iCloud Encryption Applications ?

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi,
Anyone use anything like that / or you don't use iCloud?

[Jdsk]

I use several iCloud services.

The current security and encryption approach for each is in this Apple Support document:
https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT202303

Please could you tell us a bit more about what you have in mind and what problems you're trying to solve.

Thanks

Jonathan

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi,
I was looking into iCloud in general, and how safe my data is.
https://iboysoft.com/wiki/icloud-encryption.html

"3. Drawbacks of iCloud's Encryption Mechanism
1. Limitations to iCloud's end-to-end encryption. Apple doesn't cover all your data with end-to-end encryption. It only covers "sensitive" information including Home data, Health Data, iCloud Keychain data, and Payment information. So, if you've stored truly sensitive data like personal notes, photos, reminders, and messages in iCloud, beware."

[simonineaston]

I use iCloud / DropBox to store photos and household letters, inc. some in which there is personal identifying information (pii). To my knowledge, no-one as stolen my identity yet, however we are told that it happens all the time. Whether or not cloud storage contributes to this modern phenominum, I don't know. I'm not aware that it does.

[Jdsk]

Thanks

Jonathan

[simonineaston]

I can however visualise a future when software will be able to scrape data left willy-nilly by softies such as myself and put together a profile to use for nefarious purposes - perhaps I ought to be more careful about what I leave and where. Early on in the histroy of online banking, I decided not to save any account credentials locally, preferring instead to use encrypted specialst products, but whether and for how long I can rest assured that that's good enough remains to be seen. Such cash assets as I enjoy are spread across multiple service providers as a crude way of protecting them.

[Psamathe]

If you are concerned about storing more sensitive stuff in the cloud one option is to use you own (client side) encryption so the data leaving your computer is encrypted, stored is encryted and the data being read from the cloud is encrypted. Only time it is decrypted is on your own computers.

e.g. CyberDuck or MountainDuck with Cryptomator. Does not support iCloud but does support a lot of other cloud storage but only Windows or Mac (i.e. not on smartphones or tablets). https://cyberduck.io. Not only encrypts file data but also file names.

I don't use CyberDuck or MountainDuck with or without Cryptomator as I don't store confidential stuff in any cloud (or the minimal stuff I do is manually encrypted and is only useful if decrypted and with physical items). So I can draw attention to them but can recommend them.

Ian

[simonineaston]

Further to my half-fanciful suggestion that casually saved pii might be used for nefarious purposes, this from the consumer-support column in The Graun.

This scam started with a call from a conman pretending to be from the Co-operative Bank’s fraud team, who knew enough of your personal details to trick you into trusting him.

PS - I'm sure we all know to double-check such calls, by ending the call and calling the bank, using an authentic number. The bank will of course (excepting v. rare circ.s) say exactly what we expect, ie "No we didn't call you!".