Cloud Security: How To Keep Your Data Safe

You should never sign up for a cloud service without reading the user agreement carefully. This section explains how the service protects your information and whether you give them permission to use or sell it.

Fremont, CA: People and businesses are increasingly using the cloud, sometimes without even realizing it. Being unaware of using this service can mean that you aren't as protected as you should be, and learning how to secure your cloud information is becoming increasingly important. Listed below are proven ways to protect your data in the cloud.

Consider a Cloud Service with Encryption

Using a cloud service that encrypts your files in the cloud and your computer is the first step in preventing identity theft. By encrypting your information, service providers and their administrators, and third parties are prevented from seeing your private information.

Make Sure You Read the User Agreements

You should never sign up for a cloud service without reading the user agreement carefully. This section explains how the service protects your information and whether you give them permission to use or sell it. Do not sign anything unless you fully understand what each clause in the agreement means. You will receive an alert whenever your service provider updates its privacy policies via email, text, or text message. Read these notifications to ensure changes won't adversely affect your personal information.

Configure Your Privacy Settings

When you sign up for a cloud service provider, ensure your privacy settings are set up so that your private information is not shared with the apps you connect to your provider. It is also important to check how long the service will store your data and what information it can access from your devices or apps. Finally, check and re-configure privacy settings every few weeks to make sure they remain secure after the initial setup.

Keep Strong Passwords

You should use strong passwords for every account you have, but especially for accounts storing private information. You should be diligent when creating your passwords because more than 75 percent of attacks are caused by weak passwords. For the best protection, don't use a password shorter than eight characters and make it at least 15 characters long. You should not use identifying information such as your name, birthday, company name, or the names of people or pets you are close to. You should not choose a password that only contains letters. Be sure to use both capital and lowercase letters, as well as numbers and symbols.

Two-Factor Authentication is Recommended

Use two-factor authentication whenever possible. This means anyone trying to sign in to your account will need more information than just your password. Authentication typically involves answering a secret question, entering a PIN, or inputting a code that is emailed or texted to you by the cloud provider. Authenticator apps are also available. There may not be an option to set up a secondary identifier for all accounts, so be sure to check your settings.