Storing A LOT on email

[gawguy]

How about we get some of the sensitive files off the harddrives and put them not exactly in the cloud, but in gmail?

 

Big question: What do you think will happen if I fill my 7.5gb allotment on one gmail acct and then open another and store there too? Working from home on cable internet I assume these will show up as coming from one IP address? Therefore gmail might see that and say "you're cheating" and lock me out of one or both.

 

I have a lot of files that would be very suitable for keeping on gmail - no bank info or anything like that. But best not kept around the house. Also gmail storage is free and anonymous, which is to say I don't want to buy more storage, mainly because that wouldn't be anonymous.

 

What do you think?

 

Thanks,

GG

[shygye]

Gmail is a cloud application.

 

Unless you have a "biz" internet account, you have a dynamic IP address.

[carlton68]

Working from home on cable internet I assume these will show up as coming from one IP address? Therefore gmail might see that and say "you're cheating" and lock me out of one or both.

 

This is not very likely. Think about families, several persons using the same freemail service.

 

You really think having files online is saver than having files on your computer? Several options to hide and encrypt these file so they can't be accessed on your computer without your consent.

[cavanami]

Do d google, I remember a way to use Google as a file server, where you could save Gb of files on to Google without using email...

[gawguy]

 

You really think having files online is saver than having files on your computer? Several options to hide and encrypt these file so they can't be accessed on your computer without your consent.

 

Okay Herr Carlton..Here's a scenario. I use TrueCrypt, a very fine program. I go overseas or am otherwise out of the picture. Little relatives get free access to my systems. (Let me say that the HD is locked and Windows requires a password to get started.) Anyway I have lots of smart little relatives who notice that a certain file on a HD is taking up 30gb. It looks like a normal kind of file, but it's a TC container. They look around here and there and find TC program on the drive or on a flash drive. They put the facts together and figure out it is a TC container. Then they decide to try to open it. By brute force or by hiring someone to apply brute force.

 

Could you tell me why that couldn't happen? Why they couldn't get it open? Or what else you have in mind for system security and file security?

 

Thanks,

GG

[khunsanuk]

Hi,

 

Not familiar with TrueCrypt, but looks like it is encrypted using a 512 byte key. If your smart little relatives can crack that they can pretty much write their own check as every security company on the planet will want to employ them

 

In other words, unless they have your password they are NOT gonna get in.

 

Brute force would not work either, unless your password is a normal word. Use things like 'GF(G&df78gsd' or 'Make up some stupid long ass sentence and use that as password'; these are much harder to crack / guess than a normal word, a special date, someones name, etc.

 

Sanuk!

 

[kamui]

They put the facts together and figure out it is a TC container. Then they decide to try to open it. By brute force or by hiring someone to apply brute force.

 

Could you tell me why that couldn't happen? Why they couldn't get it open? Or what else you have in mind for system security and file security?

 

Thanks,

GG

 

As KS said, for normal people it is *absolutely* impossible to decrypt those files. With a long key (more than 10 digits, without using existing words) any computer forensic lab in the world might take _months_ the extract the password. If the key is 28 digits long and very strong no one should be able to hack the files - in this case it is probably much easier to capture the owner (or his family) of the files for to extract the password from him.

[gawguy]

 

As KS said, for normal people it is *absolutely* impossible to decrypt those files. With a long key (more than 10 digits, without using existing words) any computer forensic lab in the world might take _months_ the extract the password.

 

So...a program like TC is legal because govt forensic labs can get in, while it is impossible for "normal" people to do so? I don't do or deal with anything of interest to the govt. Just things that either are financials that I want protected and other personal things that would be embarrassing.

 

While tc might not be crackable, I'd still feel better if there weren't 10 - 30 gb files on the drive causing those little hackers to wonder, "What is Uncle GG hiding?"

 

Anyway, with all the help from you lads I do have a plan forming up. Would appreciate anything else anyone has to add.

 

Thanks,

GG

 

[kamui]

 

As KS said' date=' for normal people it is *absolutely* impossible to decrypt those files. With a long key (more than 10 digits, without using existing words) any computer forensic lab in the world might take _months_ the extract the password.[/quote']

 

So...a program like TC is legal because govt forensic labs can get in, while it is impossible for "normal" people to do so? I don't do or deal with anything of interest to the govt. Just things that either are financials that I want protected and other personal things that would be embarrassing.

 

While tc might not be crackable, I'd still feel better if there weren't 10 - 30 gb files on the drive causing those little hackers to wonder, "What is Uncle GG hiding?"

 

Anyway, with all the help from you lads I do have a plan forming up. Would appreciate anything else anyone has to add.

 

Thanks,

GG

 

You misunderstood me:

 

'Normal' passwords can be cracked easily. Most passwords can even be even guessed by so called social hacking (name of spouse, children, pets, schools, favorite music, e.g.). BTW that is how Sarah Palin's Yahoo email account had been hacked.

 

If social hacking doesn't work experts will try a 'brute force' attack with the so called dictionary attack: A PC or a more or less huge cluster of PC's will try every word in every dictionary in any language and any combination of existing words for to guess the right password.

 

But the longer and the more complex a password gets, the harder a dictionary attack will become and social hacking will be impossible.

 

A super long and very complex password is - as far it is known - impossible to hack even with huge computer clusters run by encryption experts (universities, forensic labs, security services like CIA).

 

And to add: Truecypts itself has never been hacked - only the user's passwords.

 

 

[cavanami]

Every lock has a key...it can be cracked or so the Chinese have said for 15000 years