storage encryption

Two free ways to encrypt Google Drive files

This month marks the sixth anniversary of my Google Drive account. I've been aware since the beginning that the thousands of files I have uploaded to the service are stored unencrypted on Google's servers.

That hasn't prevented me from uploading plenty of sensitive information to Google Drive, including dozens of invoices that list my address and the amount of money I was billing for, although the invoices do not include any bank-account or Social Security numbers.

I could have easily encrypted the files using any number of free services. In last May's "Free services make Gmail, Google Drive, and Google search more private,&… Read more

Free services make Gmail, Google Drive, Google search more private

It's no secret that any information you provide to a Google service is no secret.

When Google changed its terms of service last year, the company granted itself and any other company it chooses complete, unfettered access to anonymized (we hope) versions of all the messages you send and receive via Gmail, all the files you upload to Google Drive, and all the terms you enter in the Google search box.

As CNET's Rafe Needleman reported in April 2012, Google's rights go beyond simply perusing your personal information. Google's terms of service include the following:

When … Read more

Three approaches to free encrypted online storage

One of the knocks against Google's online applications is that your personal data is stored unencrypted on the company's servers. For the many users of Google apps who are unconcerned about somebody snooping around their files, this won't matter. But those servers are no place to store sensitive personal or business information.

You can store your financial and other confidential information online for free by using a service such as Mozy or IDrive that encrypts the data on their servers, usually in a way that prevents the service's own employees from decrypting it. I looked at … Read more

Iomega gets a holiday eGo boost

Iomega continues to impress us with its sexy, sleek external hard drives. We just recently reviewed the eGo Helium, a drive catered to Apple fanboys. There's also the eGo Camo that's useful for secretly accessing your data in the forest, and the eGo Brown Leather that makes a perfect present for your friendly neighborhood alcoholic. This time, they're introducing two new drives to their eGo line. Check 'em out!

This is the eGo Encrypt. It actually bears a striking resemblance to the eGo Helium, with its silver case and clean lines, but this one is a little … Read more

Encryption consolidation may benefit the industry

There was a relatively small acquisition on Tuesday: nCipher, a U.K.-based encryption specialist, purchased storage encryption appliance vendor NeoScale Systems. This could be looked at as basic industry consolidation, but the impact could ripple further.

Encryption and, more specifically, key management really needs a set of standards to prosper and grow. Key management standards must include standard ways to connect encrypting devices to key managers, key managers to key managers, and so on. There are a few nascent standards efforts in this area, but nothing concrete.

Here's how this niche merger could impact the stalemate. nCipher has … Read more

Forget your passwords safely with PassPack

Passwords are a real pain. It's not so bad dealing with one or two, but once you have five or more log-ins and passwords at various sites, even the sharpest mind will have trouble remembering what goes where. PassPack is a new service that attempts to solve this problem, letting you create a personal archive of log-ins and passwords that can be packed and unpacked with one master password.

After setting up PassPack, you can start plugging in as many accounts as you want. When you're done you can "Pack it up!" using a special packing … Read more