When we upload files to the cloud, we must take certain precautions as to who can access the content we have uploaded. In many occasions, it is possible that a certain folder or file has more permissions than adequate, so it is very important to always monitor the permissions to make sure that no one except us or the defined people have access. Today we are going to explain what security measures you can take when uploading files to the cloud.
Risks of uploading files to the cloud
When we upload a file to the cloud, we must ensure that all communications are made via HTTPS , with the aim that all communications are encrypted and authenticated, adding a layer of security to prevent cybercriminals from capturing the uploaded file and reading it. . Any cloud storage service today has the HTTPS protocol to give its users the necessary security and privacy.
Another very important aspect that we must assess is how our files are stored , because we must remember that uploading files to the cloud is still uploading files to a third party’s “computer”, in this case a company such as Google, Dropbox or Microsoft. It is very important to know how they are stored, whether directly as we have uploaded them or they are responsible for encrypting all content locally . Generally, all Cloud storage services have data encryption at the destination, however, be very careful about uploading illegal content of photos, executable files with program cracks and other prohibited files, because they have tools to detect it, delete it and could even lock your user account forever.
Another risk of uploading files to the cloud is that we can share them publicly or with a link that could be “guessed”. With each file that we upload, we can create a link that leads to this file, although in principle it is difficult for someone to access it without this link, there have been cases in which it has happened, as with Pastebin. We must be very careful with what we upload to the Internet, and the permissions to share those files and folders. There are some storage services such as pCloud that allow you to add an access password even if you know the link to the file in question, this adds an additional layer of security.
Measures to protect your files
If you want to have maximum security when uploading your files to the cloud, our recommendation is that you carry out the following actions:
- Encrypt all the content you are going to upload locally . There are programs like VeraCrypt that allow us to create encrypted containers with a password, which have really good security. Once we have put all the files and folders into this container, we can upload the container to the cloud to store it there. In case someone wants to access the content, they will have to download the container, use Veracrypt to open it and then put the password that we have previously set. No one without the password will be able to access the contents of the encrypted container.
- Monitor cloud access permissions . It is very important to check what permissions we have on a certain file, so that no one can access them without first authenticating. For example, in Google Drive we can share files and folders with anyone, we just have to put their email address. In fact, we could also configure it so that anyone with the link can access it.
- Put access password in the cloud , if we have the option. As we have explained before, if your cloud service allows you to put a password on shared files and folders, you will have an additional layer of security, because without this password no one will be able to access the shared files.
As you can see, with these three simple recommendations you will be able to add security and privacy to the files you upload to the cloud.