How to encrypt your cloud files

After another round of high-profile celebrity hacks, it’s clear that cloud storage isn’t exactly as safe as it’s made out to be. It’s easy to sync your files with a service such as OneDrive or Dropbox, but it’s also easy to forget about those files down the road. You may have deleted some sensitive photos from your phone, but they still ended up synced in the cloud, and now they’re in the hands of a hacker.

Let’s take a look at how your cloud data can be potentially compromised and how you can add another layer of protection by encrypting them before they reach the cloud.

Cloud-storage encryption

There are two forms of encryption when you’re dealing with cloud storage services: transit and resting. When your files travel between your PC and a cloud service, the files and folders you upload are generally encrypted with at least 128-bit secure sockets layer (SSL) technology.

When your data is resting in storage, however, there is less of a chance that it will have encryption, and if it does, the cloud service will likely hold the key. In the case of OneDrive, only those with a business subscription can take advantage of resting encryption. Dropbox, on the other hand, provides resting 256-bit encryption, but it holds the encryption keys.

Encryption of your data, while it’s in transit and comfy in the cloud, works great against brute-force attacks. It would take a supercomputer years to crack the 256-bit encryption. It’s much more likely that failure on the user side will involve a phishing attack or a weak password that can be guessed by an interested party. If your account can be accessed through the front door, decryption isn’t necessary.

Keeper of the encryption keys

To otherwise unscramble the encrypted data, a key is needed. Each time data is encrypted, one of these keys is created and is saved somewhere. Many online backup services — which are separate from cloud-sync services — let you create the encryption key and take responsibility for keeping it safe. If you lose the key, say goodbye to your backed up data.

Cloud storage services used for syncing and sharing, such as Dropbox, do not provide users with the option to create their own encryption keys. It’s up to the user to trust the service with creating and safeguarding the key. There’s less of a chance that you’ll end up locked out forever because you forgot that key, but there’s also a chance that the service itself will be compromised, in which case the entire thing is out of your hands. Bottom line: No matter how careful you are, things can go wrong when someone else holds the keys.

Encrypt your data before it reaches the cloud

Some people refuse to use cloud storage because of security concerns. Others claim they have nothing to hide and wouldn’t care if their files were released to the general public. Regardless of your opinion, it’s not a bad idea to use protection on the internet. It’s not getting any safer out there, and people can take advantage of the smallest bits of information.

Yes, it’s just another thing you have to worry about, but encrypting your data yourself before sending it to the cloud will help protect you. You don’t have be a whiz to perform this extra step. Encryption software is generally easy to use, you can create a unique encryption key that only you hold, and most options work well with popular cloud-storage services. Even if you don’t want to pay, there are plenty of free encryption tools out there.

Services such as AxCrypt and Folder Lock, both of which are PCMag editors’ choices, have free, basic versions of their software, and they also offer paid subscriptions that come with plenty more features, including local disk encryption to help keep things safe on your end.

There are a ton of free alternatives that can encrypt one file at a time before sending them to the cloud. 7Zip and Boxcryptor are standouts in this arena.

More resources

For more information on creating strong passwords and avoiding phishing, check out our full guide on how to ensure your cloud data remains safe. And if you’re interested in full cloud backups of your PC, have a look at our choice for the best online backup service.

Want the latest GPUs from NVIDIA? Here’s where to find them.

NVIDIA new Ampere-powered GeForce RTX 30-series GPUs are here, and as expected they’re selling fast. Here’s where you can find the new hardware.

Join us LIVE for the Windows Central Video Podcast today at 2:30PM ET

We’re LIVE with the Windows Central Video Podcast today at 2:30pm ET, make sure you’re there!

Review: Finally get rid of that hard drive and replace it with this OWC SSD

OWC makes some compelling PC hardware and the Mercury Extreme Pro 6G is positioned as a good value, solid performing 2.5-inch upgrade for PCs rocking mechanical HDDs. Is it any good? This review aims to showcase just that.

We pit the HP ENVY x360 15 against the Lenovo Yoga C740 15

Both the Lenovo Yoga C740 and the HP ENVY x360 15 are great convertible devices, but which one should you actually buy? Here are our thoughts.

