Use cloud services safely - you have to pay attention to that
There are a few things to keep in mind to securely store your data in cloud services. With our 5 tips you can make your online storage secure.
1. Do not share private information
Your private data, such as bank details or passwords, do not belong in a cloud:
- You have no influence on the further use of your data. Files are often stored on different servers, which they often cannot track. Your data could easily be stolen in the event of a hacker attack on the cloud service.
- Do not put sensitive data in the cloud!
2. Save your data on the PC
- Even if you upload your data to a cloud, you should also save it on your computer. If the cloud service is unavailable and you don't have any locally stored files, you won't be able to access your data.
- So be independent of cloud services and always back up your files on your PC or additionally on a USB stick.
3. Change your cloud password regularly
- Regularly change all passwords and access codes for your cloud services. You should also keep an eye on the access rights for your cloud: Are all rights set correctly? Do you want some documents to be publicly viewable? Who can access which folders?
- In general, only give your cloud access to people you trust and only share individual files.
4. Check the provider's security measures
- Make sure that all transmissions on the provider's website are encrypted (via SSL). The common providers such as Dropbox, OneDrive (formerly SkyDrive) or GoogleDrive have this feature.
- With US providers, you should also check whether they have agreed to the "Safe Harbor Agreement". This ensures that the provider also accepts and complies with EU security regulations.
- Ask each provider which security regulations apply.
5. Increase security through encryption
- With the "TrueCrypt" program, you can further increase security by encrypting the data.
- This means you can also protect your private data from hacking attacks on the cloud and prevent the cloud provider from spying on data.
You can find out more about individual providers in our large comparison of the leading cloud storage providers.