How Secure Is Cloud Storage?

Can cloud storage be hacked?

Yes, it can but it is highly unlikely and if implemented correctly with a top provider it is nearly impossible.

A good implementation involves:

1. Zero-Knowledge encryption - This means that your data is encrypted with a password that only you know. The provider couldn’t decrypt your data even if they wanted to.
2. End-to-End Encryption - This means that your data is encrypted before you send it and doesn’t get decrypted until after it arrives at the storage provider. This guarantees that at no time while it is in transit is it not encrypted.
3. 2-Factor-Authentication - This means that you need not only a password to access your data but also a 2nd form of authentication. So, however difficult it is to steal your password, with 2 factors of authentication it is now that difficult to the power of 2. Difficult squared means much much more than twice as difficult.

Nothing is impossible and we have no way of knowing all of the tools that bad actors may have but cloud storage is highly secure. The top cloud providers have stellar track records with zero breaches thus far.

Cyber crime is on the rise. We do more with the internet every year and even with all of the advances in cyber security, cyber crimials are having more success than ever.

Can cloud storage be lost?

Cloud storage can absolutely be lost. While this is extremely rare to non-existent with the top providers, it can happen, even to a provider with a currently perfect track record.

Ways your data can be lost:

1. Account compromise:

Someone could hijack or hack your account. They could also potentially hack into the service provider. Many people working inside of these server farms have the power to do harm to the underlying infrastructure and a single disgruntled employee could potentially destroy your data. 

2. Human Error:

Accidental Deletion - Many top providers offer account history and file versioning so just in case you delete something by accident you can recover it. That is if you discover it before your file versioning has expired. Almost no companies offer unlimited file versioning.

3. Natural disaster:

If your cloud provider only keeps your data located at one geographic location, it is possible that a natural disaster could completely wipe out your cloud-stored data.

Is it smart to keep all your data on the cloud?

Keeping all of your data in the cloud is a terrible idea. As stated in the paragraph just above this, while cloud storage is very secure, there are many ways seen or unforeseen that could lead to your data being lost.

Reliability of internet connection:

• If your internet goes down you will lose access to your data.
• If your cloud provider’s internet goes down you will lose access to your data.
• Having a copy of your data locally will not only ensure that you can access your data in an outage but is yet another backup of your data.a

If your data is important to you, you need to have a backup of your backup. IT best practices state that you should keep a minimum of 3 copies of your data.

• 1 copy on-premise.
• 2 other copies off-premise in different locations.

Is cloud storage 100% safe?

No cloud storage solution is 100% safe. There are many quality cloud providers that have a 100% safety record but that does not mean that we know they will always keep that perfect record. 

A good cloud storage company invests a lot of money and know-how into keeping your data safe. While it is possible that someone could outsmart all of these efforts, the chances are next to 0 - Provided you and your cloud provider follow cloud storage secure practices. 

When should you not use cloud storage?

There are only a few reasons why cloud storage would not be a good choice.

1. Certain industries have regulations that require them to store their data “in-house”. These industries are:

• Financial Services
• Government and Defence
• Legal

Other industries also have regulations about how their data must be stored but there are options within those regulations where you can use cloud storage if the storage provider is compliant with those regulations.

2. Many companies maintain their own servers at different locations. If you have access to servers or hard drive spaces that are geographically separated, you do not need a cloud storage provider (you are your own cloud provider at that point).

What files should you never store in the cloud?

The only things that you should absolutely not store in the cloud are things that would fall under regulations prohibiting cloud storage. These would be things from the following industries as stated in the previous paragraph.

• Financial Services
• Government and Defence
• Legal

If you work in one of these industries take careful precaution when choosing how to store your data.

If you have data that you want the utmost secure storage for and are confident in your ability to store your data in a more secure way than a top-tier storage provider and are also able to store it in multiple locations for redundancy, then you do not need cloud storage. This is possible but requires a fair amount of knowledge and effort on your part. I would not discourage you from doing so if you are so inclined. Taking your data’s security into your own hands does give you the added security of knowing it is done right instead of trusting it is done right. If this is the route you choose I would suggest using NextCloud as the underlying software to store and access your data on your own servers or hosted servers.

Can cloud providers access your data?

While some cloud providers absolutely can and do access your data, other cloud providers offer Zero-Knowldge-Encryption which means they are not able to decrypt your data.

Zero-Knowldge-Encryption is a method for encrypting your data where only you know that decryption key (password). Zero-Knowledge-Encryption makes cloud storage truly secure and is a must-have if you care about the privacy of your data.

But it comes with some inconveniences:

1. If you lose your password there are no password recovery options. You are solely responsible for maintaining your password.
2. You will not be able to view your data online. Because it is encrypted while it is on the provider's server, you will need to download it to your computer before decrypting it with the password that only you know.

Is cloud storage private?

It’s important to make the distinction between security and privacy. Your cloud storage may be secure but that doesn’t mean that the provider is keeping your personal information safe.

For example, they may keep your stored data hidden while at the same time giving others information about who you are and what you do. Account information like your name, email, phone number, etc, as well as what you do with your account, when, and how you do it.
 

Not all cloud storage providers respect your privacy. Not only do some cloud providers give away information about you as their customer, but they also look at the data you store with them. Not necessarily to share it with others but to gain insight into you for their own gain.

The good news is that there are some cloud storage providers that do respect your privacy and we know this because how they treat your personal information must be clearly stated in their terms of service. All of our top recommended secure cloud providers do not give your personal information to any 3rd parties.

Is cloud storage more secure than on-premise?

No. When cloud storage is 100% under your control you can eliminate any unknown variable. There are highly secure cloud storage providers with a stellar history of keeping their customer data secure, but you have no way of ensuring that they are following perfect security practices 100% of the time.

That being setting up an on-premise data storage that's as secure as possible takes a fair amount of knowledge, discipline, and money. And your data still needs to be backed up so you will need 2 if not 3 different premises to maintain redundancy for your data.

Is cloud storage secure for business?

Cloud storage is absolutely secure for most businesses if you choose a good provider and implement best practices when setting up and using your cloud storage.

Keep in mind that many industries have regulations that limit or even prohibit off-site storage.

• Healthcare
• Financial Services
• Government
• Education
• Telecommunications
• Energy
• E-commerce
• Legal

If you are in one of these businesses make sure you check if you are allowed to use cloud storage. There are many high-quality providers that offer regulatory compliance in most of the regulated industries.

We have a tool that can help you sort through which provider offers which regulatory compliance services. Filter by regulatory compliance.

Can you trust cloud storage?

Yes, you can trust cloud storage. While no cloud storage provider is 100% safe, top cloud providers go to great lengths to secure your data. They use all of the latest and best tools and employ some of the greatest minds in cyber security.

If you take the time to choose a good provider and just as importantly, use it correctly, not sharing passwords, using end-to-end encryption, zero-knowledge encryption, and two-factor authentication you can be assured that your data will remain safe and private.

What is the most secure cloud storage?

We have an in-depth article looking at who has the most secure cloud storage where we look at many factors including: 

• Zero-Knowledge-Encryption. 
• End-to-End Encryption.
• Open source code.
• Data center locations.
• 2 Factor Authentication

Conclusion

The rarity of data loss scenarios with top-tier providers underscores their resilience, yet prudent users are advised to diversify storage strategies and maintain local backups.

When privacy and security are top priorities, but also convenient access and usability,  informed decision-making and understanding how to best use cloud storage becomes paramount. 

Ultimately, the trust bestowed upon cloud storage is earned through a judicious selection of providers, adherence to secure practices, and an ongoing commitment to staying abreast of evolving cybersecurity landscapes.