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he risk of your account being hacked etc. cannot be ignored and there should be something done so as to increase the security of your cloud data. Ensure your privacy on the data that is stored there in your cloud storage by encrypting the data before uploading it with the local machine too to make it unusable to any person that illegally access it.

Now most of the people have started to use up the online storage functioning, i.e., cloud storage through which they upload their files or data to the servers which provide up some specified space (based on your choice) for that only. Although you get a personal account credential for your storage space and is very much private to you only with high-ranking security but still there can be some risk factors that could cause the loss of your valuable data too. The risk of your account being hacked etc. cannot be ignored and there should be something done so as to increase the security of your cloud data. There is one method through which you can even encrypt your files also before uploading them to your cloud storage as this can increase the security levels for your data. Here in this article, we have discussed that very method only by which you can encrypt your files before uploading these to the cloud storage. Just go and read up the article given below to know about the method.

How to Encrypt the Files before Uploading to the Cloud

The method is very straightforward and easy, and you will be using the simple online service that will help you to store encrypted files on your cloud storage. So follow the below steps to proceed.

Steps To Encrypt the Files before Uploading to the Cloud:

Step 1. The very first thing that you will need for the whole step to work is that you will have to install a great application named ‘Cryptomator‘. This piece of software is available for most every major OS like Windows, Linux, Mac, Android, iOS, etc. Just install the proper sort of app on your device that is meant for that very particular operating system.

Step 2. Now after you have installed the application on your device, just launch it up and then you shall see up nothing except an Application window panel with an image inside and some of the options. From the options that are placed in the bottom leftmost position inside the window panel, you will have to select “Create new vault“.

Step 3. After the above step, you will now reach a different window which will ask you for creating the new directory inside your cloud storage which you will be able to access after login. Just name your list and then provide a password for that directory which will be asked afterward and you are done.

Encrypt the Files before Uploading to the Cloud

Step 4. At last, you had now created a password protected folder or directory that is called vault inside your cloud storage. And you can now unlock that list by filling the password that you have decided in the previous steps and then use it to upload your content and store it there. That’s all! You can access the content in that directory anytime by filling up the password as it is encrypted the folder.

Encrypt the Files before Uploading to the Cloud

Similar Softwares

Well, just like Cryptomator, there are several other tools available for Windows that allows users to encrypt the files before uploading to the cloud. Below, we have listed three best tools which you can use to encrypt the files before uploading to the cloud storages.

#1 Encrypto

Encrypto is one of the best tools which you can use on your Windows and Mac OSX. The tool allows users to send and share encrypted files. The great thing about Encrypto is that it works for local and cloud storage encryption. Moreover, the service uses 256-bit AES encryption and it can encrypt files that you want to send via email, Dropbox, or even a USB stick.

#2 Boxcryptor

Just like Encryptor, Boxcryptor is another tool which you can use to encrypt important files. The best thing about Boxcryptor is that it allows users to create a folder anywhere on their computer. Everything placed in that folder is encrypted using the 256-bit AES standard. So, you can place this folder in cloud storage services like Dropbox and Google Drive.

#3 nCrypted Cloud

nCrypted Cloud is one of the interesting tools which you can use on your Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android. The best thing about nCrypted Cloud is that it allows users to create a folder inside various cloud storage platforms. Users just need to store the files in that folder and then right click on them to encrypt or decrypt them. The app is available for almost every major operating system including, Android, iOS, and Windows.

#4 Sookasa

Sookasa is another best security tool on the list which is pretty much similar to the BoxCryptor which has been listed above. However, Sookasa is limited to only Dropbox and Google Drive. Just like all other file encrypter tool, Sookasa also creates a secure folder inside Google Drive or Dropbox to sync content. So, whatever you store inside that folder is encrypted using 256-bit AES. So, Sookasa is another best free apps to encrypt the files before uploading to the cloud.

#5 Odrive

Odrive is another best Windows 10 app on the list which allows users to link all cloud storage accounts together. Just like all other similar category tools, Odrive also provides users a secure folder which is encrypted with SHA2256 hashes. That means any files that you store on these folders were well encrypted. So, Odrive is another best free Windows 10 app to encrypt the files before uploading to the cloud.

