Cyber
Generally speaking, more secure than on a home computer or on a smartphone. But it depends on what you mean by “secure.”
It’s when instead of relying on a single, stand-alone computer, you take advantage of online processing power and data storage. Data moves from desktops, laptops, tablets, and smartphones into computers and storage devices in large industrial facilities. Popular services like Gmail, Dropbox, Facebook, and Twitter are based on the idea of cloud computing.
Cloud computing has many advantages, such as:
Data stored in the cloud is typically encrypted, and anyone wanting to access that data needs to have the digital key. Also, big cloud computing companies have hired some of the world’s best data security experts. And they store the same data in multiple places in case hardware breaks or part of a system is compromised. To date, most of the biggest data breaches have exploited traditional computers at companies, not data stored in the cloud.
Well, no security system is foolproof. A rogue employee or government agency with access to the data could misuse the information. Or the software that encrypts data could be hacked, allowing others to access it. Or if your password is stolen, the thief could access your data.
Data in the cloud could be lost, altered, or temporarily unavailable. A customer could get locked into a particular service provider and have trouble moving to another if costs rise or service declines.
Usually the service providers have the digital key to the encryption so that they can process a user’s data—for example, by indexing the data for future searches. But some service providers enable only the users to have the key to their data, despite objections by governments that they sometimes need access for law enforcement or national security purposes.
Typically, data stored in the cloud is encrypted to protect it from criminals, hackers, and malicious governments. But criminals also use encryption to hide illegal activities.
In the past, law enforcement and intelligence agencies have used court orders and subpoenas to access data from service providers like phone and Internet companies. However, when the provider doesn’t hold the key to the encrypted data, it can’t give that key to government agencies. As a result, law enforcement and intelligence agencies have called for ways to make sure that they can always access the data they need.
Governments have several options if they decide to guarantee access to encrypted data. They could, where authorized by law, compel a cloud computing company to give up information. They could require device vendors or service providers to always retain some means of accessing data.
Such options have tradeoffs, though. Adding access capabilities weakens security, but not providing them hampers law enforcement. U.S. companies could lose market share if similar restrictions do not apply in other countries. And innovation in encryption technologies could slow if only a single encryption method is allowed.
Though data stored in the cloud are already encrypted, even greater security is possible.
Ready to store more knowledge? Decode the details by reading Decrypting the Encryption Debate: A Framework for Decision Makers.
