How Secure Is Dropbox? User Accounts Hacked, Email Addresses Leaked

If you are a Dropbox user, it might be a good time to change your password. Dropbox is confirming that a number of user accounts were hacked recently, including an employee account that contained a document that included a list of user email addresses, according to AllThingsD. The hack led to a large spam attack on a number of Dropbox users.

Dropbox has since contacted those users to let them know about the hack and stolen email addresses. The cloud storage company has also taken measures to beef up their security, including requiring two forms of identification when signing in as well as a few user and company generated ways to monitor suspicious activity.

Looking for a more secure way to share your files? Most companies that provide both online backup and cloud storage, such as SugarSync and Mozy, provide additional levels of encryption because of their backup services. SpiderOak actually triple encrypts your files upon backup, but they also have a true zero-knowledge password and data policy. Plus, big names like Dropbox and Google Drive are a target for hackers because they are so popular, where some of the more reliable, lesser-known cloud storage names can fly under the radar of hackers.

In addition, many of the online backup/cloud storage services offer more features. SugarSync gives free storage (5 GB instead of just the 2 GB that Dropbox offers), but users can also get their affordable paid plan, which comes to $4.17/month with the annual plan, and back up their entire computer. Not only will you have the convenience of online file access and computer syncing, but your computer, or multiple computers, will be fully backed up online in case of emergencies like a crash or theft.

To check out all of the cloud storage services that we review and find one that fits your needs, check out our compare page here.

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