I have published numerous articles about the advantages of cloud computing, something I use myself extensively. The most common question I receive is, "Is it safe?" Indeed, with most services, cloud storage is very safe. However, a new, free program from a German company makes cloud storage very safe everywhere, even on the few services that are not otherwise secure. This should provide a high-security solution to always make cloud computing safe in all circumstances.
Cloudfogger encrypts your data with 256-bit AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) encryption on your own Windows or Macintosh computer, before it is uploaded to the cloud. Only encrypted data ever gets uploaded to the cloud. This guarantees that Dropbox and other cloud storage services never get access to the content of your files. In addition, you can obtain Cloudfogger file viewer (decryptor) software for Android and Apple smartphones and tablets so that you can read your own files that you retrieve from the cloud.
Cloudfogger uses automatic, transparent encryption, which makes daily use fast and easy. On your local computer, you still access your data as you always did, after entering the Cloudfogger encryption key that you created. You only need to enter the encryption key once when booting. After that, your computer will remember the key but will forget again it when powered off. The encrypted data on your hard drive will still be safe if someone steals your laptop.
During normal operation, all files you specify are securely encrypted long before they get uploaded to the cloud. You can specify either individual files to be encrypted or entire folders. If you do specify a folder, all the files and subfolders under that folder will also be encrypted. Manual encryption and decryption of your files is not necessary with Cloudfogger.
Cloudfogger-protected files also may be shared without sacrificing security. You can, for example, use your shared Dropbox folders securely together with others - without the need of giving them your Cloudfogger credentials. Also, distributing files via e-mail or USB sticks is easy with the portable Cloudfogger file format. Each file uses its own, unique 256-bit AES encryption key that allows sharing files with different people. The AES key is embedded in the file and is itself protected by asymmetric RSA encryption, allowing Cloudfogger to share a file between several people that each have their own unique RSA key pair.
Cloudfogger is designed to be simple and yet as secure as possible. Each Cloudfogger (.cfog) file contains a unique AES key, which is stored (in encrypted form) within the file itself. The AES 256-bit keys are protected with the user's RSA public key, so only the user with the corresponding private key can access the AES key and thus the data. If multiple users have access to a file (that is, they share a file), the AES key is included in multiple headers within the .cfog-file, each RSA-protected for the corresponding user
NOTE: For a technical explanation of "public key" cryptography, look at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_key_encryption.With Cloudfogger it is very easy to secure your cloud storage service, such as Dropbox, SkyDrive or Google Drive. After installing Cloudfogger and creating a (free) Cloudfogger account, the Cloudfogger status and settings dialog will open, and Cloudfogger will automatically detect supported cloud storage services that you are using which can be protected. All you need to do is go to the services tab and choose the cloud storage services you want to protect.
From now on, all files in your protected cloud storage folders will automatically be encrypted and synced with the cloud service in encrypted mode - but you can still normally access and work with your files in these folders as if they were not encrypted.
If you like, you can also exclude single folders in your cloud service sync folder from being automatically protected in the Cloudfogger settings dialog. The default is that Cloudfogger encrypts everything sent to the cloud unless otherwise specified.
User passwords are never, ever transmitted to the Cloudfogger servers or to any other place. However, key files are stored locally on your own computer's hard drive. Make sure you create backup copies of your key files. If your key files are lost, you will not be able to decrypt your data any more.
Cloudfogger is presently free for everybody to use, and the company says it will remain free forever for personal use. However, the company does plan to release a commercial version that offers an extended feature set. There will be a fee for use of that future, commercial version. For non-commercial users (everybody who uses Cloudfogger at home or for files that are not work-related) the currently available feature set is and will remain free forever.
Cloudfogger should remove the last security concerns for any but the most paranoid of computer users. Best of all is the price: free. More information about Cloudfogger for Windows, Macintosh, iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch and Android may be found at http://www.cloudfogger.com/en/.
COMMENT: I have been encrypting all sensitive files that I upload to the cloud for years, but, after some thought, I have decided that I will not switch to the new Cloudfogger methods. However, I am still recommending Cloudfogger to anyone who is thinking of using cloud services.
The reasons are simple: although my present method of manually encrypting files before uploading them to the cloud is somewhat primitive, it still meets my needs well, and I am comfortable with the procedure. I see no reason to change something that already works for me. However, if I had no security system in place, I would use Cloudfogger.
Indeed, Cloudfogger is much easier to use than my manual method, and it accomplishes essentially the same results. Therefore, I am recommending Cloudfogger to others even though I won't be using it myself.
I am offering this “semi-endorsement” in order to remain honest. I usually don't recommend things that I don't use myself. However, in this case, I feel that my manual method and the automated processes in Cloudfogger both produce the desired results. This old dog simply doesn't care to learn a new trick when the old tricks will suffice.
