Contrary to popular belief, the biggest cloud storage providers aren’t the most
secure. In fact, if you’ve seen the recent Microsoft leak involving over 38 TB worth
of data, you might have realized that big companies aren’t always the safest option.
Hey there, it’s [host’s name] from The Cyber Lab, and this video will talk
about the best private and most secure cloud storage providers. Of course,
you can find discount codes of up to 80% on the best providers in the video description.
Now… Back to our video, your first question might be what makes a cloud storage provider private?
Well, I’ll tell you one thing for certain: it has nothing to do with being huge. Being
huge makes your data sort of the opposite of private, like a whale hiding behind curtains.
Instead a private company needs to emphasize two things: user security and respect of privacy.
For situation one, it makes sense that larger companies are better equipped to
handle large-scale cyberattacks. And, while this is mostly true, something inevitably
fails because large companies like Alphabet and Microsoft, are too big to cover every point.
Small, manageable companies with fewer failure-based touchpoints do better.
They also make less tempting targets for cybercriminals.
When it comes to user privacy, a lot of this comes down to what we already know:
big tech companies usually get big by taking user data and selling it to advertisers. Alphabet uses
the Google search engine and Microsoft uses its own search engine and other browser-based data.
When it comes to the other large companies, you might think you're safe,
but project PRISM reminds us otherwise. PRISM is a collaboration between the
NSA and US internet companies to gather intelligence from popular internet services,
including companies like Facebook, Yahoo, and Skype.
And, based on the information from Edward Snowden,
the NSA isn’t that different from a group of federally recognized cybercriminals. After all,
wiretapping on internet data and phone conversations is a huge deal. So naturally,
smaller companies make smaller targets… even if the one who makes the attack is the NSA.
For further evidence to this point, let’s take a look at why the top
three cloud storage companies do not make us feel warm and safe. Of course,
you could skip to the part where we talk about the main event.
When it comes to anti-privacy, you don’t have to look too hard. The big three,
including DropBox, Microsoft OneDrive, and Google Drive.
Now, you already know Microsoft and Google are known for selling your data. But,
the companies are pretty secure…. Right? I mean, at least Google is secure.
Wrong! If you want an example of why OneDrive isn’t secure,
let’s have a short flashback! So no, Microsoft is still making mistakes,
and those mistakes are compounded by the fact that the company is huge!
As far as Google goes, it generally seems to be better,
but it didn’t stop Google from exposing the data of 52 million Google Plus users when
the service went down in 2018. So not even the big, bad Alphabet is completely immune.
Now what about DropBox? Surely as the smallest of the big three,
the company is better about selling user data? Well, based on the privacy policy, it has a
list of “trusted third parties” it can just give your account data to. So… that doesn’t bode well.
DropBox is also the biggest leaker of the three, losing 68 million passwords in a 2012
breach. Dropbox also exposed customer data in a more recent phishing attack in 2022.
If you were part of any of this lost data or have been a victim
of any large cloud provider’s bad privacy and security practices,
let us know your story in the comments. You never know, it might end up in our next video.
And now that we’ve mentioned a few cloud providers you should avoid,
let’s take a look at the number one cloud storage provider: pCloud.
pCloud offers the best of all worlds, providing the necessary zero-knowledge encryption,
a history of not having leaks, and an incredibly cost-effective set of plans
for all people. The only drawback: you need to pay extra for its zero-knowledge encryption,
but there’s a way you can save on that with a lifetime plan.
And, just so you know, zero-knowledge protection is when you have a private
key that the company doesn’t have access to. So, only you can access your data, which is great.
pCloud is one of the few providers offering lifetime plans. These lifetime plans can help
you save money in the long run, and you can even expand this lifetime purchase pCloud Crypto,
the name for the company’s extra layer of zero-knowledge protection.
But what about security? Well,
pCloud offers two things that go above and beyond most other cloud storage services:
First, pCloud sponsored a hackathon offering $100 thousand to anyone who could break its encryption.
With nearly 3000 security experts attending, nobody can get through the company’s security.
In addition, pCloud enables its customers to move its files to
the European Union. This country is known for its better data protection,
making it an ideal choice for US citizens who want UK protection under the GDPR.
pCloud also offers many features to secure your shared files,
including password protection and link expiration. You can even back up files
from other cloud storage services like OneDrive and Google Drive.
So, if these features sound like a winner to you,
you can get up to 80% off of pCloud plans by clicking the link in our video’s description.
But, if you’re looking for another platform connected to an amazing
privacy tool, you might consider NordLocker.
If you know the name NordLocker, you already know about NordVPN,
one of the world’s leading virtual private network service providers. Thanks to its strong security
background and zero-knowledge encryption, you know you can trust them. For more information,
check out this video featuring NordVPN as a top choice for privacy.
Nord doesn’t bundle its services with other services like its password manager and VPN.
Instead, it offers each service individually, which might not appeal to people looking for
complete privacy solutions and a discount. But, it might appeal to people looking for one thing.
For further proof of its excellence, you can look it up on Google and find out that Nord
doesn’t have any history of leaks. In fact, Nord is more in the business of finding leaks,
identifying a 1.2 TB database of information stolen via custom malware.
NordVPN also offers competitive pricing options,
providing anywhere from 3 GB free to 2 TB for $6 per month, with three extra months
included. But let's be honest, Nord isn’t the most cost-effective option on this list.
Of course, if you’re looking for secure cloud
storage that tries to emulate Google, you might like Skiff.
