Encrypt Your Cloud-Based Files with gocryptfs
Key to the Cloud
© Lead Image © Tsung-Lin Wu, 123RF.com
With gocryptfs, you can avoid security breaches by encrypting files on your hard disk before uploading them to the cloud.
If you're a regular subscriber to tech newsletters, two key trends are clear. One is that many people, including Linux users, are rapidly abandoning external storage and home servers for the convenience of placing their files in the cloud. The other trend is that major cloud storage platforms have repeatedly been affected by security incidents and design flaws.
In April 2024, for instance, threat actors compromised Dropbox Sign (formerly HelloSign). They entered its production environment and were able to access sensitive data like emails, phone numbers, and even authentication information. Dropbox was quick to respond, logging users out of affected devices and rotating API keys and OAuth tokens, and, seemingly, the content of clients' files wasn't compromised [1].
Google Drive users may not be so lucky. In late 2025, security researchers discovered an access control flaw in Google Drive for Desktop that could allow other users on the same Windows machine to access someone's sensitive files [2]. Then, in early 2026, a former Google Engineer was convicted of stealing sensitive proprietary information to benefit two Chinese companies [3]. While this theft focused on corporate trade secrets related to AI, it highlights the fact that a cloud storage provider risks being compromised by an insider or an employee under legal compulsion as long as the provider has access to the encryption keys used to store customer data.
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