A system and method for automatically protecting private video content using cryptographic security for legacy systems is disclosed. A substantially continuous video signal representing video content in the process of being recorded on a transportable storage medium is intercepted. The intercepted substantially continuous video signal is divided into individual frames. Each frame stores a fixed amount of data in digital form. Each individual frame is encrypted into encrypted video content using an encryption cryptographic key and is stored. The encrypted frames are retrieved and decrypted using a decryption cryptographic key. The decrypted frames are combined into a substantially continuous video signal and output as video content in the process of being played from the transportable storage medium. In a further embodiment, private video content automatically authenticated using embedded cryptographic security, either alone or in conjunction with the encryption of video content.