In general, embodiments of the invention include methods and apparatuses for securing otherwise unsecured computer interfaces by performing transparent data encryption and decryption. According to certain transparency aspects, the encryption and decryption functionality of the invention do not require any changes to the software layers such as file systems, device drivers, operating systems, or applications. Embodiments of the invention offload encryption key management to a centralized key management system that can be remotely located from the secured computer. Alternative embodiments perform key management locally.