End-to-End Zero Knowledge Encryption

Background

At Neelix.IO we believe in full sovereignty of your thoughts and feelings. Same should be the case with digital collaboration mediums, this is why we developed an option to enable zero-knowledge encryption for your reflections in Neelix. This means no one would be able to read your data even if we were required to share raw data from the servers. Provided you choose a good and secure passphrase, it is prohibitively expensive to attempt hacking your data. Play with different combinations of a secure passphase - see security.org to check the strength of your key.

Overview

All data in Neelix is encrypted when stored in our backend service.

If zero-knowledge encryption option is enabled, then following additional protection is enforced:

• Data is encrypted with your passphrase before it is sent to Neelix
• Your master passphrase is never communicated , e.g. never leaves your devices

Technical Implementation

All data in Neelix is encrypted when stored in our backend service. Encryption “at rest” secures the actual data within the database and protects backups. Even if an attacker obtains the storage devices containing your data, they won't be able to understand or decrypt it. Find out more here.

Zero-knowledge encryption of specific Neelix data is a different and an additional (optional) feature we developed for securing your data. The process works as follows:

• All protected data are encrypted client-side before being sent to the server for create/update operations using a key shared by all members of the consortium
• All protected data are returned encrypted from the server for read options and decrypted client-side using the shared key
• The server never has access to the plain text of protected data
• Shared keys encrypted client-side by each consortium member using their own passphrase
• New users obtain the shared key using client-side public key encryption
• The server never has access to the plain text of the shared key
• Your passphrase is never communicated to Neelix or over internet at all

FAQ

What is the significance of encryption passphrase?

The passphrase is used to encrypted the key needed to encrypt and decrypt protected data. It allows users to maintain absolute confidentiality of their data. No one but consortium members - not even Neelix - will be able to read your protected data.

How secure is the encryption passphrase?

The first principle is that your passphrase is never communicated. What you type is only local to your session. No one can decrypt your data provided your local environment is not compromised and your choose strong enough passphrase. Please ensure not to use rogue add-ons in your web browser. You can use security.org to check the strength of your key.

What if I forget the master passphrase?

• Ask to be removed from the journal (contact other users permitted in your journal, or contact us on services@neelix.io)
• Initiate a new access request
• Provide a new passphrase when prompted

Do other users in my Consortium have their own passphrase?

Yes. Each user’s passphrase can and should be different. 

What sort of encryption is used by Neelix?

Protected user-generated data and shared keys are encrypted using AES 256. For key exchange, shared keys are encrypted with RSA 4096. 

What data elements are protected by zero-knowledge encryption

The intent is to encrypt data attributes that may contain sensitive feedback or commentary. Neelix zero-knowledge encryption is applicable to following data elements only:

What data elements excluded from zero knowledge encryption

Data elements considered as meta-data are not covered by zero knowledge encryption:

• Consortium name
• Experience category names
• Activity names
• User profile name
• Surveys configuration data (question names, etc.)