Why it is important to encrypt files before uploading them to the cloud

In the digital age, cloud storage has become an integral part of our lives. Cloud storage platforms like Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive have made data backup and sharing easy. But along with convenience, privacy risks have also increased. Cloud storage is not completely secure. Therefore, to keep your sensitive files safe, it is important to encrypt them before uploading them to the cloud.

Things You Will Need

• N/A

Method

Privacy risks

Cloud storage services claim to encrypt data during transmission and storage, but sometimes this encryption can be decrypted on the cloud provider's server. This means that your data can be accessible to their employees or hackers. This risk increases even more in free cloud services, because many times these services use user data for marketing or AI training.

7-Zip: Quick encryption

7-Zip is a popular file compression tool, which also provides AES-256 encryption. It is suitable for quickly encrypting small files or folders. The advantage is that encrypted zip files can also be opened with other archive manager software, provided the password is available. Encrypted files can only be opened with a password, making the data unreadable for the cloud provider or hackers. If sensitive files have to be shared, send encrypted files so that only someone who knows the password can open them.

Why is encryption necessary?

Encryption converts files into a language that can only be read with the correct password. Even if the cloud storage account is hacked, encrypted files are useless to unauthorized persons. There are many free tools that help you encrypt your files easily.

Veracrypt Software

Veracrypt is free open source encryption software that is audited by security experts. It allows creating encrypted containers that look like normal files but open only with a password. This tool is ideal for financial documents and sensitive information.