How To Encrypt Files And Upload To Cloud

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Table of Contents

How to Encrypt Cloud Storage
- Piece of cake Route: Use Zilch-Cognition Cloud Storage Services
- Slightly Less Easy Route: Zero-Knowledge Encryption Services
How to Apply Boxcryptor to Encrypt Deject Storage Data
What Is Encryption?
Why Encrypt Your Data: The Trouble With Managed Encryption
Final Thoughts
Comments

There are enough of uses for cloud storage, and more often than not, we're a fan of it. Nonetheless, as with everything else on the internet, you need to make certain yous're keeping your files prophylactic from prying eyes. In this article, we'll testify you how to encrypt your deject storage, so your information is protected from everyone who might want to accept a peek.

Key Takeaways:

Encrypting files saved to a deject storage service is the best way to protect your privacy.
At that place are several good cipher-knowledge cloud storage services, such as Sync.com.
Gratuitous 3rd-party software is too available to encrypt files before uploading to the cloud.

Although any encryption is better than nothing, if you want to keep your data individual from everyone, you lot'll need to use zero-knowledge encryption. This ways that you're the merely person with the encryption key, so no one else can decrypt your files to read them — not even the cloud storage services themselves.

However, while zero-cognition encryption is a great manner to ensure your personal privacy is protected, it isn't always very user-friendly. You can't use block-level sync, you'll have a harder time sharing encrypted files and no i can recover your information if you forget your password. This can exist worth it for the extra protection, only you should ever consider these drawbacks.

Deject storage encryption isn't for everyone. For many users, the power to manipulate and share your deject information is worth more than the extra privacy. All the same, if at that place's annihilation that yous'd rather a stranger didn't meet, and y'all don't want to shop information technology on your computer, information technology's worth trying out a free encryption service.
If you don't similar whatsoever of the more secure providers, or you have an existing subscription with another cloud service, y'all should encrypt the files earlier uploading them to the cloud. With most encryption software, you lot can just right-click a file and choose the "encrypt" pick from the dropdown menu.
Although OneDrive does encrypt all of your files, Microsoft holds the encryption key. This means that a large information breach or court subpoena could give someone access to your data. While this is unlikely, your best option to prevent it is to encrypt the files earlier putting them into your OneDrive binder, obscuring the data fifty-fifty if they take the fundamental for your business relationship.

How to Encrypt Deject Storage

In that location are two skillful ways to encrypt information that'southward held on a deject service: using a zero-knowledge service or encrypting your files before uploading them. Both methods piece of work well, as long as the service doesn't hold your encryption keys or countersign and uses AES 256-bit encryption or an equivalent to proceed your privacy safety.

Like shooting fish in a barrel Route: Use Nix-Cognition Deject Storage Services

If you aren't picky well-nigh the specific provider you utilise and don't already take a subscription, so your best choice is to move to one that has zero-noesis encryption built-in. Luckily, there are plenty of zero-knowledge cloud storage services that put you in charge of your own encryption key, and these are our favorite iv.

1. Sync.com

When it comes to the best cloud storage services, Sync.com is number i; information technology'southward secure, piece of cake to use, feature-rich and proficient value. It even comes with a solid 5GB free plan, so you don't even need to pay to proceed a few sensitive documents condom. So, if you're looking for a well-rounded cloud storage service, you lot should read our full Sync.com review.

2. pCloud

Adjacent up is pCloud, an excellent provider that gives Sync.com a run for its coin, getting shut to it in our head-to-head matchup. The only thing holding it dorsum is that you'll accept to pay an extra $4.99 per month for its zip-knowledge encryption, so it'south a bit more expensive. Nonetheless, if this slightly higher cost doesn't put you off, read our total pCloud review for more information.

3. Icedrive

As a newer service, Icedrive doesn't have some of the advanced features yous'll get with Sync.com and pCloud. All the same, y'all will go 1TB of storage with zero-noesis encryption at the low rate of $4.99 per calendar month, making this a far more than affordable service than the other two. If yous're looking for secure storage on a budget, you should read our full Icedrive review.

four. MEGA

Finally, we have MEGA. Although it isn't the fastest or cheapest, it does offer 20GB of space for free, with more bachelor for "achievements," like installing the app or inviting a friend.

With this free plan, y'all'll get access to the same zero-noesis encryption and plenty of features focused on file sharing. And so if you're looking for complimentary services, bank check out our full MEGA.nz review.

Slightly Less Easy Road: Zero-Cognition Encryption Services

Although information technology isn't as easy to use, dedicated zero-knowledge encryption software can encrypt your files on any cloud-based service. This includes deject storage providers like Dropbox, Google Drive and OneDrive, merely you lot can also apply it to encrypt an online backup or send encrypted files to others.

