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Free TrialOwing to the cloud, a ton of virtual currencies are now easily available from anywhere at any time and have significantly increased the storage capacity of local storage devices. But as the amount of commercial and personal data stored in the cloud increases, people are becoming more and more concerned about its security and looking for dependable cloud data encryption solutions.
Are there any programs that can encrypt files and folders before they are transferred to the cloud? And how is cloud data encrypted by it? Let's go right to the specifics.
How does cloud encryption work?
Encoding data either before or after it is uploaded to a cloud storage service is known as cloud encryption or cloud data encryption. Through an encryption password, it gives clients' images, files, movies, and other sensitive information in the cloud an additional degree of security. Customers may safeguard their data in this way against unauthorized access or harmful use.
Cloud storage companies often offer some amount of encryption, including Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, Dropbox, and Amazon Drive. For instance, Google Drive encrypts your data in transit using AES-256 bit encryption and at rest with AES-128 bit encryption. And for the protection of cloud data, Apple's iCloud employs end-to-end encryption.
Solutions for cloud encryption secure information when it is sent to and from cloud-based services and storage, as well as to access to users in various locations. Additionally, when data is kept on cloud-based storage devices, these solutions encrypt it. These security features stop unauthorized people from reading files saved to cloud storage or data traveling to and from the cloud. Data-at-rest cloud encryption is offered by storage providers including Amazon Web Services (AWS), Dropbox, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud. Users just need to have valid permission and identification to access data; the program takes care of encryption key exchanges, encryption, and decryption procedures in the background.
Your cloud data is generally safe but not completely private, though. Let's examine the shortcomings of the service providers' cloud encryption solutions.
Even if there are encryption keys when you transmit files and folders to the cloud storage, you don't have access to them. You must have faith in the cloud service providers that they won't sell, trade, or otherwise compromise your data to third parties or the government.
The present-day security technologies have flaws. For instance, iCloud encryption employs end-to-end encryption, but it necessitates that your Apple ID's 2FA (two-factor authentication) setting be enabled. Otherwise, the protection won't mean anything.
The majority of cloud service providers employ AES-128 bit encryption, which is considered to be low-level or conventional. For instance, Google Drive uses AES-128 bit encryption to protect the uploaded information in the cloud. It might not be as secure as you think it is if you are an engineer, attorney, or accountant who retains critical information about your clients.
If you wish to use a greater degree of encryption, it costs extra. Private key creation is permitted by certain backup service providers, but it's often highly expensive and out of the price range of most individual customers.
How can I encrypt my data in cloud storage?
In all honesty, the encryption that cloud storage companies offer is now too simple to be sufficient. There are a lot of third-party programs available that you may use to encrypt your cloud storage data before transferring it to the cloud, which is fantastic news. To put it another way, you may upload the encrypted data, also known as ciphertext, to the cloud using a cloud encryption tool after encrypting it locally on your PCs or other devices. Your encrypted files are only accessible to you.
The third-party cloud encryption software often uses a higher encryption grade than the providers. For instance, the majority of these products utilize AES-256 bit encryption rather than the simpler AES-128 bit encryption.
Additionally, such software can safeguard the security of your files and folders across a variety of platforms and gadgets, including tablets, PCs, and smart phones.
Therefore, you may guarantee the protection of your sensitive and vital data with cloud encryption software.
Which cloud encryption program is the best?
There are a few cloud encryption programs, and the most of them work with popular cloud storage services like Google Drive, iCloud, Microsoft OneDrive, and others. For many of them, either individual users or business users can test them out for free.
The well-known brands are Encrypto, Boxcryptor, and nCrypted Cloud. You may evaluate and choose the finest cloud encryption software based on your unique requirements.
Conclusion
We all adore cloud storage due to its practicality and additional production. Your cloud storage data, including those in Google Drive and Microsoft OneDrive, are secured both at rest and while being transferred. It still makes sense to use cloud encryption software to further secure your important data. What's more, you can rely on a few pieces of free cloud encryption software.
You may also select the business versions with additional costs if you need even more protection and privacy for your company information. However, it's worthwhile.
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Written & Updated by Justin Kenny
Justin Kenny is a writer & editor of DoYourData. He joined DoYourData in 2016 and focuses on writing articles about Windows data recovery, Mac data recovery, external device data recovery, hard drive clone, data erasure, Mac cleanup, computer issue fixes, etc. He is a super fan of Apple devices and is big on testing new digital device and system utility software.