About Secure Share

• Overview
• Upload a file
• Share a file
• Download a file
• Create an encrypted text file
• Allow a guest to upload a file
• Delete files
• Get help

Overview

At Indiana University, Secure Share provides a way to securely share data, including critical information, with others via a web interface. It is particularly useful for sharing files that are too large to send via email.

Upload a file

1. Go to Secure Share.
2. In the "Upload a file" section, choose Select file, and browse to your file.
   Note:

   Special characters such as %, < >, or { } can cause issues during file download. Remove special characters from file names before uploading them to Secure Share.
3. Add an optional "Description" for the file (UITS recommends you do this).
4. Input a strong password that is at least eight characters long. This will be required to access the file. You will be unable to upload the file if the password is too weak.
5. To restrict access to those with an IU username and passphrase, select Require user to have an IU Network ID for download. If you don't choose this option, anyone with the URL for the uploaded file can access it.
   Note:

   The Secure Share server never stores your password. Your password is used only to encrypt and then to decrypt the data. If you forget your password or mistype it during upload, there is no way to recover the original data. If this happens, delete the file from Secure Share, and then upload it again.
6. When you're finished, select Upload.
7. To be notified when the file is done uploading, select Send me an email when the upload is complete. The email notification has a URL to the page for managing the file and sharing access with others.

Share a file

To share a file:

1. Go to Secure Share.
2. After uploading the file, navigate to the file in your My Uploads section.
3. Select Send file link.
4. Add the email addresses of the recipients, and optionally include a message to send with the notification email.
5. Use a separate method to send users the password for the file. Inform users if the file requires IU Login to access.
   Note:

   The shared links are only valid once. The file will need to be shared again for additional access.

   Recipients have one chance to enter the password. If the password is incorrect, they will need the file to be shared with them again.

When viewing a file that you have uploaded, you will see the following sections:

• Active Users: These are people with whom you have shared the file, but who have not yet attempted to access the file. You can revoke their access by selecting the Revoke button near their email address in the list.
• Inactive Users: These are people with whom you have shared the file, and who have already attempted to access the file (whether successful or not).

Download a file

Secure Share files can only be downloaded when shared. Similarly, uploaded files cannot be downloaded from the My Uploads page. If you need to download a file that you own, you will need to share it with yourself.

To download a file:

1. Find the email that you received when a file was shared with you. The email will have a subject of "Secure Share file download invitation".
2. Ensure that you have the encryption password to access the file.
3. In the email, select the link to download the file. This link will start with https://secureshare.iu.edu/download/.
   Important:

   This link can only be used once. If you need to download the file again, or if you made any mistakes entering the password, the file will need to be shared with you again.
4. Enter the password and wait for the file to be downloaded.

Create an encrypted text file

To encrypt a text file:

1. Go to Secure Share.
2. Enter the text to encrypt in the "Create encrypted text file" section.
3. Add an optional description in the "Description" field.
4. Input a strong password that is at least eight characters long. This will be required to access the file. You will be unable to upload the file if the password is too weak.
5. To restrict access to those with an IU username and passphrase, select Require user to have an IU Network ID for download. If you don't choose this option, anyone with the URL for the uploaded file can access it.

Allow a guest to upload a file

Create a one-time link that a guest can use to upload one file to Secure Share:

1. Go to Secure Share.
2. Navigate to the "Create guest upload link” section.
3. Enter the email address of the guest, and then select Create guest upload. You will see a confirmation message on the screen, and the guest will receive an email message with a link enabling them to upload one file to Secure Share.
4. The guest can use that one-time link to upload their file and add email addresses to share their file. They will be unable to add additional emails once the file has been submitted.
5. When the person has uploaded the file, it will appear in the "My Uploads" on your Secure Share main page. You can share this upload with additional email addresses as needed.

Delete files

Your files will be automatically deleted from Secure Share 30 days after uploading them. However, you can manually delete these files at any time. Use caution when deleting files from Secure Share. Files on Secure Share are not backed up, and deleted files cannot be recovered. The files will be permanently lost unless you have them stored elsewhere.

To delete a file on Secure Share:

1. Go to Secure Share.
2. Navigate to the “My Uploads” section.
3. Find the file to delete by looking at the listed file names and descriptions.
4. Select the file, and then choose Delete on the "File Information" page.
5. Read and accept the pop-up warning to delete the file.

Get help

If you have questions about Secure Share or need help, contact your campus Support Center.

To report a problem with Secure Share, submit an issue in GitHub.