So above discussion is all about How to Encrypt the Files before Uploading to the Cloud. And in this, you had learned in this article that how you can easily create an encrypted directory inside your cloud storage by using up the fantastic app named Cryptomator that is available for almost every major OS and hence can be utilized on many different devices. Just use this app and make your files much more safe on your Cloud storage.

Cryptomator encrypts your files before it reaches the cloud!

R ecently, there has been a surge in data leaks from popular cloud services. Whether it’s due to phishing attack or hack, there is one common issue in all the leaks – no encryption of data.

Celebrities accounts are primary targets, but the common man is, of course, more easy targets for stealing data and identity. Cloud is evolving, and like in any new technologies, it needs some time to settle in.

Let’s face it; the cloud is the future of data storage. For now, your best bet is to encrypt the files before it reaches the cloud, meaning encrypt it in your PC before the files get synchronized to the cloud. To make this process super easy, there is an excellent cross-platform utility that I recommend, Cryptomator.

Cryptomator is specially developed to encrypt your files from cloud services such as Dropbox, Google Drive, One Drive, and other cloud storage services. The encryption is done at the local PC and then gets synchronized to the cloud, so even if the cloud data gets compromised, it’s a scrambled junk!

The best feature I like in this program is the “virtual hard drive.” While the vault containing your encrypted data resides somewhere in your cloud folder, Cryptomator provides a virtual hard drive through which you can access your files, just like working with a USB flash drive. What more, Cryptomator is available for Windows, Mac OS, Android, and iOS, as well.

Installing Cryptomator in Ubuntu, Linux Mint, elementary OS

Step 1) Launch ‘Terminal’ and enter the following command to add PPA.

Step 2) Perform an update.

Step 3) Install Cryptomator:

Installing Cryptomator in Fedora, CentOS, and derivatives

Cryptomator is available as an RPM package, so download the .rpm binary and run the installer.

Installing Cryptomator in Arch Linux, Manjaro, and derivatives

Cryptometer is available in AUR, so launch terminal and enter this command:

Arch Linux users can install it from Terminal:

Manjaro users need first to enable AUR, and then look for “Cryptomator” in the applications.

Enable AUR in Manjaro 17.1 GNOME

Using Cryptomator

Step 1) Launch Cryptomator

Step 2) Click the + button and create your first vault. This vault can be placed anywhere. It can be your local PC, network drive, or cloud services.

Creating your first vault

Step 2) Browse and create a folder where you would like to store the data. It can be in your cloud service or your PC. For example, I just used a desktop to test it out.

Lock the Vault

Step 3) Enter the password again to unlock the vault. A virtual drive will be created, and a new file explorer will open. Use it like any plugged USB flash drive. It will be empty, to begin with.

Virtual Drive will be created (Think of it like any USB flash drive!)

Step 4) You can drag & drop/copy & paste files that you want to encrypt into the virtual disk. For some reason, the files won’t show up immediately in the virtual drive even after copying is complete. I suggest to lock and unlock the vault again to see the files! It looks like a bug to me. For example, I have added two test files.

Encrypting Progress

Step 5) Browse and see the files that you copied via regular file explorer to see the encrypted data. It looks like garbage. That’s the file that gets stored in the cloud!

Showing encrypted vs. original files. Notice the data location

That’s it! Do you find it useful? Which encrypter do you use? Do let us know in the comments below. I will leave with a video showing Cryptomator usage.

Figuring out a good path to security for your cloud data can be quite a challenge. Normally, the cloud is a very safe place for data, despite Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt (FUD) from those who might want to access their data everywhere anytime. But the security is a very problem so we need to use some tools or methods in other to prevent the risks. This is why you can use some tools like cryptomator to encrypt your data files.

How does cryptomator work?

Cryptomatoris a multi-platform transparent client-side encryption of your files in the cloud which works with Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive and any other cloud storage service which synchronizes with a local directory. It uses a passphrase to protect against brute-force attacks and the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) method to encrypt your cloud data.

