iCoco
Level 1 (95 points)
iPad

Q: Will FileVault affect data saved in Cloud services?

If I'd activate FileVault on my Mac to encrypt my Fusion Drive, will this effect data stored on cloud services as well? In other words: With FileVault turned on, will all data and documents I'm storing on iCloud Drive, Dropbox or Google Drive from my Mac be encrypted too?

 

And if this is the case, will I be able to access such encrypted data from iPhone or iPad using the usual cloud service apps?

 

(Ah yes, and while I'm on it: Nobody I know is using FileVault. Would there be any disadvantage using FileVault (except that I'll have to remember my key phrase safely, of course).

 

Thank you for helping me making my decision.

iMac, OS X El Capitan (10.11.3)

Posted on Feb 27, 2016 9:35 PM

by Drew Reece,Solvedanswer
Drew Reece Drew Reece
Level 5 (7,490 points)
Notebooks
A:

File Vault full disk encryption won't have any effect on your cloud services. When you login the disk is decrypted this means any cloud services can access the same data as you - in it's decrypted form. The documents uploaded will not be encrypted (unless the service does it's own encryption too).

See the providers for more detail. iCloud has this info…

iCloud security and privacy overview - Apple Support

 

You can encrypt files before you upload them to any cloud services - but that is separate to File Vault.

 

File Vault has a few potential disadvantages…

If the disk fails recovering data is harder because the data is encrypted - Make good backups & test them!

The computer is decrypting data 'on the fly' that means it is doing more work than a system without encryption. The performance difference is probably not noticeable with newer Macs unless you start using benchmark tools.

Forgetting/ losing the password & recovery key will render the data inaccessible!

 

The advantage is obvious, your files are not accessible to anyone unless they have the password (or they access the device when you have logged in). Normally the files on a Mac can be read if someone has the know how to access the disk, that info is available all over the internet

e.g. OS X Mountain Lion: Transfer files between two computers using target disk mode

 

It really depends if you need to protect your data 'at rest' (when the device is powered off). File Vault will not protect you from any malware or other bad software etc. This is because the OS is effectively the same when in use - once the data is decrypted it is accessible, which is why File Vault likes you to lock the screen with a screen saver password.

 

See the File Vault info if you haven't already done so…

Use FileVault to encrypt the startup disk on your Mac - Apple Support

Posted on Feb 28, 2016 1:01 AM

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iCoco

Q: Will FileVault affect data saved in Cloud services?

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  • Helpful answers

  • by Drew Reece,Solvedanswer

    Drew Reece Drew Reece Feb 28, 2016 1:01 AM in response to iCoco
    Level 5 (7,490 points)
    Notebooks
    Feb 28, 2016 1:01 AM in response to iCoco

    File Vault full disk encryption won't have any effect on your cloud services. When you login the disk is decrypted this means any cloud services can access the same data as you - in it's decrypted form. The documents uploaded will not be encrypted (unless the service does it's own encryption too).

    See the providers for more detail. iCloud has this info…

    iCloud security and privacy overview - Apple Support

     

    You can encrypt files before you upload them to any cloud services - but that is separate to File Vault.

     

    File Vault has a few potential disadvantages…

    If the disk fails recovering data is harder because the data is encrypted - Make good backups & test them!

    The computer is decrypting data 'on the fly' that means it is doing more work than a system without encryption. The performance difference is probably not noticeable with newer Macs unless you start using benchmark tools.

    Forgetting/ losing the password & recovery key will render the data inaccessible!

     

    The advantage is obvious, your files are not accessible to anyone unless they have the password (or they access the device when you have logged in). Normally the files on a Mac can be read if someone has the know how to access the disk, that info is available all over the internet

    e.g. OS X Mountain Lion: Transfer files between two computers using target disk mode

     

    It really depends if you need to protect your data 'at rest' (when the device is powered off). File Vault will not protect you from any malware or other bad software etc. This is because the OS is effectively the same when in use - once the data is decrypted it is accessible, which is why File Vault likes you to lock the screen with a screen saver password.

