In today’s flourishing age of technology with new devices and software being designed at every turn, it is more important than ever for you to be an informed consumer. The phones, laptops, and tablets that dominate your life holds a lot of your personal information. For this reason, it is vital that you know who has access to that information and how they use it.
The development of iCloud was a game changer. It uses a wireless connection to retain files of various kinds stored in one database and across multiple platforms. But, it’s seemingly uncontrollable function has a lot of people asking: Is iCloud safe?
Like all computer software iCloud will have it’s security flaws, but overall I would say iCloud is a safe platform.
It is secured with 2-step verification to make it harder for hackers to break into together with an Apple ID so secure even Apple claims it can’t hack it. There have been leaks of data from iPhone’s that was claimed to be caused by an iCloud hack, but this has proven false. The data was scammed using other meaning there has been no verified iCloud hacks that exposed user data.
Apple takes security seriously and are constantly on the look out for vulnerabilities, repairing any they find fast.
Table of Contents
Overview of iCloud
iCloud was developed by technological super-giant Apple to make storing information (such as notes, photos, and documents) easier and more accessible.
It eliminated the need for a hard drive and made it so that no one needs to worry about transferring anything from one device to another.
It utilizes networks and servers to store data in information systems as opposed to your phone or computer.
So when the day comes that you need to replace your equipment, you still have everything you need without the stress of moving it.
Can iCloud be hacked?
iCloud was designed with the intention of eliminating personal storage devices such as hard drives.
But here is something to consider when using it – iCloud is actually just one massive, public hard drive.
You get the benefit of storing your data securely, but it is being kept in a shared environment so there are some potential dangers.
It doesn’t mean that anyone can rummage around on iCloud and find your files. But with some clever hacking work it may be possible to gain access to your account.
For example, there has already been some high-profile hacking that resulted in content being stolen from iCloud, such as the celebrity hack. This shows that it is possible to hack iCloud, even though it is unlikely that the leak was really caused by hack on iCloud itself. In addition there are companies that offer to bypass iCloud accounts if you have been locked out.
Three ways to keep your iCloud account safe
To ensure safety, here are some tips to ensure your iCloud data is not hacked.
Create a strong iCloud password
It is easy to become lazy and use an ‘easy-to-guess’ password that is simple for you to remember. However you should avoid obvious things such as your kids names, your maiden name or your date of birth. If it’s easy for you to remember then it is easy for a hacker to figure out too.
Do not use words either as they are simple to guess too.
So what should you use?
I recommend creating a sentence that you will easily remember and taking the first letter from each word. For example:
“Jack and Jill Went Up a Hill To Fetch a Bucket Of Water”
would give you a password of
“JAJWUAH2FABOW”.
You can capitalize a random word or 2 as well. So you have UPPER and lower case letters.
If you need to use a symbol you can always put a ! or # on the end to make it even more complex.
I also like to substitute words such as ‘to’ with the number ‘2’ to throw in some numbers to make it even more difficult to guess.
Following my suggestions would give you. a final password of:
Jajwuah2fabow!
Much more difficult to guess than, say ‘Kevin1968’, whilst still be easy to remember.
Change your password regularly
Try to change your password once a month. This will ensure you are always one step ahead of any potential hackers.
We are all guilty of becoming lazy, but if your are pwned changing your password will ensure the hackers can’t use a password taken from a data breach or a less secure computer system.
You’d be surprised and frightened how often this happens.
Use two-step verification to sign in to iCloud
Apple has designed their two-step verification system to work really easily – especially if you have a another Apple device.
It works by designating your second Apple product as a ‘trusted device’. When you login to iCloud it then requests a 6-digit code which appears on the trusted devices screen. Without the 6 digit code you can’t login, even if you have the correct username and password.
This is very secure.
To set up Two-Step Verification, you need to log in your Apple ID account and go to “Manage your Apple ID > Password and Security > Two-Step Verification“. Then follow the directions to complete.
What can I remove from iCloud that’s already uploaded?
Unfortunately, if you delete anything from your iCloud storage, it will then delete itself all on stored devices. To put simply, there is no way to remove information from iCloud and retain it elsewhere.
That said, if you reach your maximum allowance for iCloud storage and continue to produce data (save pictures, write documents, and so on), it will not be able to store more until you upgrade to a larger storage space. This is the one way to be on iCloud without uploading things to it, but cannot happen until you have used up all available space.
It is also recommended to keep copies of things as backups in case you do decide to shut down your iCloud storage space altogether. Ironic, but since hard drives will not be your only means of storage, it’s a nice backup to have.
Due to how complicated it can be to try to undo agreements to software privileges, it is always best to do research first and then move forward if you decide to when it comes to new technology. Blindly agreeing to its terms and agreements before realizing later down the line that you are not as protected as you had hoped is all too common.
Final considerations
It’s always a good idea to approach technology with caution. Because so much of it is so new, we still do not entirely know how it works or even what it is capable of.
In recent years, many social media founders have been in the public eye due to their misuse of private information, as well as their negligence in the frequent, wide-spread hacking that has occurred. This has resulted in millions of individuals having that private information compromised.
As we ask one another, “is iCloud safe?” we must be aware of what we can do to use the technology that makes life easier for us whilst protecting ourselves in the process. Rarely will large companies do what it takes to keep us and our information safe. In this age of new science on every street corner, we must take our cyber protection into our own hands.