James Clark | Cloudtweaks
While we are all very happy about the entire cloud data storage concept and feel that it’s a breath of relief from the constant battle against malware, key loggers, PC monitoring software, and whatnot, we tend to forget that there are steps which we need to take to ensure security even after we have shifted all our digital luggage to the cloud.
It’s not as difficult as putting security barriers on an Android but sometimes it isn’t a walk through the park either. So to cut down the confusion and help the technologically helpless, here are ten steps that will make your life on the cloud a smooth experience.
1. Password First.
If we are talking about ideal scenarios, then your username and password should be unique for every service or site you have to use credentials for. The reason is simple enough: if one gets compromised, so do the rest of your accounts.
2. Security Question, Check.
Try your best to avoid questions to which answers can be found just by taking one glance online, for instance, on your Facebook profile. Best way to go about this is to choose a question and answer it with another question’s answer. For instance if you choose the question where did you live as a kid, answer with ‘yellow’.
3. Try Out Encryption.
Whenever this is possible, this is a great idea. Encryption software does require some effort on the part of the user but it will also scramble and code your credentials so that no one will be able to procure them easily.
4. Manage Passwords.
By this time you will have a lot of passwords and usernames to be tracking and taking care of. So to manage this get your hands on an app or software that will do this for you. A great option is the LastPass utility.
5. Two Factor Authentication.
This means that there are two modes which are being used by the site before allowing the user entry. So instead of just username and password, a unique code will also be required which is available through a text message to your phone at the time of log in. This way even if someone gets your credentials, they won’t have the unique code and hence access will be denied.
6. Don’t Think, Just Backup.
It may be strange to be told to backup data on a physical drive when it comes to securing cloud data, but that is what you need to do. This is why you shouldn’t think over it; you should simply backup your data on an external drive and keep it with you.
7. Delete When Done.
Again, why bother deleting anything when there are limitless data storage options around? The reason is that you never know how much data can later become potentially dangerous for you. If an e-mail or a warning message from some bank account has outlived its worth, simply delete it.
8. Be Careful Where You Log In.
Many times we end up logging in from devices other than our own. And of course we tend to forget that these other devices may be saving our information via web browsers.
9. Use Anti-Virus and Anti-Spy Software.
The reason for this, despite having to do with cloud data, is that all the access to the cloud is from your system first. Hence if your system is at risk, so is your online data. If you forget to encrypt then a key logger may get to your cloud vendor password and hence all may be lost anyway.
10. Keep Your Mouth Shut.
Never share any information regarding your cloud storage with anyone. Keeping passwords a secret is a must but lay low on telling people which vendor or service you use too for extra security.