Like Proton, Skiff is a Google Drive alternative that offers an escape from
Google’s products. This includes email, a document system, and a calendar alongside
10 GB of free storage. This means it offers more storage than Proton’s free version.
Skiff has an open source, zero-knowledge approach, going as far as stating it shares no user data
with any third party, and the data they do share is anonymized. But despite this, the company is
based in the US, which means it’s subject to the questionable privacy laws of the country.
Having an open source approach is ideal because you’re allowing the tech community to scrutinize
your code. It shows a level of transparency, making these companies more trustworthy. But
if you’re looking for something that makes a company less trustworthy, how about Reddit drama!?
On a 2023 Reddit debate between representatives from Proton and Skiff arguing. The arguments
eventually led to a threat to ban an “Andrew-skiff” account from the board for
spreading misleading information. Assuming this is the actual founder, Andrew Skiff, it’s not good
when a company’s owner comes forward and proclaims their greatness on a competitor’s Reddit page.
Now, back to the review…
Skiff’s relative newness to the privacy game makes it less trustworthy,
which is something that was lightly referred to in the Reddit post. So, you let us know in
the comments, are you part of team Skiff or Proton? Which is better in your eyes?
While this debate rages, let’s look at a DropBox alternative.
Sync follows the same encryption rules as some of the best cloud storage providers:
zero-knowledge. In addition to zero-knowledge protection, it also provides extra protection
by dividing your data between multiple centers. This means that in the event of a breach,
hackers won’t have access to all of your data, just some of it.
But, Sync isn’t perfect.
Sync struggles with security by being a closed source platform,
meaning that they take the “trust me man” approach to security. The privacy policy,
which is still better than most, also gives a list of situations when they
might expose your data… These include legal issues or contractual disputes.
Sync focuses more on the business side of privacy:
complying with global privacy standards from the USA and the EU. Sync is also
rated to handle medical data, offering HIPAA compliance to those willing to pay.
As far as data breaches go, Sync doesn’t have a history, which is great. The closest we could get
to is this Reddit story about Sync potentially being compromised a few years back. But,
Reddit is just hearsay, and that person could be an agent of Google Drive. So… who knows?
What I know is that sync is one of the few providers that offers unlimited
storage. This makes it more expensive than most cloud storage providers,
but ideal if you have the need for a lot of storage.
Also, if you’re looking for more integrations, Sync has you covered.
For many, the integrations it works alongside make it the more secure version of DropBox.
Also, remember when we mentioned the company that argued with Skiff. Well…
we’ve got news for them, Proton Drive is also an excellent cloud storage provider.
Proton Drive is one of the most respected members of the security community. As a result, it relies
on trusted systems like zero-knowledge technology, an open source policy, a decent privacy policy,
and a full suite of privacy tools that include email, so you can escape Google.
It also relies on yet another technical thing: Elliptic Curve Cryptography. Like
other security protocols, the ECC creates a series of keys, but does it faster. However,
it’s theoretically crackable, but is being continuously upgraded to prevent this.
Much like IceDrive, Proton feels like it constantly needs to one-up the privacy
competition, as it's one of the few cloud storage sites accessible through Tor. Tor,
is a network of computers that creates some form of anonymity
in browsing the web. To learn more about it, check out our video on the dark web.
Proton has a few weaknesses: namely in its free plan, that isn’t really great. But it has a nice
clean interface across all its platforms, and it has a lot more platforms than other cloud
storage providers. So, if you want a full suite of security tools, not just storage, consider Proton.
But if you want it to be all about security and nice interfaces, you might take a closer look at
our last stop: IceDrive. #6: IceDrive
IceDrive offers zero-knowledge encryption. But,
it takes this a step further by relying on the more advanced Twofish Encryption Protocol.
Twofish is a more secure alternative to AES, which is considered the gold standard
for encrypting data according to NIST, or the US National Institute on Standards and Technology.
We could talk about technical specifications,
but then my head would explode from reading this script. So, let’s keep it simple:
Both encryption protocols start by creating a secret key that only the other side,
the decryption protocols, know about. Consider it like mailing a safe to your best friend.
If some greedy mail carrier wants your heavy package, they could open the box,
but not the safe, so they can’t know the files inside. Only your friend has that power.
So, what makes Twofish better? Because it’s like sending a literally impossible-to-crack
safe. It’s made of some sort of magical material that repels drills and explosions.
But, here’s the interesting part: AES is also in the same boat. But instead
of “repelling” drills, the materials used are just so strong that it would
take longer than the universe has been alive for the crack to work.
So, why does IceDrive bother? Because we are technically closer to cracking AES than Twofish,
even if it probably won’t be in our lifetime before it gets done. Because of this, you can
probably guess that the company has literally no leaks. But, it also means that for now,
pCloud is just as secure. But, who knows, that might change in the next 100 years.
Regardless, IceDrive has nothing to hide, mainly because it’s an incredibly simple platform. The
light features and functionality across Windows, web, and Android devices make it ideal for simple
uses. It also has great file sharing features, but they aren’t as good as what you get with pCloud.
So, we hope this list has given you some ideas about what it means to get
private cloud storage. If you liked this video,
well… you can actually like it by clicking the thumbs up button below the video.
If you want pCloud or any of the products, I have a discount link for, you can get up to 80% off by
clicking the links in the description. I hope this helps save you some money.
You can also subscribe to the channel if you want to see more security-focused
content. Speaking of that, if you want more of the privacy side of security,
check out our list of the best VPNs.Thanks for watching, and I hope to see you in the next video.