Encryption

Zero uses industry-standard encryption to protect work data at rest, in transit, and in memory.

Encryption Overview

Data State Algorithm Implementation
At Rest AES-256-XTS LUKS2 / BitLocker
In Transit ChaCha20-Poly1305 WireGuard VPN
API/Web AES-256-GCM TLS 1.3
Key Derivation Argon2id Memory-hard KDF

Encryption at Rest

Linux (LUKS2)

Work profile data is stored in a LUKS2 encrypted container: 

# Encryption parameters
Algorithm: aes-xts-plain64
Key Size: 512 bits (256-bit AES-XTS)
Hash: SHA-256
KDF: Argon2id (memory: 1GB, iterations: 4)

Windows (BitLocker)

On Windows, work data uses BitLocker-encrypted VHD:

  • XTS-AES-256 encryption
  • TPM-backed key protection (when available)
  • Recovery key escrowed to management console

Android

Android uses file-based encryption (FBE) with work profile keys:

  • Per-file encryption keys
  • Hardware-backed keystore
  • Keys tied to user authentication

Encryption in Transit

WireGuard VPN

# WireGuard cryptographic primitives
Symmetric: ChaCha20-Poly1305
Key Exchange: Curve25519
Hash: BLAKE2s
MAC: Poly1305

All work profile network traffic is encrypted via WireGuard:

  • Perfect forward secrecy
  • Minimal attack surface
  • Fast handshake (1-RTT)

TLS 1.3

Management API and web dashboard use TLS 1.3:

  • Certificate pinning for agent connections
  • HSTS enabled
  • Strong cipher suites only

Key Management

Key Hierarchy

Master Key (Organization)
└── Device Key (per device)
    └── Profile Key (work profile encryption)
        └── File Keys (per-file encryption)

Key Derivation

Keys are derived using Argon2id with secure parameters: 

Memory: 1 GB
Iterations: 4
Parallelism: 4
Salt: 32 bytes (random)
Output: 32 bytes

Key Storage

  • Linux: Kernel keyring with user-session lifetime
  • Windows: TPM-backed or DPAPI-protected
  • Android: Hardware-backed Android Keystore

Key Rotation

Keys can be rotated without data re-encryption using LUKS key slots: 

# Rotate encryption key
zero encryption rotate-key

# View key slots
zero encryption status

Recovery

Recovery Keys

Recovery keys are escrowed to the management console:

  • Split-key escrow (requires 2 admins)
  • Audit logged access
  • Time-limited retrieval

Lost Device Recovery

  1. Report device lost in management console
  2. Remote wipe triggered (encryption keys deleted)
  3. Data remains encrypted and unrecoverable

Compliance Standards

Zero encryption meets:

  • FIPS 140-2: Level 1 validated cryptographic modules
  • GDPR: Encryption as technical measure
  • HIPAA: Encryption safeguards
  • SOC 2: Type II certified

Related Documentation