Cryptomator saves your data in a virtual drive called vaults which will be encrypted and secured with a passphrase. You can store these vaults on your local hard drive or cloud folder. When you create a vault, a master key is created into the vault folder. This key will help you to import the vault if you use another computer to synchronize your cloud data.

1) Installation

You can download cryptomator from their official download page. Deb , rpm and aur packages are available for Debian, Ubuntu, Redhat, CentOS and Arch Linux is available for download. This article we are using PPA on Debian 9 to show installation steps.

Now you can update and install it

2) Encrypt your cloud files

To encrypt your files, launch cryptomator

You can create the vault into your cloud folder. In my case, it we will be dropbox. So, you will choose your cloud folder and enter the name of the vault

Then save the vault and enter a password to protect your vault

When you protect the vault, you need to enter the password you provided in order to access it and edit your files to encrypt

This will automatically open your vault but you will contend that the path of the vault is no longer the same as the one you created earlier. This is because cryptomator creates a virtual drive to protect the files presents into the vault with another path only accessible via the application and not directly via the GUI.

We can copy the files to encrypt. During the operation you have something like below with cryptomator

Now if we try to open the folder created into our cloud folder, you will not see the content because it is protected.

You can open the web page of your cloud application to check the content of your encrypted folder which is synchronized with your computer

So you can see that your files are not visible so it is protected. So, to access your files, you will need to launch cryptomator and unlock the vault.

3) Access your encrypted files from another computer

Now that you have secured your file, you need cryptomator in order to access the different files. So how can you access your files if you don’t have your computer with cryptomator installed? Don’t worry, you just need to install cryptomator, the cloud desktop application (dropbox in my case) to synchronize the file on the new computer. Now open cryptomator and choose open an existing vault

Now go to the synchronized cloud folder and choose the master key of the vault folder.

Now you can open the vault by entering the passphrase you use for the encryption

Now you can access your files. You can see that the virtual drive is mount

To permanently delete vaults from your system, you should go to the vault location in your file browser, so the cloud folder in our case and delete the folder that contains the masterkey.cryptomator file.

You can use Cryptomator to easily protect your cloud data. You can create as many vaults as you want, each having individual passwords. Note that you can’t close cryptomator while a vault is unlocked. If you try to close the application while a vault is unlocked, the app is minimized.

Security concerns are one of the top reasons people hesitate to use the cloud. Who can blame them? After all, how many celebrity scandals have happened due to cloud accounts being hacked?
While there is never a way to make any service or computer 100% secure (hackers are incredible persistent), it’s possible to make your cloud account so secure that the odds of being hacked are all but eliminated.
Cloud services are a must for backing up irreplaceable photos and documents. So, don’t let security fears keep you from utilizing this technology.

1. Create Strong Passwords
This doesn’t just apply to cloud services. In most cases, it’s not the cloud provider that’s hacked, but individual accounts. It’s possible a hacker got your details by hacking another service, such as the massive Yahoo hack. If you use the same password on multiple accounts, all the hacker has to do is simply log in with ease. Or, if you use a simple password, they’re able to “guess” it using special tools in just minutes.
A few tips for creating stronger passwords include:
Mix uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers and symbols
Longer is better
Avoid using common phrases or slang
Make every password at least a little unique (even adding a different symbol makes a difference)
Use a specific letter (or number/symbol in place of a letter) from each word in a sentence only you know
For help in creating stronger passwords, try these resources:

If you need help remembering your passwords, consider storing them on a spreadsheet on a flash drive or using a password storage app.

2. Only Use Reliable Services
There are hundreds of cloud storage providers. While that ultra cheap one that claims to offer unlimited storage sounds nice, it might not be secure. Always look for security features, such as encryption. If there aren’t any built-in security features, use a different cloud service.

3. Avoid Uploading Sensitive Data
While you might want a backup of your tax documents, storing them in the cloud might not be safe. Highly sensitive data that hackers could use to compromise your identity are best stored at home. Consider storing them on an external hard drive or flash drive and placing that in a safety deposit box at your local bank as a backup.

