![]() This extra code is the second factor you need for authentication, hence the term two-factor authentication. In addition to the password, an extra code is needed. When you enable this, your password alone will no longer be enough to access your data. This option is also known as two-step authentication. Whatever you do, do not use a password you’ve already used somewhere else. Make sure you have a strong master password and don’t forget to include the password managers’ vault in your backup. Then, use it to generate a secure password and store it for you. And by strong, I mean: so strong you need a password manager to remember it for you.īecause while you’re at it, I also highly recommend you install a password manager such as 1Password. Set a proper password or passphraseīoth boring and very effective, setting a strong password will protect you in case the hash (encrypted string of characters) of your password is leaked.Īlthough the details of password strength and management are beyond the scope of this article, I recommend setting a strong password for accessing your data. That’s enough scaremongering (for now), let’s go over what you can do to take control and wrap your files in cosy layers of security! 1. In those cases, the connection is encrypted, but your files are not. As soon as the data has reached its destination, the encryption will be removed to store your files on the services’ hard disk drives. Most of the time, the encryption is only applied in such a way that nobody can eavesdrop on the data while you’re sending it to the online service. The term encryption is often used to frame a product as secure: “we use encryption so it’s all good!” – What you really should be checking is what exactly is encrypted, and who holds the encryption key. Your data is by default not encrypted in such a way that only you can access it: otherwise, employees wouldn’t be able to access it when legally required.Together with the Terms of Service, this confirms your data can be read by anyone at the company with what Dropbox believes is proper clearance.This statement is important for two reasons: “Like most major online services, we do have a small number of employees who must be able to access user data when legally required to do so”. The Terms of Service or the Privacy Statement usually allow for scanning or accessing your files in some way or the other. Whether it’s free or you paid for the online storage, there is no guarantee your files are completely private. I’m using a paid storage service which uses encryption. And therefore, right now is an excellent time to increase security. It is sure that other services will be subject to incidents like these in the future. Five years later, the email addresses and (hashed) passwords for almost 70 million Dropbox accounts were published. In 2011, a bug in Dropbox authentication caused all accounts to be accessible without a password for several hours. You make a mistake in setting the sharing settings for a file or directory and end up sharing with more people then you intended.Ībove examples are not theoretical. ![]() ![]() An experienced programmer accidentally introduces a security problem that exposes one or more of your private files to the public.An employee (or worse: a former employee) of the company keeping your data accesses your files, either by mistake or on purpose.The password securing your online files is leaked after a breach in the security of the online storage service.There are many situations in which you want to have as many layers of security around your data as possible, such as: But privacy and security are complicated. You trust the company you signed up with to keep our data safe and private. Storing files online means trusting a third party with your precious data. Meanwhile, in a data centre far, far away Let’s go over some of the options, and why you may want to take an action. How do you take complete control over who has access to your data, while maintaining the advantages of storing everything online? Whether you’ve just went paperless like us, or you’ve been an avid user of online storage for years already, you’re likely to learn something new from this article. And if your laptop breaks down, all your data is safely stored in a datacenter somewhere else on the planet.īut it’s not all rainbows and unicorns. It’s easy if you want to synchronise files between computers or work remote, without needing to set up and maintain a storage appliance. Storing data online comes with great advantages.
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