should be safe enough

Does that mean that a secure way of accessing files over internet is not possible?

barman58 · Nov 13, 2021

There are ways, a pro level VPN from a trusted supplier that will set up a "tunnel" for the data that will be safe against most attacks.

to be honest unless the data is highly secret, business / financial data, the normal data protection of an antimalware suite (AV. Firewall, malware checker) should be safe from all but the high level thieves who would not likely be interested is a private users data.

As I still deal with clients data I have a hardware, and software VPN, and I often use a passworded Zip for transfer

TheMystic · Nov 13, 2021

barman58 said:
There are ways, a pro level VPN from a trusted supplier that will set up a "tunnel" for the data that will be safe against most attacks.

to be honest unless the data is highly secret, business / financial data, the normal data protection of an antimalware suite (AV. Firewall, malware checker) should be safe from all but the high level thieves who would not likely be interested is a private users data.

As I still deal with clients data I have a hardware, and software VPN, and I often use a passworded Zip for transfer

The files and folders don't contain highly secret data, and so I am not looking for a very secure solution either that involves investing in hardware or a subscription service.

I just want to be able to setup and access them in the most secure way that is available natively within Windows or by use of a well known free software.

Also, this is not just for transferring files. It could also be for media streaming.

barman58 · Nov 13, 2021

There are free software VPNs that will protect against most threats that a home user will face
combined with something like the Free Bitdefender should be sufficient for your needs
I tend not to use free security applications as I still get the occasional audit for the odd client, but there are some good ones out there

TheMystic · Nov 13, 2021

barman58 said:
There are free software VPNs that will protect against most threats that a home user will face
combined with something like the Free Bitdefender should be sufficient for your needs
I tend not to use free security applications as I still get the occasional audit for the odd client, but there are some good ones out there

What about SFTP?

Doesn't Windows offer a built-in way to setup an SFTP server on the system to enable file access securely? Isn't that good enough for normal use (where files aren't too private and confidential)?

barman58 · Nov 14, 2021

I'm not sure about sFTP natively in Windows on desktop, not done anything with it since the 1990s and then only on NT servers

There may be 3rd party solutions if it's not tucked away somewhere in more Modern Windows,
Also I'm unsure on how it would stand up to modern attack vectors as it is a very old protocol

EDIT
I have found an possible option for windows 10 from SolarWinds, A developer I have heard of - no idea of it will work on windows 11

HowTo Install & Setup SFTP Server on Windows 10

Lets Learn HowTo Install & Setup SFTP Server on Windows 10 Desktop! We'll Show your a FREE TOOL we found and How to configure Firewall, etc!

www.webservertalk.com

tomdsr · Nov 16, 2021

TheMystic said:
What about SFTP?

Doesn't Windows offer a built-in way to setup an SFTP server on the system to enable file access securely? Isn't that good enough for normal use (where files aren't too private and confidential)?

You are making this much much harder than it needs to be. Depending on your router, your router probably has an SSH server built in, but not turned on. If it does, locate its settings page, turn it on and follow its instructions (it should have you download keys and a profile to use on other devices). Then you ssh in and browse the network like normal.

If you open port 22 for sftp, or 21 for ftp, or 80 for http or 443 for https, you're gonna get a lot of unwanted traffic for that pc to drop. it'll drop it but your pc will waste resources saying no to everyone in the world besides you (you know, the hackes scanning, the script kiddies playing, etc).

When you SSH in, your device will get a local ip, just like if you were at home, inside the network, on the LAN.

TheMystic · Nov 17, 2021

barman58 said:
I'm not sure about sFTP natively in Windows on desktop, not done anything with it since the 1990s and then only on NT servers

There may be 3rd party solutions if it's not tucked away somewhere in more Modern Windows,
Also I'm unsure on how it would stand up to modern attack vectors as it is a very old protocol

EDIT
I have found an possible option for windows 10 from SolarWinds, A developer I have heard of - no idea of it will work on windows 11

HowTo Install & Setup SFTP Server on Windows 10

Lets Learn HowTo Install & Setup SFTP Server on Windows 10 Desktop! We'll Show your a FREE TOOL we found and How to configure Firewall, etc!

www.webservertalk.com

I found an extremely simple solution.

Windows comes with a built-in OpenSSH server that has to be installed from the 'Add optional features' option. Once installed, I had to set the Service to start automatically, and set (or restrict) the root directory using ChrootDirectory in the config file and also enter the user who would be allowed to access the system. This limits user access to just the folder you want.

Just wanted to add that I didn't have to create a firewall rule to open port 22. By default, my Firewall is set to BLOCK all connections. I guess the SSH service when enabled automatically creates the necessary rules in firewall to allow SFTP access.

TheMystic · Nov 17, 2021

tomdsr said:
You are making this much much harder than it needs to be. Depending on your router, your router probably has an SSH server built in, but not turned on. If it does, locate its settings page, turn it on and follow its instructions (it should have you download keys and a profile to use on other devices). Then you ssh in and browse the network like normal.

