When it comes to free cloud storage, data security is one of the primary factors keenly considered. Most people would want to establish if really enough security is provided to their data. Remember that nobody wants his or her information to be accessed by unauthorized people, even if that data is not very much essential.
This issue of security affects free cloud storage in two major categories just like the paid online storage service. One of them involves issues cloud providers encounter and the other is that which clients face. Cloud storage providers have a duty of protecting the clients data and ensuring that the infrastructure by which they communicate with their customers is safe and secure. On the other hand clients have a responsibility of ensuring that their cloud storage providers have accorded their information proper security.
Among the security threats that free cloud storage faces include: data modification where an attacker gains access to the data location and then alters it to change its meaning, eavesdropping where a hacker accesses the data paths and now he can listen to the communications, password attacks where an attacker obtains access rights for a valid account and denial of service threats just to name a few.
Free cloud storage is vulnerable to these attacks mostly because they are open to all in that, anybody can register to receive these services. Various measures have been implemented to ensure security of data at data centers, across the infrastructure and at the interfaces of customers. They include data encryption, monitoring of activities, controlling access, and message authentication. Also backup facilities and even recovery mechanisms have been established to cater for loss of data.
To conclude, free cloud storage has the capability of improving data security when compared to other traditional methods of data storage. This is because with free cloud storage data is centralized allowing security resources to be directed mostly to this central location.