Encryption Is Easier Than You Think
Let’s take a look at some of the reasons users don’t encrypt their documents for the cloud.
- “Encryption is for people that have things to hide”. The truth is, we all have things we should be securing. From medical and tax documents to other important items, others do not need to see them.
- “Encryption is too complex for me to use”. While it can be complex, it does not have to be. In fact, modern techniques make it very easy to protect yourself.
- “It won’t really protect me anyway”. Programs use a series of encryption factors. By using the right kind (AES-256), you can make it nearly impossible for anyone to view those documents besides you.
- “I will forget the password”. That can definitely be a problem. However, you can always use a manual technique. In other words, you can keep an unencrypted version at home, write down the password, or both. Those are the best ways to make sure you are still protecting yourself without the worry of not being able to access your encrypted documents.
- “What about cost?”. Luckily, there are tools that are free or have free versions. Both ways will work just fine.
How Can I Encrypt My Documents For Free?
There are several tools available that will encrypt your documents. Of course, you can always choose to use the encryption options of the cloud service if you want to spend the money. However, these should work just fine. Many of them offer support for multiple platforms. We’ll now take a look at some of the best and most popular tools, in no particular order.
VeraCrypt
Install VeraCrypt (either the standard version or the portable one).- Locate and run the VeraCrypt file.
- Click on the Create Volume button.
- Now, you can choose to create an encrypted file container (folder), encrypt a non-system partition/drive, or encrypt the system partition or entire system drive.
- If you chose the first option, you can choose standard or hidden.
- At that point, you can create the volume anywhere. From your computer to USB, it will work just fine.
- After encrypting the document, you can upload it to your favorite cloud storage option.
7-Zip
Install 7-zip.- Select the document you want to encrypt.
- Right-click and select 7-zip.
- Add the file to the archive.
- Set the criteria you want to use as you see in the image.
As you can see, there are different spots that you can enter data into. If you have a hard time creating passwords, there are free password generators on the web as well. Unfortunately, 7-Zip does not come with one. It would be nice to see one, but you won’t find that much when using the free products.
Cryptomator
AxCrypt
Final Thoughts
As you can see, encrypting your documents for the cloud is not only important, it is easy. We have given you several tools that will provide you with a way to protect yourself without additional cost. No matter which one you choose, they all offer open source apps. The question is, which of the options listed above will you choose? Hopefully, we have helped you realize why encrypting your documents in the cloud is important and showed you that it can be easy to do.