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How safe is owncloud's file encryption?
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How safe is owncloud's file encryption?

Hi all,

I'm looking to safely store some semi-important files onto one of my VPS's. One of the biggest problems I'm having with this is that my VM is OpenVZ and that slightly sketches me out. I was looking into own cloud and that seems like an amazing solution and they offer file encryption which is a plus.

Do you feel like relying on ownclouds file encryption is enough? Are there additional steps i should take to secure my files from snooping eyes?

I would love some insight on this topic !

Thanks

Comments

  • How safe, no-one knows. You cannot trust anything really.

    Thanked by 1rmlhhd
  • joepie91joepie91 Member, Patron Provider

    Given the snake oil marketing ("Encryption 2.0"), I would assume it to not be very safe. Actual security of a product tends to be inversely proportional to the amount of marketing slapped onto it.

    Usually, the purpose of the marketing is to hide the flaws by coating them with buzzwords and empty promises.

    Thanked by 1netomx
  • NyrNyr Community Contributor, Veteran
    edited November 2015

    It's probably full of big flaws, sadly just like the rest of their product.

    swain said: Are there additional steps i should take to secure my files from snooping eyes?

    Not using OpenVZ would be a decent first step.

    Thanked by 1netomx
  • emgemg Veteran

    If I understand it correctly, you are proposing to make your VPS an ownCloud server. It stores the files in encrypted form on your VPS' drive. The encrypted files can then be accessed from different clients that you may have on the Internet, such as your personal computer or your mobile device.

    I just took a quick look at the ownCloud website. I did not spend more than a couple minutes. From what I read in several places, it appears that the ownCloud server (your VPS) encrypts and decrypts files as they are stored or read on the VPS's drive. It wasn't apparent to me where the file encryption/decryption keys come from or where they are stored. The files are transferred to and from the ownCloud server in plaintext (readable) form. They are secured in transit using SSL (TLS).

    The real problem is that the encryption/decryption keys are in the RAM memory of your OpenVZ VPS while it runs the ownCloud services. That RAM memory is accessible to your VPS provider without your knowledge or consent. Your VPS provider can read your VPS' memory, and they can find the keys that are used to encrypt/decrypt your files.

    I can't say much more without a better understanding of ownCloud key management.

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