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How to increase Google Drive security

Quite often we hear about hackers breaking into cloud storage and data leakage. Is Google Drive secure or not you will find the answer after reading the article, however, it is a known fact that providing additional protection to the cloud data is a must.


We recommend using CloudMounter. However, let’s start in the right order.


Requirements: macOS 10.14 + / Windows 7 SP1 and newer
Cloud management: key points and top tools

Google is a corporation that has eaten a dog on security and data encryption providing a quality secure environment in which only you can access your files. Google Drive users have the option to improve the security of their data through Google Drive security settings. These include the degree of privacy when transferring access to files and folders to third parties. So, you can not only adjust what actions the user can perform (view, comment, or edit), but also prohibit or allow them to print, download, copy, and share access to others.

To protect against hacking, a common notification system for all Google products works. It consists in the fact that the user will receive a notification by mail and in their account if the login to the account was performed in parallel from several devices or from an unknown location. In this case, you must confirm your actions, otherwise, the security system will block access.

How secure is Google Drive service

Google Drive screen

According to the official website of Google company, they have spent more than one year on the development of the security system. What is this system and how safe is Google Drive? First of all, Google Drive uses HTTPS encryption, which should ensure secure data transmission. Additionally, the service uses the Perfect Forward Secrecy (PFS) algorithm to protect information when exchanged with servers of other companies.

Another measure was the use of double RSA-2048 encryption keys. At the same time, video files uploaded to the cloud service are not encrypted, and one of the main functions contains a vulnerability. So is Google Drive secure? The answer - it is safe.

Google Drive security issues

Security is required everywhere, considering all kinds of threats: hackers, human errors, software and hardware errors, unethical employees. In other words, there are a lot of them. And there is no way to control everything. The three main areas you should consider when using Google Drive or any other cloud service are file security during transfer, software bugs, and the privacy of the cloud itself.

Even though the company assures users in every possible way that their personal data is not used for commercial purposes and will not be compromised. As a confirmation of the first fact, the example is the absence of advertising. With regard to the second point, the company refers to its authority and the data of independent audit organizations. However, it is emphasized that after the user deletes this or that information, it is stored by the provider for another 180 days. Only after this period does the data disappear completely.

How to increase Google Drive security level

Although Google tools are highly reliable, data security often depends not only on the service itself but also on your actions. Most web users only protect their accounts with a weak password, increasing the risk of data theft. So how to make Google Drive secure, let’s consider the following tips.

1. Profile security

A lot of the users protect their accounts with just a password. However, this is not a reliable method, especially when you consider the combinations users use to create their passwords. Does it make Google Drive secure from hacks? Definitely not. Another common user error is password reuse, which increases the risk of falling victim to credential-populated attacks. Two-factor authentication involves the use of three main authentication factors:

  • Password or PIN;
  • A physical key or security token;
  • Fingerprint or retinal scan.

As a rule, two of these factors apply when logging into an account. Thus, even if cybercriminals have a password for a specific Google Drive account, they will not be able to access it without an additional factor.

2. Third-party applications

Cybersecurity experts add that third-party applications are becoming more popular among users as they help to simplify the task and organize the work with the cloud efficiently. However, one should not forget about the safety of work and data protection.

3. Data encryption

Despite the constant improvement of Google Drive security, there are still data breach incidents, in particular, due to human error or cybercriminal attacks. That is why it is highly recommended to encrypt files before uploading them in order to increase the security of Google Drive files. Thus, if cybercriminals gain access to Google Drive, it will be impossible to view the data without the decryption key.

4. Granting permissions

In addition to uploading and storing files, Google Drive is used to share and even collaborate on documents with other users. As convenient as it is, you need to pay attention to granting permissions to users with whom you exchange documents in order to establish secure file sharing of Google Drive data.

Google Drive encryption solutions to secure your files

When you upload data to the cloud - photographs, documents, trade secrets, military intelligence, and more - you probably expect a certain amount of privacy, for instance, that other people can't look at your content, even if it's stored on a shared cloud server. Unfortunately, this simple expectation can be difficult to meet. If you want your privacy in your hands, encrypt your files using one of these apps before uploading to Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, or remote servers.

