I have recently decided to look at getting a ChromeBook just for testing and playing around with; to see if I could live totally in the cloud.
I already use Google Drive for storing a lot of documents but if I was to use a ChromeBook then it would obviously mean more stuff would need to be moved to the cloud. Obviously I wouldn't have anything too sensitive but as Google Drive stores everything unencrypted I do have some reservations so I have been looking into ways of encrypting before the files are uploaded to Drive and I came across BoxCryptor.
Once installed BoxCryptor creates a virtual disk that contains your locally synced cloud files. When you add to those files it will upload an encrypted copy of any new file (should you choose to encrypt it) to your cloud.
It uses AES-256 & RSA encryption and has a free package for personal use making it ideal for most users.
As it creates a virtual disk on your computer you can work within this disk just as you would with the locally synced cloud folders on your computer.
It supports all major cloud storage providers including Dropbox, Google Drive, Microsoft SkyDrive and SugarSync and supports all the clouds that use the WebDAV standard including Cubby, Strato HiDrive, and ownCloud.
When you create a file or folder in the BoxCryptor disk you will receive a prompt asking if you would like to encrypt that file or folder. You can easily see which files are encrypted within the disk as they are marked with a green tag. If you encrypt a folder all files added to that folder will automatically be encrypted.
All files are encrypted individually and no containers are created.
Supported Platforms:
- Windows
- Mac OS X
- iOS (iPhone/iPad/iPod)
- Android
- Windows Phone
- Windows RT
- Blackberry 10
- Google Chrome (Plug-in)
You can export all keys stored in your BoxCryptor account and download the key file to use with a local account.
So if you are looking for a good encryption solution before uploading files to the cloud then this could be a good option for you. The simplicity of the app makes it very easy for everyone to use. Once it is installed you just do all your work in the virtual disk and your files are encrypted and uploaded on the fly.
For a more detailed technical overview please visit the BoxCryptor website.