4. Encrypt Before You Upload
If your entire purpose for using the cloud is to back up those sensitive documents, there is a way to make the cloud more secure for those files. Simply encrypt your files before you upload them. It’s even better when your cloud service encrypts too. Heimdal Security suggests nine free encryption tools to help you take control over your files’ security.

5. Minimize Access
The cloud is so incredibly easy to use and all it takes is a few clicks to connect numerous services for automatic uploads. However, every service you connect means a possible vulnerability. If a hacker gets access to one service, they could access your cloud files.
Instead, regularly review your cloud service account to see which third-party services are connected. If it’s not absolutely necessary, revoke access.

6. Use Basic Security Precautions
Since you likely have your cloud provider’s app on your phone, tablet or desktop, you have to take basic security precautions on the device you’re using. A few ways to keep your cloud account more secure include:
Using updated anti-virus and anti-malware tools
Never upload files using public Wi-Fi (use a VPN if you have to)
Update your cloud app to the latest version
Only share your device with people you trust
Never visit questionable sites, download suspicious apps or open emails/texts from senders you don’t trust

7. Don’t Share Your Files
Unless absolutely necessary, don’t share your files. This is different for businesses where collaboration is one of the main reasons for cloud storage services. For individuals, limit sharing. When you do share files, place them in a different folder and only share with specific people. If you want to optimize security even more, use one cloud provider for files you want to share and another provider for private files.
Cloud storage services aren’t something to fear. Just be careful and your files will remain secure and backed up.

Ashish Mundhra

02 Oct 2015

Would you trust your friend or an associate with an official file or with a private photo from a vacation? I am sure, the answer will be a big NO. So if we can’t trust our associates or friends, how we trust cloud services with GBs of data from our personal and professional lives? If you haven’t thought about it yet, I recommend, you should.

Let’s protect our data on the cloud | Shutterstock

There are a lot of services which offers cloud encryption of files on services like Dropbox and OneDrive. But most of them are complicated and come with a price tag. In our strive to bring you the best, here are two services that are free, cover major desktop and mobile platforms and are easy to use.

Windows Drive Encryption? This is how how you can go about it using Truecrypt.

Cloudfogger

Cloudfogger is a free service for personal use using which files on any cloud service can be encrypted. The app is available for Windows, Mac, Android and iOS. And if you wish to use the service on more than one device, you must create an online account with Cloudfogger the first time you configure it after installation.

Now all you need to do is, add the drive that you sync to do is sync the directory that you use to sync the files with the online servers. The encryption will occur instantly, but you will not see any changes in the folder of your computer.

The files on the online cloud service will be encrypted though, and that’s the best part about the app. There is no need to manually decrypt the files when you need to open them on the computer. Cloudfogger encrypts files with AES 256 Bit (Advanced Encryption Standard), an industry-grade encryption standard. If you wish to know in-depth about the security, read their page where even the minute details are explained.

You can also share the encrypted files with users using email. However, to access the files, the receiver must have the software installed on the device. That’s all about Cloudfogger, let’s now have a look at Viivo.

Viivo

Viivo is another service just like Cloudfogger and is available for all major platforms. Just like Cloudfogger, you will have to create an online account if you need to work on multiple devices.

When compared to Cloudfogger, the files that are encrypted by Viivo remains encrypted on your computer too. But they are associated with Viivo and double clicking on them open the data location where the original file was stored.

The only reason you might want to use Viivo is for additional features in the pro version. After upgrading, you get features like compression and two-factor authentication. Viivo also integrate to the right-click context menu so that you can add the files easily to the folder.

Viivo secures your documents before they are synchronized to your Dropbox, Box, Drive and OneDrive. Our servers never see copies of your data or your passphrase. You have the keys to securing the data, not the cloud provider. Viivo security uses industry standards such as RSA 2048 and AES-256 to lock down data regardless of hackers, data snoopers or mistakes.

To read the details on how the security works in Viivo, you can follow this link.

Conclusion

For a normal end user who just needs to work on one or maybe two cloud services to encrypt files, I would really recommend Cloudfogger. Without any seconds though, I can vouch that it has one of the simplest UIs. Viivo can be useful if you have to manage multiple cloud services and need additional layer of security and features.

