Encrypt Your Cloud Drive with Boxcryptor - A How-To Guide
Securing Cloud Storage: A Look at Boxcryptor
Recent security concerns experienced by Dropbox have highlighted the importance of user-controlled encryption for data stored in the cloud. Many individuals are now seeking methods to enhance the privacy and security of their online files.
Understanding the Need for User-Managed Encryption
The Dropbox incident served as a stark reminder that relying solely on a provider’s security measures may not be sufficient. User-managed encryption allows individuals to maintain control over their encryption keys, adding an extra layer of protection.
Introducing Boxcryptor
Boxcryptor presents a solution for securing Dropbox, and other cloud storage platforms, through the implementation of client-side encryption. This means your files are encrypted on your device *before* they are uploaded to the cloud.
How Boxcryptor Works
Boxcryptor integrates seamlessly with popular cloud services. It encrypts individual files or entire folders using AES-256 encryption, a widely respected standard.
- Client-Side Encryption: Data is encrypted locally before upload.
- Multiple Cloud Support: Works with Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, and more.
- AES-256 Encryption: Utilizes a robust and secure encryption algorithm.
Access to your encrypted files requires your Boxcryptor password, ensuring that even if a cloud provider were compromised, your data would remain protected. The encryption process is transparent to the user, operating in the background.
By employing Boxcryptor, users can significantly bolster the security of their cloud-based files and mitigate the risks associated with potential data breaches. It provides a valuable tool for anyone prioritizing data privacy.
Enhancing Cloud Storage Security: Why Add an Extra Layer?
A security vulnerability at Dropbox on June 19th resulted in a four-hour window where account access was compromised. During this period, users could log in with any password, simply by knowing the associated email address.
This meant that the strength of Dropbox’s underlying encryption was irrelevant. The flaw allowed unauthorized access, effectively bypassing any security measures in place.
Understanding the Risk
The incident highlights a critical point: even robust encryption can be rendered ineffective by weaknesses in the authentication process. If an attacker gains access to an account, they can potentially access all stored data.
What steps can be taken to mitigate this risk? Completely avoiding cloud storage is one possibility, but many find the convenience of services like Dropbox invaluable.
Securing Your Files with Additional Encryption
Instead of abandoning cloud storage, users can implement an additional layer of security by selectively encrypting files before uploading them. This ensures that even if an account is compromised, the attacker would still require decryption keys to access the sensitive data.
This approach allows continued use of cloud services while significantly enhancing data protection. It’s a proactive measure against potential vulnerabilities in the cloud provider’s security infrastructure.
Many users store non-critical files like music and media in the cloud. However, for important documents and sensitive information, adding an extra layer of encryption provides peace of mind.
Protecting Dropbox with BoxCryptor
While some users opt for maintaining an encrypted volume within their Dropbox account – similar to a TrueCrypt volume – this approach somewhat undermines the advantages of utilizing a cloud-based drive with continuous synchronization and file saving.
Specifically, when a large encryption volume is employed, Dropbox will only upload the volume once it has been dismounted.
Consequently, any modifications made to files while the volume is mounted result in a loss of the continuous backup functionality.
A Seamless Encryption Solution
For those seeking to encrypt individual files with ease, while preserving the benefits of ongoing backups, BoxCryptor presents a straightforward solution.
BoxCryptor is a Windows application designed for encrypting files individually, employing the robust AES-256 bit encryption standard.
Cross-Platform Compatibility
It’s important to note that BoxCryptor is compatible with the Encrypted Filesystem (EncFS).
This compatibility allows access to your BoxCryptor-encrypted files on computers running Mac OS X and Linux operating systems.
If you intend to use BoxCryptor with a Mac OS X system, a comprehensive guide is available for your reference.
Similarly, a dedicated guide exists for users planning to utilize BoxCryptor on a Linux computer.
Focus: Windows Setup
The following instructions will focus on securing a Dropbox account using BoxCryptor from a Windows-based machine.
This guide will detail the necessary steps to implement this security measure effectively.
Installing and Configuring BoxCryptor
The process of installing BoxCryptor is remarkably uncomplicated. BoxCryptor is offered in three distinct editions.
BoxCryptor Editions
- The free version enables encryption of directories up to 2GB in size.
- The Unlimited Personal version, priced at $20, provides unlimited directory size capabilities.
- Unlimited Business, costing $50, is essentially a commercially licensed iteration of the Unlimited Personal version.
The installation file can be downloaded from here. For our purposes, we will utilize the free version, as it adequately addresses the need to secure a limited number of files. Simply execute the installation file and adhere to the on-screen instructions.
BoxCryptor will automatically detect the presence of Dropbox on your system. It will then inquire if you wish to locate the BoxCryptor directory within your Dropbox folder. Select 'Yes' to proceed.
Careful attention is required when you encounter the following screen:
Verify that BoxCryptor has correctly positioned your directory within your Dropbox folder structure. You must also assign a drive letter for BoxCryptor to mount as a virtual drive.
We chose the letter Z. Unless you utilize Dropbox’s file versioning functionality, the Advanced Mode options can remain unchanged.
Filename Encryption and Versioning
By default, BoxCryptor encrypts filenames. This enhances security, but it can disrupt Dropbox’s file versioning system. If file versioning is crucial to your workflow, ensure you check Advanced Mode and disable filename encryption.
If you do not rely on file versioning or require filename access for web interface downloads, leaving filename encryption enabled is recommended. Should you later wish to modify this setting, the BoxCryptor Control tool (a command-line utility) allows toggling filename encryption. Further details are available here.
The final step involves setting a password for your BoxCryptor volume. Select a robust and secure password.
You can choose whether or not BoxCryptor should remember the password. We opted to have it remember the password, as our primary goal is remote file security. Local access to the computer, to the extent of password compromise, presents separate security concerns.
Upon completion, the BoxCryptor folder (or your chosen name) should appear within your Dropbox folder. The virtual drive will also be visible in your list of drives (Z drive in our example).
Important Usage Rules
Two critical rules must be followed consistently. First, do not directly place files into the BoxCryptor folder. Files placed directly into the folder will not be encrypted. They will be treated as standard files within your Dropbox directory.
Second, do not delete the encfs6.xml file within the BoxCryptor folder. This file contains vital decryption information. Its deletion renders BoxCryptor unusable and your files permanently encrypted.
It is best practice to avoid directly accessing the BoxCryptor folder; utilize the mounted volume exclusively. Let’s now transfer some files to the mounted volume and observe the outcome.
As shown in the screenshot, we have transferred files to the Z drive, BoxCryptor’s virtual drive. We can interact with this drive as we would any other on our computer.
Files are encrypted and decrypted in real-time, and any modifications are promptly synchronized with your Dropbox account.
What does the BoxCryptor folder look like now? Let’s examine it.
Each file has been individually encrypted by BoxCryptor and successfully uploaded to Dropbox, as indicated by the green check marks. The remainder of our Dropbox account, containing MP3s, ebooks, and other non-sensitive files, remains unencrypted, while the BoxCryptor directory benefits from robust AES-256 file-by-file encryption.
For further assistance with BoxCryptor, consult their FAQ, blog, or feedback forum.
Do you have experience with BoxCryptor, EncFS, or similar file encryption tools and cloud storage solutions? Share your insights in the comments below.