Google announced Thursday that customers' Cloud storage data will be automatically encrypted free of charge as they are uploaded and before they are saved on a drive.
Protecting consumer data is the most important factor for any cloud storage service provider. Google has taken a new initiative to protect its customers' data that is added to Cloud Storage. The web giant announced Thursday that it will add 128-bit Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) for all its customers' data at no additional cost.
This step by Google might be a fallout of the NSA surveillance scandal but will definitely reassure customers who store data online. Although the encryption provided by Google is of a lower standard than the 256-bit AES that is often used to protect password managers and financial information, but it will still offer a two-step protection. The data is encrypted with a unique key, which is then encrypted again using another key. In addition, it will allow customers to use their own encryption and keys, if they so desire .
With the latest update, all new files added to the Cloud Storage will be encrypted as they are uploaded and before they are saved on a drive, Dave Barth, Product Manager at Google Cloud Storage, said in a blog post.
Barth explained that the new functionality frees users "from the hassle and risk of managing your own encryption and decryption keys. We manage the cryptographic keys on your behalf using the same hardened key management systems that Google uses for our own encrypted data, including strict key access controls and auditing," he wrote.
Finally, the encryption has no visible impact on the performance and does not require customers to set up or configure their Cloud Storage. The encrypted data gets automatically and transparently decrypted when an authorized user has access it.