     

    See the File Vault info if you haven't already done so…

    Use FileVault to encrypt the startup disk on your Mac - Apple Support

  • by iCoco,

    iCoco iCoco Feb 28, 2016 1:01 AM in response to Drew Reece
    Level 1 (95 points)
    iPad
    Feb 28, 2016 1:01 AM in response to Drew Reece

    @ Drew Reece, thank you very much for your excellent explanation. It's totally clear to me now. So I guess I'll have to refer to a third party encryption app like Boxcryptor when I want to encrypt data stored somewhere in the cloud.

  • by Drew Reece,Helpful

    Drew Reece Drew Reece Feb 28, 2016 11:33 PM in response to iCoco
    Level 5 (7,490 points)
    Notebooks
    Feb 28, 2016 11:33 PM in response to iCoco

    I'm not familiar with Boxcryptor but it may be an option (there are probably others too).

     

    Another option is to use an encrypted disk image…

    How to create a password-protected (encrypted) disk image - Apple Support

     

    That uses the same principle as File Vault, but can contain a limited set of data. It really depends on how practical it is for you to store data inside a mounted disk image. For some data is impractical (like settings that are loaded on login), but keeping notes or other data it can be a good solution.

     

    The same rule applies - once decrypted & accessible (when the volume is mounted) anyone can read it on that Mac, but the encrypted container is not readable without the password. The container would be synced online, not the mounted volume. Since the online service sees it as 'one big file' be careful with the size of the disk image.

     

    FWIW: You can have encrypted disk images stored on a disk that has File Vault encryption enabled, but keeping track of which password is for which one can be a job in itself

     

    Hope that is clear, it can get very meta if you aren't careful.

  • by Barney-15E,

    Barney-15E Barney-15E Feb 28, 2016 11:48 AM in response to iCoco
    Level 8 (49,821 points)
    Mac OS X
    Feb 28, 2016 11:48 AM in response to iCoco

    iCloud data is encrypted everywhere in the chain.

    Google says it is stored in "secure data centers," which may mean it is encrypted, except Google uses your personal information to sell ads. But, they claim they won't use your "Private documents" in marketing.

    Dropbox states your files are encrypted when "at rest," but says it will give it up to anyone with a warrant.

    Apple claims it will not release encryption keys to any third parties.

     

    iCloud security and privacy overview - Apple Support

    https://www.dropbox.com/help/27

    https://support.google.com/drive/answer/141702?hl=en

    https://support.google.com/drive/answer/2733115?hl=en&ref_topic=2428743

    https://www.google.com/policies/privacy/

  • by iCoco,

    iCoco iCoco Feb 28, 2016 11:41 PM in response to Drew Reece
    Level 1 (95 points)
    iPad
    Feb 28, 2016 11:41 PM in response to Drew Reece

    @ Drew Reece: Thank you again for your assistance and sharing your thoughts. That's indeed very helpful. Funny enough, I've just thought about using an encrypted disk image. For most data and documents Apple's normal safety might be enough. But if you want to store digital copies of more sensible documents, like insurance or notary docs or such, which I don't need to access often or from mobile, a disk image might be a simple and perfect solution.

     

    (Actually, I've even written an article on disk image encryption a whole while ago on my german blog - which I guess I'll update soon).

  • by iCoco,

    iCoco iCoco Feb 28, 2016 11:47 PM in response to Barney-15E
    Level 1 (95 points)
    iPad
    Feb 28, 2016 11:47 PM in response to Barney-15E

    @ Barney-15E: Thank you, too, for your reply and for providing those informative links.

     

    I guess the actual weak spot with all cloud services ist the fact that they might use encryption on their servers and underway, but then store the key on their servers rather than on the user's machine. I guess right now it's all a matter of trust. Of the mentioned three services I would trust Apple's most and Google's least.