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Is the OST cache file created by Outlook encrypted? I understand that Outlook won't open the file unless it can connect to the user's Exchange account, but I'm wondering if there's a possibility that 3rd-party tools would be able to sift through it and recover anything. Should I store it on an encrypted drive for better security? Has anybody found official Microsoft documentation on this?

Mike
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  • This only specifically refers to Outlook 2010 but I doubt they have added encryption back for 2013: https://community.office365.com/en-us/f/158/t/48993 – Todd Wilcox Jul 27 '15 at 17:41
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    `I understand that Outlook won't open the file unless it can connect to the user's Exchange account` - That isn't technically the case and would defeat the purpose of an OST file. Once the OST file has been created (when connecting to the Exchange mailbox) a user can work with email without having an active connection to the Exchange mailbox. Changes made to the OST file while the user is "offline" will be synced to the Exchange mailbox the next time the user connects to the Exchange mailbox. – joeqwerty Jul 27 '15 at 20:16

1 Answers1

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No, it not seems to be encrypted. See here, here and here for some example.

shodanshok
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    Thank you for the links. They are definitely helpful, but I was looking for some sort of "official" documentation from Microsoft before I mark the answer accepted. – Mike Jul 28 '15 at 12:31