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Downloading folders and files

You can easily download folders or individual files from SD Connect user interface.

Automated decryption is available only for files uploaded and automatically encrypted via the user interface after October 1, 2024. In contrast, files have been uplaoded before October 1 2024, were manually encrypted using your encryption key and will need to be decrypted manually after download. Although both file types use the same .c4h extension, if you see the message "Requested files could not be decrypted" during download, it indicates that the file was encrypted manually and its decryption will require an extra step. If you need any assistance, don't hesitate to contact us.

  1. Download and automated decryption
  2. Download and manual decryption

Download and automated decryption

For files and folders uplaoded using SD Connect user interface after October 1, 2024.

Downloading folder

  1. Find correct folder from All folders tab.
  2. Click Download on right side of the folder you want to download.
  3. Files are decrypted automatically. Locate downloaded files from your computer (for example Downloads folder).

Downloading individual files

  1. Find correct folder from All folders tab and click to view files.
  2. Find corrects files.
  3. Click Download on right side of each file you want to download.
  4. Files are decrypted automatically. Files will download and decrypt automatically, usually to downloads folder. Do not open the folder until the download is complete to avoid errors. The downloaded folder has a .tar extension, double-click to extract the content in a new folder.

Warning

If you encounter the message 'Requested files could not be decrypted' while downloading, it indicates that some files in your folder were uploaded with an older version of SD Connect, making automatic decryption unavailable. To resolve this, please follow the steps below. For further assistance, contact CSC Service Desk.

Download and manual decryption

For files uplaoded vis SD Connect user interface before October 2024. These files will remain encrypted after dowlaod, and you will need to decrypt them manually on your laptop with the Crypt4GH application by following the provided instructions:

Please note that you can only decrypt one file at a time. If you need to decrypt multiple files at once, a command line option is available. For further assistance, contact CSC Service Desk.

1.1 Preparation

  • Have your private encryption key available. If you don’t remember the key used, please contact CSC Service Desk.

  • Download the Crypt4GH graphical user interface on your laptop. This tool is necessary for decrypting the files. If you experience any issues installing the tool, especially on a laptop provided by your IT department, please contact us for assistance.

  • Install the Crypt4GH application: CSC has developed a simple application that will allow you to generate your encryption keys and decrypt data when necessary. Download the version specific to your operating system from the GitHub repository:

    Please check that the tool for Windows has been digitally signed by CSC - IT Center for Science. After the download, you can find the Crypt4GH application in your downloads folder. When you open the application for the first time, you might encounter an error message. In this case, click on More info and verify that the publisher is CSC-IT Center for Science (or in Finnish CSC-Tieteen tietotekniikan keskus Oy) and then click on Run anyway.

1.2 Download the files from SD Connect

Access SD Connect and locate the files you need. You can download either the entire bucket or individual files. At the end of the download, the user interface will display the message: "Some requested files could not be decrypted." Some requested files could not be decrypted.

1.3 Change the file extension

After downloading the files, you need to adjust their extensions. Right-click the file, choose "Rename," and add .c4gh to the end of the filename. If opened with a text editor, the files will still be encrypted. After downloading the files, you need to adjust their extensions.

1.4 Decrypt the files with the Crypt4gh application

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Next, you can decrypt the file using the Crypt4GH application and your secret encryption key. Unfortunately, it is currently only possible to single files. 1. Open the Crypt4GH application and click on load Your Private Key. 2. Click on Select File and upload the file you want to decrypt. 3. Click on Open. 4. Next, click on Decrypt File. 5. The tool will ask you to write the secret key's password. Press ok.

  The secret key must match the public key used to encrypt the data.

Note

In the case of decryption, adding the public key is not mandatory, but if you have the public key of the person who has encrypted the file, you can use it to verify the encryption signature. If you don't select a public key, the activity log will display the following (the decryption will be executed anyway): 

Sender public key has not been set, authenticity will not be verified.

If your decryption runs successfully, the activity log will display the following: 

Decrypting..... Decryption has finished Decrypted file: C:/users/username/exampledirectory/examplefile

The decrypted file will no longer display the .c4gh extension and will be saved in the same folder from which the original file was uploaded.

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