Article ID: 954379 - Last Review: September 23, 2011 - Revision: 3.0

Behavior of the BitLocker Drive Encryption feature when a Windows Vista-based computer resumes from sleep

View products that this article applies to.
System TipThis article applies to a different operating system than the one you are using. Article content that may not be relevant to you is disabled.
Expand all | Collapse all

INTRODUCTION

This article discusses the behavior of the Windows BitLocker Drive Encryption feature when a Windows Vista-based computer resumes from sleep.

MORE INFORMATION

BitLocker Drive Encryption is a new security feature that provides better data protection for your computer by encrypting all data that is stored on the Windows operating system volume. The BitLocker Drive Encryption feature uses a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) microchip to protect the Windows Vista operating system and the user data. The TPM in turn uses encrypted keys to protect the Windows Vista operating system and user data from physical data theft or from attacks against the integrity of the Windows Vista operating system.

The BitLocker Drive Encryption feature does not provide data protection when the Windows Vista operating system is running or is asleep. When you resume a Windows Vista-based computer from sleep, the BitLocker Drive Encryption feature or the Trusted Platform Module (TPM) microchip that the BitLocker Drive Encryption feature uses does not provide protection against online attacks against the Windows Vista operating system and the user data. However, the BitLocker Drive Encryption feature can be configured to provide increased security while the computer hibernates.

To provide increased security when you use the BitLocker Drive Encryption feature, you can use the TPM together with a user PIN or with a USB flash drive that stores the startup key for BitLocker authentication.

To protect the Windows Vista operating system from online attacks, you can use standard Windows protection features such as Windows Firewall and Windows Defender programs. Also, if you configured the computer to ask for a password when the computer resumes from sleep, an attacker has to provide a valid user name and password to unlock the computer and to use the Windows Vista operating system.

For more information about the BitLocker Drive Encryption feature and TPM, visit the following Microsoft Web sites:
http://technet2.microsoft.com/WindowsVista/en/library/c61f2a12-8ae6-4957-b031-97b4d762cf311033.mspx?mfr=true (http://technet2.microsoft.com/WindowsVista/en/library/c61f2a12-8ae6-4957-b031-97b4d762cf311033.mspx?mfr=true)
http://technet2.microsoft.com/WindowsVista/en/library/58358421-a7f5-4c97-ab41-2bcc61a58a701033.mspx?mfr=true (http://technet2.microsoft.com/WindowsVista/en/library/58358421-a7f5-4c97-ab41-2bcc61a58a701033.mspx?mfr=true)
APPLIES TO
  • Windows Vista Ultimate
  • Windows Vista Enterprise
  • Windows Vista Business
  • Windows Vista Home Premium
  • Windows Vista Home Basic
  • Windows Vista Ultimate 64-bit Edition
  • Windows Vista Enterprise 64-bit Edition
  • Windows Vista Business 64-bit Edition
  • Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit Edition
  • Windows Vista Home Basic 64-bit Edition
Back to the top
Keywords: 
kbexpertiseadvanced kbhowto kbinfo KB954379