This how to secure data in iCloud helps you to address privacy and security concerns whilst storing your data on iCloud. It shows you how to leverage on Cryptomator in a more complex environment including Mac, iPad, iPhone, etc. Since pictures help for understanding, this How To consist of necessary pictures.
Index
- Background
- Step By Step Guide For How To Secure Data In iCloud for Mac
- Step By Step Guide For How To Secure Data In iCloud for iPad / iPhone
- Additional Information
Background For This Secure Data In iCoud How To
Since there are various reasons that speak for or against encrypting data that is stored in the cloud, we do not debate this in this How To. However, the most common concerns that speak for encryption are on privacy and that the cloud drive potentially is exposed to the cyber risk. Additionally, I hear often concerns about data being stored in a foreign country with a different legal environment that potentially allows local authorities to do different things which maybe are not in the interests you have.
You will find in the same time various solutions in the internet that allow to encrypt data and thereby secure it for security and privacy reasons. This how to secure data in iCloud focuses on Cryptomator.Cryptomator is a free cloud encryption tool available on the Mac, iPad and iPhone, but also other mobile phones and operating systems, such as Microsoft Windows. It most likely will also work on Android based smartphones and tablets, however, this is not in scope for this how to nor i have tested it.
Important Note
Let me say this: Before you start, i strongly recommend you backup all your data on an external backup drive, since this is in general seen as a good option to backup data. There are some good external hard drive options available on the market. If you backed up your data you are safe for the case that someting goes wrong whilst storing data encrypted in the cloud.
My Environment used for This Secure Data In iCloud How To
For the case that you face issues during following the how to, i am sharing with you my environment hoping that it will help you for potential problem solving.
Cryptomator To Secure Data In iCloud
Cryptomator is an amazing and simple to use encryption tool. I truly love it! It simply encrypts and decrypts data you store or access securely in the cloud “on the fly”. The tool allows you to keep the key required for encryption with you. What does this mean? It means that as long you keep the encryption key, as well as the password related to this key with you, your data should be from a technology point of view as secure as it can be.
Cryptomator is very strong in on the fly encrypting data quickly and easily, without your need to be worried about. Once you successfully installed Cryptomator on your devices, it will show your encrypted data in the iCloud in clear text like it would be a local drive in iPhone, iPad and Mac Files / Finder. Since this provides a lot of usability advantages, you most likely will consider it as simply an amazing encryption solution for low cost!
Download Cryptomator:
Step By Step Guide For How To Secure Data In iCloud for Mac
First of all, download and install Cryptomator for Mac, since you need it in this How To to encrypt data. Once you have successfully downloaded, installed and the first time started Cryptomator you will have to configure your first drive for encryption whilst setting a good and strong password that you keep for yourself. The password will protect your encryption key. Without this password it will be a huge challenge for someone to decrypt your data stored in the cloud. This How To Secure Data In iCloud explains in the following both:
Create a new Cryptomator Vault (Folder)
This how to explains how to create a new Cryptomator Vault (Folder). It is very simple and with this 10 step guide you can get this done. Since pictures can help for easier understanding, the below picture supports the 11 step guide graphically.
To start, open the Cryptomator App. Once done, follow the below 11 steps. You also can find the 11 steps in a more graphical manner in the below picture:
- Click on “+Add Vault”
- Select “Create New Vault”
- Give the Vault a great name. In the example the name is not so great 🙂 but it is “My New Vault”
- Cryptomator now asks where to store the new vault. For this How To and because we want to store it on iCloud Drive, we select iCloud Drive. Certainly you can select another location, for example a local or external physical drive, but in this how to we want to put the vault onto iCloud, hence we select iCloud
- In step 5 you need to set a secure password. Please create a secure password and store it securely. If you lose this password, you will have no access to your data anymore!
- The Cryptomator App gives you the opportunity now to copy or print the recovery key. Its strongly recommended to do so. You can save it in your password manager, on an USB drive or simply print it on paper. I am sure, there are also other options.
- The App now confirms that the vault was added and in a next step it needs to be unlocked. In this scenario we unlock immediately by you clicking on “Unlock Now”
- To unlock, the previously set password needs to be entered. If you prefer, you can say “remember password”, hence you have not to retype it every time you open the Cryptomator Vault. I strongly recommend to not “remember password” if it is for example a public computer or a computer not owned by you
- In step 9 Cryptomator App shows you the option to select if it should remember your choices. Feel free, depending on your need, to activate it. Afterwards you hit “Reveal Drive”
- Cryptomator App shows you now the starting point, with the difference, that your new Vault is visible. In this case its called “My New Vault”. You also see, that it is unlocked. This because you entered in step 8 the password to unlock. Now lets access the folder/vault by hitting “Reveal Drive”
- In your Finder you now see that Cryptomator App opened the drive to you. This is similar to put a USB stick and then Finder shows you the USB stick content. Of course, because you just created the Vault, its empty apart from the Welcome.rtf. I recommend to read the Welcome.rtf.