Top choices to secure Google Drive data

CloudMounter

Price: $2999
Free version: Download
Mac App Store version: Available here

Encrypt Google Drive content before uploading it to the cloud with CloudMounter. The app allows you to connect major cloud computing services and remote servers to your Mac as a simple drive and add an extra layer of protection to your files with top-notch encryption standards.

CloudMounter

Make the information in the cloud incomprehensible to the rest of the people by enabling encryption feature in the app.

icon pros Pros:

  • Finder friendly;
  • Client-side encryption;
  • All-in-one solution for most popular cloud storages;

icon cons Cons:

  • Paid version to unlock all the set of features.

Boxcryptor

One more method on how to secure Google Drive files is to use Boxcryptor. It is an easy-to-use encryption app optimized for cloud use. It allows you to safely use cloud storage services without compromising comfort. The app supports all the most popular cloud storage, as well as storage using the WebDAV standard. With BoxCryptor, your files are sent to the cloud in a secure manner, and you can be sure that your information will not fall into the wrong hands.

icon pros Pros:

  • Cross-platform solution;
  • Leading end-to-end encryption technology.

icon cons Cons.

  • No password reset option;
  • Not a wide set of features.
Conclusion

If you value your online security, you need to add an extra layer of encryption to protect all of your sensitive data. Hopefully, our article has given you a better idea of how to achieve this and you find some useful information about Google Drive privacy.

Frequently Asked Questions

Hackers love to intercept files because they are most vulnerable during their transfer. Don't assume that Google Drive encryption isn't strong enough to deal with it. On the way to and from Google servers, your files are encrypted with a 248-bit SSL / TLS key. Data in the cloud itself is protected by 128-bit AES encryption.


While possible, it would be incredibly difficult to hack Google Drive’s security while syncing. However, it is possible and if to answer the question “Can Google Drive be hacked?” the answer will definitely be yes. That is why it is worth considering additional layers of protection to the files stored online.

Each user with a Google account can control access to their files. Google is trying to unify options for accessing files processed through its services. Google Drive gives you complete control over access to your files and folders. By using the access settings, you can define access to files and folders. There are three ways to access files:

  • Files available to everyone on the Internet;
  • Files available only to those who have the link;
  • Files available only to those to whom the invitation is sent.

Yes, we know that Google protects your files during the uploading process, but it also decrypts them for analysis and then encrypts the whole thing. That is why there are several ways to encrypt files on Google Drive for better file security:

  • Encrypt files before uploading them;
  • Encrypt files with the Word;
  • Encrypt files with third-party tools.
From the point of view of the safety of information, it is undoubtedly safe, because it is a cloud computing service. However, from the point of view of protection against attacks, it is unsafe, nevertheless, if someone purposefully wants to steal your data, then they will find a way to do it. Meanwhile, it is recommended to provide additional protection to your data before uploading to the cloud and use encryption solutions to make Google Drive a safe place.

Sharing your passwords with third parties is a very unreasonable step, however, there is an advantage, namely:

  • Simplicity and convenience. But only if passwords are encrypted at the level of your device and can only be decrypted by using a master key (password) that is stored exclusively with you. But in this case, if you lose your password (master password, as it is often called), you will lose access to all passwords. If there is an opportunity to recover a lost password, for example, using a link sent to your e-mail, then the service can always access your data, and there can be no question of any security.

If the cloud only stores an encrypted file with passwords to sync between devices, that's one thing. Another thing when the owner of the service stores your passwords. Namely this method of storing passwords carries a lot of risks and threats.

The basic principle of the work of third-party tools is to encrypt data before uploading it to the cloud. Encrypt files with a password, upload them to the cloud and that’s it. Only people who know the decryption password can access your files, for the rest, it will be complete nonsense.
There is a lot of encryption software on the market. And it is all up to you to decide what to use in order to protect your data. We can recommend using CloudMounter, the app uses the latest standards of encryption and cares about the confidentiality of its users.
The app makes it easy to encrypt Google Drive files before uploading them to the cloud. All you need is to install on your computer, mount cloud storage to your Mac, file the files you want to encrypt, click on it and choose the “Encrypt” option from the context menu. That’s it!
Top choice

CloudMounter

  • Rank 4.8 based on 436+ users, Write a review
  • Requirements: Mac (Mac OS X) macOS 10.14+ 56.97MB of free space.
  • Version 4.5(1206). (). Release notes
  • Category: Utilities
Also available for Windows