Last updated on 8 Feb, 2018
The above article may contain affiliate links which help support Guiding Tech. However, it does not affect our editorial integrity. The content remains unbiased and authentic.

Cloud applications for data storage and management have become a staple for home and professional users. Storing data in a secure, offsite, online location has been heralded for the space and safety provisions it provides your information with, along with the accessibility. In the cloud, your data can always be found right where you left it, and is ready to be retrieved as needed.

While “encrypted cloud storage” and “ encrypted cloud backup ” may sound synonymous to many, their differences are vast and can be the difference between a thorough data solution, versus one that’s generally lackluster for your needs. Despite a few commonalities, there are more than a few important differences between the two you should be aware of.

What is encrypted cloud storage?

Cloud storage is an online space where you can store your data. The files that make it into your cloud storage are manually selected by you. There are two types of cloud storage: either files are stored directly in the cloud and accessed through the host site (Google Drive is a good example), or the service is integrated with your device and syncs your data, allowing you to edit files in the cloud from your device (much like Dropbox). Both options provide sharing capabilities to the user, which aid in collaboration, but can make encryption unavailable in some cases.

Many users make the mistake of using a cloud storage service as a cloud backup. While the two share some similarities, cloud backup and cloud storage serve distinctly different purposes. Using your cloud storage as your backup solution can be dangerous and may even make deleted, changed and lost files unretrievable. Let’s take a closer look at how cloud backup is a more thorough backup solution and why cloud storage should never be treated or used as a backup service.

What is encrypted cloud backup?

Cloud backup is a more extensive and comprehensive approach to cloud storage. The main function of cloud backup is to provide blanket coverage and protection against data loss from your computer and any computers you include in your network.

Whereas cloud storage allows you to manually select the files you want to store in the cloud, cloud backups are built to store the majority of, if not all of your data. Along with backing up your entire device, it also provides a range of other lifesaving features that keep all of your data secure and available, regardless of technological failures or human errors via your devices.

Every cloud backup provider will provide a mix of slightly different features, but the basic components of a cloud backup service include:

Unlimited cloud storage

Version history and recovery

Automatic and continuously synced backup

How do they compare?

Cloud backup and cloud storage differ in a few, critical ways, including data recoverability, comprehensiveness, and security.

Comprehensiveness:

The whole point of using a cloud storage or backup service is to have off-site storage of your data, should anything happen to your local storage device. So which option does this best?

Since cloud storage only stores a portion of your files in the cloud, the rest of your data is left vulnerable. Cloud storage is not a comprehensive data backup solution and cannot replace a full backup.

Cloud backup keeps a backup of all of the data on your computer, unless you specifically instruct it to exclude specific files with a custom setup. In this way, cloud backup is a complete, comprehensive solution to off-site storage. If your computer is ever damaged, stolen, or the data on it is compromised or lost, cloud backup allows you to restore it all to a new computer, like nothing ever went wrong in the first place.

Security:

Both cloud storage and cloud backup store your data in the cloud (aka online), which offers your stored data an additional layer of protection. However, when it comes to encryption, cloud backup offers more robust coverage.

Not all cloud storage providers are equipped with encryption, let alone encryption before your files are saved to the cloud. Also, because many cloud storage services are built to enable sharing, file encryption isn’t always an option. Dropbox is one example of a cloud storage provider that provides encrypted cloud storage, with some limitations .

Since the main purpose of cloud backup is to backup and secure all of your data, end-to-end encryption is a built in feature. It should be noted that because of the high level security features associated with cloud backup, cloud backup is not a file sharing/syncing tool like that of a cloud storage provider like Dropbox. The purpose of cloud backup to create a secure, complete backup of your entire system.

Recoverability:

Most cloud storage providers don’t offer the option to retrieve previous file versions (aka version history). This means that when a file is deleted or changed, it’s often stuck that way for good. When cloud storage does offer previous file versioning, it’s often as an add-on, or limited to a 30-day retrieval window. This can make recovering previous file versions, or accidentally deleted files difficult, and sometimes impossible.

Cloud backup has previous file versioning built in to make retrieval easy. Even if a file is deleted from your computer, or from your network of computers — that file or version can still be found and recovered from your backup. Most providers offer a 60 to 90-day window for recovering previous or deleted versions, while a select few cloud backup providers give users the option for unlimited previous file versions .

