How secure is Google Drive?

Whether Google Drive is secure depends on the password you have chosen and how you handle your data in general. With Google Drive, you always have it with you wherever you go. The system is linked to the Gmail account, which makes it more porous. However, there are a few factors that can ensure security.

How secure is Google Drive really?

Security on the net is important, also and especially with cloud services. We will tell you whether you can use Google Drive without hesitation as follows:

• Google already has experience with EU data protection authorities and has joined the Safe Harbor framework, which allows the company to transfer personal data of EU citizens securely and legally to the US.
• More than 1,000 companies, such as IBM, Microsoft, Amazon or Facebook, are represented in this agreement.
• Google has thus met the minimum requirements for data protection in the EU, but takes it even further.
• Unfortunately, Google still does not want to reveal the location of the Google Drive server. This has the advantage that it can be attacked less often, but you also do not know where your data is exactly.
• However, G Suite customers who have enterprise licenses can choose in which region their own data is stored.
• For Google Cloud customers, it is possible to specify the data center during setup, for example Frankfurt am Main.
• For data protection reasons, however, Google does not require customers to choose the data center.
• Both hardware and software come from Google itself. As a result, employees' devices are less vulnerable to hacker attacks and the risk of phishing attacks is reduced.

Encryption of own data

• Google encrypts data with AES 256 bit.
• All uploads or calls to the site are SSL-encrypted, so that the data cannot be viewed by third parties.
• Google also makes use of Perfect Forward Secrecy (PFS). This means that SSL keys cannot be used for past sessions. This means that data that has already been transmitted cannot be decrypted afterwards.

What does Google do with the data?

• Another negative point: Google has often been criticized by data protectionists. The protection of user data is said to be inadequate.
• Google says it will use photos stored on the cloud to drive the development of its in-house image recognition software.

Back up data to Google Drive

• As a user, all you can and should do is make sure that your computer is free of viruses, that you have a secure password, and that your computer is up to date.
• Furthermore, you can encrypt your data with the tool Boxcryptor and thus secure it further. We have created a tutorial for you here.
• Also, make sure you have enabled two-factor authentication.
• Since you use the same password for both Gmail and Google Drive, the data can be compromised. For example, an attacker can open the browser on your computer and gain access to your Google Drive using the password stored in the browser. For this reason, when you leave the computer, you should lock the session or log out.
• You can make your drive more secure by additionally saving the cloud data to an external hard drive that you own and control. Strictly confidential data has no place on the cloud anyway, at least not if it is not your own cloud.
• Conclusion: Google's cloud solution Drive is considered relatively secure as long as you as a user adhere to the tips mentioned above. However, Google still has room for improvement when it comes to data protection - especially with regard to your user data.