Security considerations when using Dropbox
Guest post by Frederic Tully, a student in Professor Lynn Heinrichs’ information security class.
Despite the belief that cloud storage platforms such as Dropbox are secure, when using these servers you could be putting your data at risk. When thinking about information security, Dropbox poses many risks or potential threats. In the past Dropbox has had several security breaches in which personal information was compromised or made available by hackers. One of the security risks of Dropbox is that anyone who has access to certain files can also share them, which becomes an even bigger issue because of the fact that Dropbox does not encrypt any of their files. Users are advised to encrypt their own files, which is very time consuming. If you are an avid Dropbox user there are some ways you can prevent security threats.
Prevent security threats in Dropbox
- Dropbox users are recommended to treat cloud storage as a public repository
- You should not put up any files that you would not mind everyone seeing
- Make sure you monitor your Dropbox regularly
- Be aware of which of your files are being shared by those you have shared them with
Resources
- Dropbox
- 5 Dropbox Security Warnings For Businesses – InformationWeek
- DropSmack: Using Dropbox to steal files and deliver malware – TechRepublic
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