Dropbox acquires cloud encryption service Boxcryptor
The founders of the cloud encryption service BoxCryptor announced this week that Dropbox has acquired the company's intellectual product. According to the announcement on the official Boxcryptor blog, Dropbox acquired IP technology from Boxcryptor, but not customer data.
Dropbox plans to use the technology to bring zero-knowledge end-to-end encryption to its products. Boxcryptor will work on embedding its encryption technology into Dropbox products.
Existing Boxcryptor customers will continue to be serviced by the company for the duration of their license and from German data centers. No customer data is transferred to Dropbox servers according to the announcement.
Boxcryptor plans to service existing customers "through the duration of their contracts". The service was offered to individuals, business and Enterprise customers. Individuals could use a limited free version of Boxcryptor or could sign-up for business or personal plans. The maximum subscription period appears to have been 3-years for individuals who signed-up for a paid plan.
Team licenses were also provided as 1-year and 3-year licenses. Enterprise customers may have been able to negotiate different support periods. It appears that paying customers will be able to continue using the service for up to 3 years. No word on how free users are affected.
All existing users and customers will receive emails with information soon. Boxcryptor does not accept new account creations or license purchases anymore.
What is happening after the end of support? This is anyone's guess at the time, as Boxcryptor has not revealed the information yet. It looks as if customers won't be able to extend their licenses. If true, customers would have to find a different service to encrypt data in the cloud.
A migration offer to Dropbox may be one of the options for existing Boxcryptor customers.
Boxcryptor Alternative
Boxcryptor users may want to check out Cryptomator instead, which offers a similar product. Cryptomator is an open source solution that is also available for teams. The solution for teams is called Cryptomator Hub.
Now You: do you use cloud services?
The Electronic Frontier Foundation has issued guidance for getting your mobile device across the border safely and protecting the data on it should it get seized.
https://www.eff.org/sites/default/files/EFF-border-search_2.pdf
Great read, thanks for posting Ilev.
Yes, I was just about to post that. They specifically address the hidden volume. To fill its purpose, you need to lie to law enforcement/homeland security, which is in of itself a crime. Of course once you get to court you can try to plead the fifth, but you may be forced to reveal its existence and the password in the same vein as the non-hidden volume anyway.
The best solution to someone asking for your password isn’t to plead the fifth, but to simply say you forgot it. This is of course also perjury, but nobody can look inside your head to prove it, so unless you told your cellmate about your cunning master plan, you’re good to go.
Or unless you write on a blog about it ;)
Rodalpho, isn’t a Truecrypt hidden volume 100% unidentifiable anyways? I don’t know, maybe an extreme expert would “recognize” certain patterns even if it’s hidden.
Once inside your outer volume, assuming they coerced you enough to get into it, would the US Gov’t have the right to manipulate / alter / delete files as a bargaining technique? I would think it unlawful “officially”, but a little imagination brings up some issues.
Ahh but I am pure as the driven snow! (Except for posting on a blog during work.)
… and except for being Bernie Maddoff’s tax advisor!
I used to be a regular visitor to the United States. About every second year. But I stopped going 7 years ago, largely because of border hassles like this. The Canadians now get my money. I know I’m not alone in this.
I was travelling to the USA once or twice a year but I also a few years ago. Not going to go there again until the craze has disappeared… might be a while!
Just a legal clarification: You are not required to provide your password as this is covered under the 5th Amendment against self incrimination. But should the authorities be made aware that there are files located in certain “areas” than you must provide the authorities with an unencrypted version of those files. As the authorities have a “right” to access the files once they know where it is. I would just say “I’m not aware of any”, and claim my tech guy handles everything, I don’t know tech.
I also travel around with the following file: “a little boy and his priest.avs”. Should anyone seize and opens said file, their computers FRY :)
But this TrueCrypt matryoshka concept is intriguing. Gotta try it out.
DanTe, how can I obtain said file that makes computers fry? How does it work?
Do like I do: troll the usenet for “free software” and see which one promptly got pass your virus scan and kills your stand alone PC. I do this about once a year to get the latest in killer software. Use something like the free SBNews Android or Newsbin Pro and just massively download. I generally look for the small (below 5mB) files that purports to be celebrity sex movies.
This is a really good app. I tested it out by partitioning a hard drive that I planned to use for data. Then I encrypted that partition with True Crypt. I noticed that the partition was visible when I opened up Computer to view all my drives. So I went into Disk Management and removed the drive letter from the partition which made it invisible. True Crypt also has a portable app version so no need to install it on the PC. This makes it hard for even a tech saavy person to get into your guarded files. (unless they know your password, lol)
Of course if you are accused of doing something illegal and are forced to give up your PC to the government forensic labs none of the above will help. Just get a lawyer and see what info/passwords you have to give up :-)
“Of course if you are accused of doing something illegal and are forced to give up your PC to the government forensic labs none of the above will help.”
Not to be rude but you don’t know what you’re talking about. :/
Not to be rude … , but you don’t know what you’re talking about. Have you tried the various TrueCrypt encryption modes? And no, Da Gov’ment don’t have no magic pixie dust that allows them to crack everything.
I also have another question — this article is about the gov’t agents seizing laptops. What’s the issue on DESKtops? Also can be seized, or a different story?
They can also be seized, no difference.