Everyone Thinks It: Is “The Cloud” Safe?

To the non-tech savvy individual who honestly thinks “The Cloud” exists in an actual cloud, would probably tell you that it is not safe. Understanding that personal & business data is instantly synced with a server in “The Cloud” doesn’t sound very safe to begin with, so one would be inclined to agree with the non-tech savvy individual. However, it turns out that “The Cloud” is actually pretty safe and we’re finding ways to make it even safer.

Google, one of the top leading Cloud companies in the market, has recently upped their cloud safety game in an effort to make data in the cloud more secure. According to The Verge, “The move is intended to protect, companies developers, and ultimately your data from prying eyes, utilizing the 128-bit Advanced Encryption Standard (AES).” Therefore, once you sync your data from you computer or mobile device, it will then go through Google’s 128-bit encryption process before it is “saved” on their end. Furthermore, to then unlock the data, Google’s system uses a master key. This master key, which Google refused to comment about, is rotated regularly to avoid normality and encourage uniqueness. 

Google is usually the first to get recognized when there is a change in technology just because Google is Google. Therefore, we do not usually hear, as quickly, what the other leading cloud companies have done until Google makes their statement. Amazon’s cloud security, on the other hand, does circles around Google’s mere 128-bit encryption. According to TechCrunch, Amazon’s cloud has been “using the 256-bit Advanced Encryption Standard since abound 2011.” Moreover, besides having more bit encryption than Google, Amazon uses a different type of master key than Google, called a Hardware Security Module, that helps manage data and master keys. According to a recent survey, Amazon was ranked 2nd ahead of Google, ranked 5th, in the top 100 cloud companies from 2012-2013. 

Although Google and Amazon have beefed up encryptions and have crazy secure master keys, ARM, a UK based chip designer, has decided to make encryption personal. ARM, best known for their work with SIM cards in Europe, has developed a chip, running on a token system, that will allow security encryption at the user level. According to Forbes, “it would give individuals direct control over their data, right from the mobile device or sensor where it is first collected and transmitted.” The token system will allow users to determine who and what gets to access their data; once all the tokens are gone, the data is locked. The article continues with Mike Muller, ARM’s CTO, explaining the concept by comparing it to a household scale. Mike does not mind his wife seeing his weight on their shared mobile phone app. He’d also tolerate his gym accessing the his weight to help guide his fitness regime. But he wouldn’t want anyone else, and certainly not his life insurer, to know when he’s gaining weight.