What You Can Do to Protect Your Data in the Cloud
Published on 20 August 14
Goran0
Even though the number of available cloud solutions is increasing daily, and the technology behind is definitely something that will help sculpt our future, there is still a lot of resistance when it comes to adopting some of them. Some of the resistance may be coming from people simply being hesitant to adopt new things, but a part of it definitely stems from the still unresolved security issues that come with this kind of service. Naturally, providers are fully aware of this, and are doing their best to tighten the security as much as possible, (for further information on the subject, read this Web Hosting Security 2014 whitepaper) but chances are that cloud systems will stay vulnerable for some time to come, which is why you should do your best to enhance your data security on your part as much as you can. Here’s how to do that:
Choose Your Password Carefully
Although it might seem like a trivial point, choosing a longer, more complex password can significantly increase the time that a hacker would need in order to crack it. However, they don’t usually try to determine your password that way. The most common method is only effective with people who use the same password on different accounts. For instance, your Facebook account may be much easier to infiltrate than your cloud storage, and if you are using the same password for both, you've allowed easy access to the hacker. That’s why each of your accounts should have a unique password, and if you find it overwhelming to have to remember that many passwords, use something like Last Pass to keep track of them.
Check the Provider’s Storage Techniques
Provider’s security will vary greatly, so make sure to do a bit of research on the cloud company before signing on. Numerous certifications are handed out to providers who meet the conditions, and they can tell you a lot about the security level. Also make sure to check if the provider uses encryption when sorting files, and if they are willing to afford you a decent level of control over your stored data.
Use Secure Networks
Your data doesn't even have to get to the provider in order to become vulnerable. It can easily be intercepted when you start sending it, especially if you are using a public network. When uploading your data to the cloud, try to use secure networks and devices, and you should be fine.
Encrypt the Data Yourself
One of the ways to get around the issue with unsecure networks, providers that don’t use encryption, as well as those that do, but that could have employees who could compromise your data, even though it is encrypted, is to encrypt the data yourself before sending it. There a number of apps out there that allow you to do this easily, but this makes sharing the files with other people quite a bit more complicated.
Limit the Access
If you are running a business, and a number of your employees have access to the cloud, you should assign an adequate level of authorization to each of them. That is to say that only certain people should be allowed access to the most sensitive data, and even they could have some context determined restraints, for instance not being able to access it for their mobile device, or unsecured network.
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