The obvious benefit to backing up your files to the cloud is that you are able to access your files from anywhere on any internet connected device, but at the same time you don’t want to worry about data security. Of course, cloud storage services will store your data securely, but if you encrypt your personal files before backing them up to cloud, you can ensure a much better security.
There are several solutions available to encrypt your files before uploading them to the cloud storage. For example, the simplest solution is using a free compression tool like 7-zip to encrypt your file using AES-256 standard before uploading them.
If you are looking for an automated encrypting solution for your cloud storage services, you may like BoxCryptor.
BoxCryptor is a cryptographic virtual hard disk that encrypts all data on-the-fly using the AES-256 standard. Encrypted data is stored in an arbitrary directory of your choice, e.g. one that is synced to the cloud like your Dropbox or Google Drive folder.
How to setup BoxCryptor to encrypt personal file and synced it to your cloud storage?
After installing BoxCryptor, run it (Windows). In the first window choose ‘Create a new encrypted folder’ and click next. Here choose a folder, for example, Dropbox, Google Drive, etc and click next. Choose a drive letter and click next. Enter a password and click Finish button.
It will create a new drive in Windows explorer. Open this drive and any file you put here (or drag and drop here) will encrypt and synchronized to your cloud storage in real time.
Note: The encrypted files can only be decrypted on your local machine by using BoxCryptor. Only by using the BoxCryptor drive, you can see your decrypted data and work with it like any other data on your pc.
To get access to several settings or to change your encrypted folder you can open the BoxCryptor Main Window. Right click on the little padlock in your notification icons list and click on “Show BoxCryptor”.
Note: The free version of BoxCryptor lets you create only 2GB of virtual hard drive and supports only one cloud storage at a time.
BoxCryptor is available for Windows, Android, iOS, Mac and Linux. It can be downloaded from developer’s website here.
