How reliable is your file-sharing practice?
And why you should consider a safer alternative
In today’s fast-paced digital landscape, professionals who often share important files with external parties must be highly aware of their file-sharing practices. By integrating data protection mechanisms into file-sharing workflows, we can ensure confidentiality and mitigate the risks of cybersecurity incidents such as ransomware, unauthorized access and severe data loss. In the meantime, this also helps maintain the trust of clients and partners.
One way to prevent security breaches is by implementing robust Data Loss Prevention (DLP) strategies. Data is the lifeline of modern businesses. The loss of critical files can lead to serious repercussions and even threaten business continuity. Therefore, it’s hard to overstate the importance of identifying and eliminating inappropriate practices of data sharing.
Pitfalls of common file-sharing methods
With advancements of the Internet and mobile devices, many have probably shared company data with external parties through chat apps like Line, Viber and WhatsApp. These channels are fast and convenient for sure, but often fall short in providing adequate protection for sensitive info. For example, it’s been alleged that a leak of 500 million WhatsApp users’ data could lead to sale of their personal info on the dark web. It seems like we can only hope everything is fine — until it isn’t.
Email attachments are also susceptible to interception and unauthorized access. Plus, the channel lacks encryption, access control and file tracking mechanisms. This equals vulnerable data, as well as the file owner’s inability to see who can access what and whether an attached file has been downloaded or not.
For larger files, some might prefer sharing through USB or hard drives. Yet the hardware itself runs the risk of being lost or stolen, while also posing difficulties in tracking and revoking access.
As for syncing files through public cloud storage systems like Dropbox and Google Cloud, it unavoidably deepens the reliance on third-party solutions, which often come with space limitations. And just as anything stored on online platforms these days, your data could be accessed by malicious players or fall victim to possible breaches.
What about FTP (File Transfer Protocol)?
All the methods mentioned above are swift and handy solutions for general day-to-day file-sharing. However, when dealing with critical data and confidential info, businesses should adopt safer and more advanced options.
How does FTP sound? You might be wondering. For one thing, the protocol doesn’t encrypt data in transit. For another, authentication is done using username and password authentication. Therefore, as widely used as FTP might be, this method is in fact an easy target of credential theft. Besides, hackers can attack FTP connections to gain file access and modify in-transit content. Logging and auditing features are also quite limited.
So… What now?
Given the pitfalls of common file-sharing practices, it’s crucial for professionals to explore safer alternatives to prioritize data protection and security. When you do so, two key requirements to keep in mind are:
- End-to-end encryption:
Always ensure your file-sharing solution is equipped with end-to-end encryption, and the industry-recognized Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) is preferred. This way, files will be encrypted at source, in transit and at rest, leaving no room for foul play. - Authentication and access control mechanisms:
Choose solutions that support multi-factor authentication and offer granular access control capabilities. This ensures that only authorized individuals can access your files and share them with others, reducing the possibility of unwanted access or accidental sharing.
Take full control of critical files with C2 Transfer
C2 Transfer is an all-around cloud file transfer service. If you’re looking for a solution that meets the requirements we’ve discussed, C2 perfectly fits the bill, with features that help professionals optimize their file-sharing workflows to be safer and faster.
- Recipient authorization:
The receiver needs to verify their identity using a one-time password (OTP) sent to a specific email address or phone number entered by the sender. Only after the verification goes through will they be able to access and download the file shared. This way, the data transferred is protected against unapproved access attempts. - Intuitive user portal:
Easily monitor the status of your transfer tasks, check whether the recipients have received the files, and monitor the download count.
- Advanced file protection mechanisms:
Users can expiration dates, download limits and apply watermarks to the documents to be shared.
- End-to-end encryption:
All data is protected using AES-256 before even leaving your device. Data traveling to and stored on C2 servers is fully encrypted, ensuring comprehensive protection throughout the entire transfer process.
Your data security can’t wait
Protecting your data without worrying about size limits for file sharing has never been so easy. Start today by trying C2 Transfer 30 days for free or requesting a demo from our experts. And yes, the C2 Transfer plug-in is also available in Microsoft Outlook now!