If you open port 22 for sftp, or 21 for ftp, or 80 for http or 443 for https, you're gonna get a lot of unwanted traffic for that pc to drop. it'll drop it but your pc will waste resources saying no to everyone in the world besides you (you know, the hackes scanning, the script kiddies playing, etc).

When you SSH in, your device will get a local ip, just like if you were at home, inside the network, on the LAN.

I'm not too well versed with opening port in the router because of the security risks associated with it.

I don't want to 'SSH', but just use SFTP file access. So I added a couple of lines to the config file:

This limits access only via SFTP and disables command line access.

While my usage is primarily from within the LAN, it would be nice to have access over the internet too.

Will opening the port on the router not increase the risks?

tomdsr · Nov 17, 2021

TheMystic said:
I'm not too well versed with opening port in the router because of the security risks associated with it.

I don't want to 'SSH', but just use SFTP file access. So I added a couple of lines to the config file:

View attachment 13883

This limits access only via SFTP and disables command line access.

While my usage is primarily from within the LAN, it would be nice to have access over the internet too.

Will opening the port on the router not increase the risks?

Er, meant VPN on router, sorry, was tired from work and chemotherapy makes my brain mush.

VPN on the router. No port to open to your pc. Your router listens. if the right client >>with the right keys<< connects then you get access to your lan.

With it on your pc, you need to open a port (22) to point to your pc to allow it thru the router. If you go that route, i hope you have a very very strong password, like 15 characters with lots of symbols and random letters and numbers.

On VPN on the router, it generates a key (certificate) that the client must have to connect.

The pic is my router, and showing how easy it is (it guides you)

TheMystic · Nov 17, 2021

tomdsr said:
Er, meant VPN on router, sorry, was tired from work and chemotherapy makes my brain mush.

VPN on the router. No port to open to your pc. Your router listens. if the right client >>with the right keys<< connects then you get access to your lan.

With it on your pc, you need to open a port (22) to point to your pc to allow it thru the router. If you go that route, i hope you have a very very strong password, like 15 characters with lots of symbols and random letters and numbers.

On VPN on the router, it generates a key (certificate) that the client must have to connect.

The pic is my router, and showing how easy it is (it guides you)

Get well soon! All the best!

I don't have VPN or SSH Server feature on my router.

My question is: if I get a router with those features, will opening the port 22 to point to my PC add any risk to my files or system? Also, will it be too taxing on the router for the same reasons you mentioned before?

tomdsr · Nov 17, 2021

TheMystic said:
Get well soon! All the best!

I don't have VPN or SSH Server feature on my router.

View attachment 13887

My question is: if I get a router with those features, will opening the port 22 to point to my PC add any risk to my files or system? Also, will it be too taxing on the router for the same reasons you mentioned before?

TY for the well wishes. Radiation done, and more chemo before surgery :)

What does it have under "virtual server"? Some routers hide vpn in there. If you got a router with vpn (if yours doesnt have it) you wouldnt open any ports. The router listens and if you connect by vpn, it essentially thinks you are hooked to the router on its wifi.

On your current router, you would use port triggering to forward port 22 to your pc (if you dont have vpn on router)

The risk forwarding 22 is minimal as long as you have a very strong password. That password is the key to the kingdom :)

Wouldnt be any more taxing on the router, its designed to route things :)

TheMystic · Nov 17, 2021

tomdsr said:
TY for the well wishes. Radiation done, and more chemo before surgery :)

What does it have under "virtual server"? Some routers hide vpn in there. If you got a router with vpn (if yours doesnt have it) you wouldnt open any ports. The router listens and if you connect by vpn, it essentially thinks you are hooked to the router on its wifi.

On your current router, you would use port triggering to forward port 22 to your pc (if you dont have vpn on router)

The risk forwarding 22 is minimal as long as you have a very strong password. That password is the key to the kingdom :)

Wouldnt be any more taxing on the router, its designed to route things :)

Take care!

I do have SSH server. Thanks.

Thank you for your time.

If possible, please let me know the next steps.

tomdsr · Nov 17, 2021

TheMystic said:
Take care!

I do have SSH server. Thanks.

View attachment 13889

View attachment 13890

Thank you for your time.

If possible, please let me know the next steps.

you would put port 22 on the left and the right boxes.

Left set of boxes is for what the router listens on. If one port, left boxes will be 22 in start and 22 in end (yours will be like this). If its a range, then it would be for example start:21 end 22.

Right set is the internal ports.

That is port triggering tho, you still need the page where to set the port forwarding (where it asks what computer is listening). Without the port forward, it wont make it to your computer cause the router doesnt know what pc to forward that connection to so the router drops it.

tomdsr · Nov 17, 2021

I have to run to work, but attatched is my routers port forwarding to give you an example.

the ip ending in 101 is my server.

How to setup a PC so files on it can be accessed securely?

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