You should make certain that you're using a trustworthy service, and in that location are a scattering of good gratuitous encryption services available. However, if y'all're only looking for the all-time, our favorite tool is Boxcryptor. This is partly because of the great free programme and its utilize of AES 256-bit encryption, but if you want to learn more than near this service before yous start, read our full Boxcryptor review.

How to Utilize Boxcryptor to Encrypt Deject Storage Data

Using Boxcryptor to encrypt files before uploading them to the cloud is a peachy solution if you desire to protect whatever data stored with a less privacy-focused provider. This'll permit you hide your information from anyone who may want to look, as long as you fix information technology up correctly.

Get a Boxcryptor Account
Get-go, go to boxcryptor.com and click "sign up." This volition bring you to a page where you can sign in to an existing account or create a new i. Either way, you will demand an e-mail address and a secure password.

Create a free Boxcryptor account at boxcryptor.com.
Download the Boxcryptor Installer
After yous create your account, yous will see a download folio where y'all can click the "download Boxcryptor" button to get an installer. If y'all already have an account, you lot can find information technology past clicking "download" at the top of the homepage.

Download the correct Boxcryptor installer for your reckoner.
Install Boxcryptor
In one case y'all've got the installer, yous'll need to agree to the privacy policy and ready where it will install. Afterwards reading the data on each folio, you'll need to click the "next" button in the bottom-correct corner of the window.

Install Boxcryptor with the setup magician.
Find Your Boxcryptor Folder
After y'all've installed Boxcryptor, you lot can access information technology from "this PC" or the sidebar in Windows File Explorer. If you can't run across them, check that you're signed in to your account by opening the Boxcyptor desktop app from your kickoff menu.

Open up Windows File Explorer and observe your Boxcryptor drive.
Connect Boxcryptor to Your Storage
If Boxcryptor hasn't automatically moved the cloud storage services you want to utilise into the encryption folder, then right-click the Boxcryptor drive, select "Boxcryptor" in the dropdown menu and click "settings." In the window that it opens, click "add" and choose your cloud drive.

If it doesn't detect your preferred cloud service automatically, open the settings to add it.
Encrypt Your Data With Boxcryptor
In one case your file is in the Boxcryptor drive, y'all can correct-click information technology, select "Boxcryptor" and then "Encrypt." You can too encrypt a whole folder, and then you don't miss anything by accident.

Encrypt your files and folders to protect your privacy.

Although information technology's a great privacy tool, one drawback to zero-knowledge encryption is that the visitor — in this case, Boxcryptor — can't help if you lose your countersign. This means that losing access to your account will effectively destroy your files. To forbid this from happening, make sure to save your passwords with a secure password manager.

What Is Encryption?

Encryption is a way to hide data by scrambling it with a key. This means that the person who wants to access the data — or read an email, in the instance of email encryption — must have the correct primal to decrypt and read the file, or it simply appears as nonsense. Depending on the encryption software, it uses either the same cardinal for both processes, or ii unlike keys — a public key and a individual cardinal.

This apply of encryption keys — which are often long, complex and mostly hard to guess — is what makes encryption so strong. However, if you want more detail on how it works and the other techniques used to brand it stronger, y'all should read our full clarification of encryption.

Why Encrypt Your Data: The Trouble With Managed Encryption

Although rare, information leaks practice happen. As nigh countries have laws requiring information to exist protected — such as Europe'south GDPR — basically, every company uses some kind of encryption, peculiarly when it comes to deject-based services. This seems like it should exist great for user privacy, and in a way, it is. However, it isn't a silver bullet.

Managed encryption — where the data is encrypted by the company storing it, rather than the user — does assistance protect your files in a data breach. However, the company that holds the encryption keys can theoretically access all of your information.

Google'southward terms of service states that information technology monitors your content for everything from personalized ads to blocking illegal content, and Microsoft's privacy statement isn't exactly much meliorate. Fifty-fifty Dropbox has been found monitoring your data to block pirated content in the past.

With Dropbox, Google Bulldoze and OneDrive all watching your data for their own do good, it'due south best to accept the condom road and protect it yourself. Using a nothing-knowledge encryption program or a service dedicated to security will continue your cloud data abroad from anyone that doesn't have your permission.

Final Thoughts

Zero-knowledge encryption isn't for everyone, and sometimes the benefits of cake-level syncing and easy file editing are worth the privacy take a chance. Nonetheless, if there are whatever files you want to go along safe, the software is available and relatively piece of cake to use. At that place are fifty-fifty some open-source options, as you can read in our total Cryptomator review.

You can also use one of the free cloud storage plans with zero-knowledge providers like Sync.com and Icedrive. This means that you can get around 5GB to 10GB of space — depending on the provider — to keep your files prophylactic without paying anything extra.

Have y'all encrypted the data in your cloud storage? Did you employ our methods? Let the states know your thoughts in the comments section below. Thanks for reading.