Ultimately, encrypted cloud storage and cloud backup are two tools, intended for two different purposes. Both have legitimate uses, though one is more robust than the other.
If you want to use a cloud service that will protect all of the data on your devices, a secure, unlimited cloud backup service is the way to go.

To ensure you’re getting all of the features you need in a backup provider; from comprehensiveness to security and recoverability, get 30 days of free cloud backup with Nordic Backup. Our backup plans are thorough and reliable — including unlimited storage space, end-to-end encryption, military grade security, version history and recovery, continuous syncing and so much more. And with a range of cloud backup plans customized for both personal and businesses uses, you’re sure to find the backup plan that’s perfectly suited to your individual or company needs. Start your 30 day free trial today and enjoy peace of mind in knowing that your data is always safe and in the best hands.

Do you have top-secret or sensitive files you want to encrypt? If you are uploading or syncing the files to third-party cloud storage services, it’s recommended to do that for security purposes. CloudFogger allows you to encrypt and protect your data for free. While we can also encrypt files using EFS for Windows users, here is another way to do it regardless of the system you’re using. Plus, it’s also available for Android and iOS devices.

CloudFogger encrypts not just Dropbox files but also “Google Drive and others” as stated in the official website. It’s using a 256-AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) and is available on Mac OS X- and Windows-powered computers.

2. Launch the app and you’ll see the three options. In this tutorial I created an account to fully access the features.

3. After registration you will receive a confirmation in your e-mail box and will be asked to validate your account (a link will be given to you).

4. Launch the app, and log in using the details you’ve created.

How does it work?

Note: in this tutorial I’m using Mac OS X v.10.10.

CloudFogger is simple to use and comes with straightforward features; indeed, anyone can use it and won’t have a hard time figuring out how it works. Let’s say you want to encrypt a file.

Click the “Folder UP” or the search folder button beside the URL bar to find the folders or files you wish to encrypt.

Keep in mind that you cannot encrypt the folder at once like what I did in this tutorial. You need to select the exact document (.doc), or photo (.jpg) for example. When I select the July folder and click the “Encrypt” button, nothing happens. So you need to select the exact file(s). For example, we will encrypt one of my 500 Words per Day files as seen below.

An encrypted file will have the dot-cfog extension which is accessible only with the unique keys or by the CloudFogger decrypt option.

However, I found two caveats while using the Mac version. The first is that it’s still in beta, and I experienced a few glitches while navigating it. By renaming the file back to its original extension, (by deleting the ), you can open the file in a snap and it will be decrypted. So if you want to take a look how it works in Windows, download the client that is more stable.

Here is what it looks like in Windows (Windows 8.1 powered-computer). When you launch it, it will prompt you to add the folder you wish to encrypt.

And any file that is not included in the path; just right click, then select CloudFogger and choose “Fogg file(s).”

It also supports file sharing, while each file has a unique key for decryption.

How to Encrypt your Dropbox and other files

Once you install CloudFogger, encrypting the files is simple. If you want to encrypt your Dropbox files, click the (+), and it will prompt you to add the folders you wish to protect.

Click the “Protect another folder” option to add a path (Google Drive, OneDrive, or local folders). The syncing and encrypting features are automatic when you add a cloud service.

Let us know what you think of CloudFogger. What other free encryption tools that have similar features do you use?

Krisette is a technology writer who loves to cover disruptive technologies, trends, and a myriad of rumors and news updates. To satiate the inconsolable longing to feed her gadget addiction, she simply writes and tinker her gadgets for reviews. You may follow her blurbs, too! @krisettecapati

For most users, finding a truly protected Cloud service can be a challenge, as many services obviously have security gaps that leave data wide open to third party attacks, leaks, or hacking.

CloudFogger is an application available for Windows, Mac, Andoird, iOS. There are many more similar tools and services that are available i.e. SpiderOak, Mozy, Carbonite, IDrive or BoxCryptor and many more.

