In the advent of the digital age, our privacy is under attack from all quarters. Recently, the circulation of nude photographs stolen from celebrities online accounts has raised questions about the security of storing information over the internet. Apple confirmed that individual accounts were hacked, but there was no overall security breach. It seems the accounts were compromised by a targeted attack on usernames and passwords.
WHAT IS ONLINE DATA?
Cloud computing is the process of storing data such as photos, documents, emails and other documents on external servers. This allows us to free-up space on our personal devices. We can then access this data remotely through the internet. Cloud computing also protects our information in the event of our Smartphone or PC being compromised ( lost or formatted).
The use of cloud computing is increasing as the portability of devices increases. The more portable the device, the lower the storage available in the device. Cloud servers are run by large companies such as Apple, Google, Microsoft and also by smaller companies such as Evernote.
WHY USE THE CLOUD?
The main advantage of Cloud computing is Flexibility – We can access our data anywhere and from any account, all we require is an active internet connection.The main drawback of Cloud Computing is Security – The information is not physically present with us, so you run the risk of a hacking attack on those accounts.
However, the benefits offered by the Cloud seemingly exceed the shortcomings, judging from the rate of its acceptance. Cloud storage is the future of not the personal computing many businesses are also turning to the cloud in an attempt to minimize investments.
After accepting that the Cloud is the future, people ask is it secure?
For the most part, yes. Cloud computing is secure. The companies that run these cloud servers go to great lengths to ensure that private information stays private. They invest heavily on both cyber and physical security. On the downside like all forms of internet services, the cloud to is prone to cyber attacks.
SECURITY
To improve the security of our Cloud information, there are certain steps that we can take.These steps will not guarantee the safety of our data but will make it tougher for anti – social elements to access it.
- We require passwords to access our cloud accounts, so choosing a strong password becomes essential. It is also recommended to have different passwords for each account you hold online, so a breach in one system will not compromise the integrity of another.
- To improve the general strength of each password, we should add numbers and punctuation marks. These efforts will make it difficult for would-be hackers to guess or figure out the password. Another tip is to creatively spell out common words in our password and to avoid using things like birthdays or phone numbers.
- Multi – factor is another way to protect our information. Multi-factor is a 2 step identification procedure. That means that the first time you log into your account form a new device, you are asked for a second form of identity proof, it usually involves feeding in a code received on your mobile phone or via e-mail.
- If you have physical possession of your other device, it becomes very difficult for someone else to activate your account. Multi- factor is offered by most cloud computing companies, Amazon being a notable exception to this.
While it’s true that marketers, the government and other data aggregators are gathering and analyzing more data than ever about every individual, we can still exert some control over what’s out there and who’s tracking us. We can attempt to maintain our privacy by protecting the data we have stored over the internet – be it photos, documents or videos.
