Comparisons

What does that mean?

No one can read the file content without authorization.

Why is this important for data security?

This is the basic requirement for taking your right to privacy into your own hands.

What does that mean?

No one can recognize the file name without authorization.

Why is this important for data security?

Metadata like the file name reveal more about you than you think. File extensions can be used to create a profile of the data you use. In the worst case, even if the file content is encrypted, the name "Human Rights Violations Report.docx" could get you into trouble at the wrong airport.

What does that mean?

No one gets access to additional file attributes.

Why is this important for data security?

Some third-party software may store metadata about your file in its file attributes. If these are not encrypted, anyone can read them and even manipulate them to force your operating system to behave in certain ways.

What does that mean?

The source code is accessible to a broad community, which increases the security of the encryption.

Why is this important for data security?

The security of a system must depend solely on the key and must not be based on the secrecy of the algorithms. Since the encryption algorithm is controlled and discussed by a broad community, vulnerabilities or errors in the code are quickly detected.

What does that mean?

The encrypted directory structure does not correspond to the actual or unencrypted directory structure.

Why is this important for data security?

When saving, some applications create several files that are stored in certain structures. If these structures are still recognizable in the encrypted state, an attacker can draw conclusions about the type of data despite encryption.

What does that mean?

Since encryption does not immediately protect against manipulation of the data, unauthorized modification of the data must be detected.

Why is this important for data security?

To protect yourself from a variety of sophisticated attacks, the integrity of your encrypted data must be verified before you decrypt it. If this does not happen, it is conceivable that manipulated data could be injected, which you could then open unnoticed. (In the worst case, this can even be used by attackers to crack the encryption.)

What does that mean?

The encryption algorithms used are still secure even if the attacker has quantum computers.

Why is this important for data security?

Some encryption methods are based on mathematical problems that are normally difficult to calculate. For quantum computers, however, they are much less complex. If an attacker has access to a corresponding quantum computer, the encryption of your data is de facto ineffective.

What does that mean

The encryption code is examined by independent experts.

Why is this important for data security?

Audits focusing on cryptographically relevant code can be an important element of quality control, provided the auditor has enough time and does not just get a cursory overview.

What does that mean?

The key derivation function (KDF) is used to derive the cryptographic key from the password you enter. This function must be as complex as possible to prevent bruteforce attacks (randomly trying out combinations of characters).

Why is this important for data security?

To derive your key from your password, a computer needs 200ms. That sounds short, but it quickly adds up to astronomically high times if an attacker has to try all conceivable passwords. Attackers could, however, use special hardware (so-called ASICs) to try hundreds of thousands of possibilities simultaneously.

To prevent this, KDFs are used that are memory-intensive ("memory-hard"), i.e. they require a particularly large amount of memory. This makes an attack disproportionately costly and thus unattractive for the attacker.

What does that mean?

Ideal for team use of the cloud storage: Each team member can use an individual password – yet you still have access to the encrypted data.

Why is this important for data security?

Individual passwords in larger teams increase security. On the one hand, because sharing a password poses a risk depending on the communication channel. On the other hand, because passwords that are shared are often weaker (because easier to remember).