However, CloudFogger is not an open source software, so there is an alternate available called “CryptSync”, which is an open source tool for encrypting the files before uploading to cloud server and it also does not store your files on the developer’s server like CloudFogger.

This way, even if programs like NSA’s PRISM continue to stand unchallenged, people can rest easy knowing that their data is truly protected.

Also, read my previous article on, “How to Encrypt Your Emails against an invasion of privacy by NSA”.

By ownCloud

Edit 2019-05-09: This article is a bit outdated. If you want to know more about ownCloud’s current approach towards file encryption, take a look at this Whitepaper.

What is Encryption

Encryption is the ‘mashing up’ (encoding) of data in a way that makes it nearly impossible for somebody else to read (decrypt) it without a specific piece of knowledge: the encryption key. A simple example would be to move each character in the text one further in the alphabet, so an A becomes a B, a K becomes an L and so on. This makes the text unreadable, unless you know the trick: just move them all back one character!

Of course, modern encryption techniques are far more complicated, using advanced mathematics to make it virtually impossible to recover the data without the key. You can read more in the wikipedia entry.

How Does ownCloud Use Encryption?

ownCloud uses encryption in two major ways: when transferring data to and from the server; and when storing data on an external server. The first requires the use of ‘TLS‘, a secure communication protocol for the internet. The ownCloud installation manual contains instructions for enabling TLS encryption and it is highly recommended to do this.

For storing data encrypted on ownCloud, you need to have the ownCloud Encryption app enabled. It will then encrypt all your data with a strong, randomly generated key, which is then protected with your log-in password. You can find documentation here. As the manual states:

“Encryption and decryption always occurs on the server side. This enables you to continue to use all other apps to view and edit data. However, this method of encryption also means that the server administrator can intercept your data.”

What this means is that you (your ownCloud server) keeps the key to decrypt your data. This makes it possible to access your files over the web interface and share files with others. To run safely on a non-trusted server, data would have to be encrypted by the client (your computer, phone or other devices) before being sent to the non-trusted ownCloud server and you would lose the web interface access.

The Encryption App

The goal of the Encryption app is to protect data on external storage. All files sent there will be encrypted by the ownCloud server, and upon retrieval, decrypted before serving them to you (or those you shared them with).

The key to decrypt the data never leaves the ownCloud server. This makes the ownCloud Encryption app a great tool to benefit from cloud storage offered by services like Dropbox or Google Drive while ensuring security and privacy of your data!

Using the Encryption app is very simple. Just enable the app and the first time you log in again it will start to encrypt your data. If you later decide to disable the Encryption app, it will provide the option to decrypt your files in your personal settings.

Please note that you should be very careful not to lose your login password as you will lose access to your files. As admin you can set a recovery password. See the documentation for more details.

Keep in mind that the Encryption app only encrypts the content of your files. Filename and folder structures are not protected. You can read more technical details on the Encryption app in this blog post.

Other technologies to protect your data

Application-specific encryption like the ownCloud encryption app without external storage makes little sense considering that you can just encrypt the whole hard drive. Several technologies exist which can encrypt your hard drive or create an encrypted, protected file where you can securely store data.

We would recommend dm-crypt on Linux, as well as eCryptfs and EncFs for individual file and folder encryption. Windows users could use BitLocker and Mac users could try FileVault.

One should note that you can also use full-disk encryption without physical access, with dropbear and busybox you can setup a system that you can unlock via SSH.

On the server, hard drive encryption on the operating system level would secure your server from somebody who gets physical access to it and steals the disks. Note that this only secures your data when the system is turned off, not while it is running!

Full-Disk Encryption not only gives better security, it also offers far better performance (especially thanks to modern extensions in CPU’s like AES-NI).

Implications for Security

ownCloud uses encryption to protect your data when it is not on the ownCloud client or the server. However, it does not encrypt data on your computer or protect you if access to your ownCloud server itself is compromised! There are other widely available technologies which provide protection of your data against different risks.

The ownCloud Encryption app provides a great way to secure your data on untrusted cloud storage services. It is easy to enable and works entirely unnoticeable for the user.

UPDATE: Encryption 2.0, introduced in ownCloud 8.1, makes encryption more flexible and modular.