How To Secure Data In iCloud – Create an Encrypted Vault on Mac
Connecting to an existing Cryptomator Vault (Folder)
This guide explains how simple it is to connect to a existing Cryptomator drive, leveraging on the Cyptomator Appo on a Mac. Since pictures help to understand, the below picture shows you the 6 steps in a more graphical manner.
To start, open the Cryptomator App. Once done, follow the below 6 steps. You also can find the 6 steps in a more graphical manner in the below picture:
- Click on “+Add Vault”
- Select “Open Existing Vault”
- You now get shown a little guidance how you can open an existing Vault. Simply hit “Choose…”
- Cryptomator App displays now the Finder view. Select on the left hand site your “iCloude Drive” and within that you select the relevant folder of your Vault that you like to open (in this case “My New Vault”. Finally, you select the masterkey.cryptomator file
- You get asked by the Cryptomator App if you like to unlock the Vault now. Unlocking it now allows to immediately access it. For this reason and in this how to was of course say we would like to unlock
- No surprise, before you can unlock you need to enter the password for your Vault. Of course you do so and Cryptomator App will open the Finder with your opened Vault.
How To Secure Data In iCloud – Open An Existing Vault
Step By Step Guide For How To Secure Data In iCloud for iPad / iPhone
If you have not already done it, you in a first step Download the Cyptomator App for iPad. Whilst the version for Mac is for free, the iPad App costs and is not for free. With this howerver you support the community to keep Cryptomator alive. This is important because you also in the future like to have options to store data in the cloud in a secure manner.
Once you downloaded the Cyptomator App, you start the Cyptomator App the first time. Following starting it the first time, you in a first step either connect to an existing Cryptomator folder (that you maybe made in the step before) or you create a new folder. This How To Secure Data In iCloud explains in the following both:
Create a new Cryptomator Vault (Folder)
This how to explains how to create a new Cryptomator Vault (Folder). Since this is very simple this 10 step guide will help you how you can get this done. The below picture supports the 10 step guide graphically.
Important Note: Whilst creating a Cryptomator Vault, you will be requested to create a password. You do not like to lose this password. If you lose it, your data is lost.
Lets start by clicking the + button in the Cyptomator App :
- Select “Create New Vault”
- Give your new Vault a name that you like. In this How To I called it “My New Secure Vault”
- Select the cloud service in which you like to store your data securely. In this example we select iCloud Drive
- Storage location is what needs to be selected next. In this example, this will be the folder within iCloud Drive
- In this example, a “Cryptomator” Folder was created in iCloud Drive. We select this folder to store the newly to be created Vault and click on “Done”
- Cryptomator asks now to create a password. Please create a secure password and store it securely. If you lose this password, you will have no access to your data anymore!
- Cryptomator asks you to confirm that you should not forget your password because if you do all your data is lost
- The Cyptomator App ask you whether you like to Open in Files App. I recommend to do so, as it makes working with Cryptomator very smooth and fully integrated into your iPad. Select Open in Files App and your Cyptomator App will open the iPad “Files” app.
- Cryptomator will now open the Files App, in which you need to enter your password a second time. Since we like to have a simple life, and if you don’t mind, you select Enable Face ID. This makes working with Cryptomator more easy
- Access to by Cryptomator protected files is now same simple as with locally or non-protected in the iCloud stored files/folders
How To Secure Data In iCloud
Connecting To an Existing Cryptomator Vault (Folder):
This guide explains how simple it is to connect to a existing Cryptomator drive, leveraging on the Cyptomator App. Since pictures help to explain, the below pictures show you the 10 steps in a more graphical manner.
- Open the Cyptomator App and click the + button
- Select “Open Existing Vault”
- We select “iCloud Drive”, except you have another cloud provider the relevant one
- Select the option “Select Vault Folder”
- Next step, select your Folder (in this How To we select “Fotos”)
- Enter your password to access the folder
- If you entered your password correctly, the Cyptomator App will confirm the successful connection by a “tick”
- The Cyptomator App ask you whether you like to Open in Files App. I recommend to do so, as it makes working with Cryptomator very smooth and fully integrated into your iPad. Select Open in Files App and your Cyptomator App will open the iPad “Files” app.
- Cryptomator will now open the Files App, in which you need to enter your password a second time. In my case I also selected Enable Face ID. This makes working with Cryptomator more easy
- Access to by Cryptomator protected files is now same simple as with locally or non-protected in the iCloud stored files/folders
How To Secure Data In iCloud
Additional Information
You like to read more about Cyptomator App? There are plenty of sources! I recommend the official community.
If you like my How To, you are absolutely allowed to create in forums or any other conversations links to this How To! I love you doing this and I thank for you doing this in advance!
Finally, the official Cryptomator community offers an official documentation. You like to check this out! There is a lot you can learn about Cryptomator!
