Files on a network accessed with relative path are not encrypted

Technical Articles ID: KB93730
Last Modified: 12/23/2021

McAfee File and Removable Media Protection (FRP) 5.x

For supported platforms, see KB81149 - Supported platforms for File and Removable Media Protection.

Files on a network that are accessed using a relative path:

Do not have the policy applied when created. Example: Files not being encrypted.
Have the "File Not Found Error" displayed when they are opened.

Most applications use fully qualified paths, so they do not encounter this defect. It is easy to duplicate from a command prompt.

The standard and correct Windows technique for resolving paths is slow.

By default, FRP uses a faster custom technique that is known to fail on network relative paths.

Set the DWORD registry key NetworkRelativePathSupport to 1 in the CeDriver key.

The path to add the registry key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\services\MfeEEFF.
Reboot after you add the key.

NOTE: It incurs a small performance penalty on every file access whether FRP encrypts it or not.

File and Removable Media Protection 5.4.x
File and Removable Media Protection 5.3.x
File and Removable Media Protection 5.2.x
File and Removable Media Protection 5.1.x

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