So…stolen celebrity nude photos start leaking onto the 4Chan website – and no one is clear how the photos were stolen, or which individual was responsible. Some of the photos do seem genuine, and they’ve been spread right across the web, and now some unpleasant “entrepreneurs” are offering people a chance to see them in exchange for BitCoin payments.
This very high profile attack can teach us non-celebs one thing – how frighteningly easy it can be for a criminal to spread your personal and private information across the web if it is not locked up effectively.
What is actually stopping someone pinching your private photos or info from your Cloud sharing platforms, such as Dropbox, Google Drive or iCloud?
What about the files and photos stored on your company’s Cloud sharing platforms? Don’t forget that all your proposals, financial information, and even customer information are also vulnerable if you don’t take steps to lock down your business online.
In our opinion, the best way to stop anyone accessing your personal and company accounts is to use “Two Step Authentication” when using Cloud sharing platforms.
Two-step authentication is available on most popular sharing platforms – Dropbox, iCloud and Google Drive. This security system uses a different channel – such as a text message sent to a mobile phone, which sends a verification code that has to be entered whenever an account is used from a new tablet, computer or location.
Whilst it can be bypassed, as recent research shows, this does actually require the hacker to have your smartphone in their possession…
Cloud storage can be VERY convenient, but don't let this convenience get in the way of common sense, and don't let down your guard.
You'd protect data stored on your laptop by locking it away at night, or by not letting your iPhone out of your sight, so why not take the very simple steps of enabling two-step authentication with your cloud provider?