Why is backup encryption important?

Backup encryption protects your data from unauthorised access and ransomware attacks. You can use software, hardware or cloud solutions to encrypt backups.

Why is backup encryption important for data security?

When paired with a robust backup strategy, regular backups are invaluable for quickly restoring files or a system if data loss occurs. With online backup services, you can access your data at any time and from anywhere, which is especially beneficial if there is an emergency. But how secure are backups and should they be encrypted?

The purpose of encryption is to protect your data from illegal access and misuse. Different encryption methods can help you to not only achieve a high level of security, but also retain sole control over your personal data. Backup encryption is especially useful if you need to safeguard confidential or business data.

What are the pros and cons of encrypting backups?

With the right encryption software, backup encryption is easy and can offer numerous benefits:

• Data security: Encrypting backups protects your data from unauthorised access attempts. In the unfortunate event that a backup is stolen, encryption ensures that the encrypted data can’t be read or, in the case of identity theft, used.
• Protection against ransomware: With backup encryption, you can also ensure that your data stays protected if your system is infected with ransomware.
• Compliance requirements: In certain industries, there are special data protection and compliance requirements. This can be the case, for example, if you work in a field where you are required to sign non-disclosure agreements (NDA). Encrypting backups helps businesses meet such requirements and avoid potential breaches of contracts, which can result in contractual or legal consequences.

There are, however, certain disadvantages to encrypting backups:

• Complexity: Encrypting a backup requires effort and technical know-how. You’ll also need a way to safely store and manage your encryption key, which can be somewhat complex.
• Compromised performance: Encrypting backups increases the amount of time it takes to back up and restore data, especially if you are processing large amounts of data. Additionally, the decryption process during data recovery can also take up time and hardware resources.
• Lost key: If you lose your encryption key, your backup cannot be restored. That’s why it’s extremely important to have a reliable method for managing and storing keys.

What backup encryption methods are there?

There are different ways to encrypt backups that let you reliably protect your data. You can choose from encryption software, hardware with built-in encryption capabilities, or a cloud-based encryption solution.

Backup encryption using software

Many backup software solutions already have a built-in encryption feature. The major advantage of this is that encryption is already seamlessly integrated into the backup process, eliminating the need for additional software. It’s important, however, to make sure that the encryption algorithms used in the backup software are strong and secure.

With operating system-integrated backup tools like Time Machine for Mac and File History for Windows, it’s relatively easy to create incremental backups. While Time Machine collaborates with FileVault to encrypt backups created on Mac, performing backup encryption with File History on Windows can take a little bit longer. Another advantage of Time Machine is that encrypted backups can be stored on network-attached storage (NAS)

Backup encryption using hardware

Some storage devices, such as external hard drives, have built-in hardware encryption capabilities. These are called hardware security modules (HSMs). With encryption being performed directly on the device and data stored in an encrypted format, HSMs offer a high level of security. Additionally, the key is also stored on the storage device and cannot be easily extracted.

Cloud-based end-to-end backup encryption

Cloud storage provides a convenient way to securely store backups, allowing you to comfortably access your data from anywhere at any time. However, when selecting a provider, it’s important to choose one that offers end-to-end backup encryption. A commonly used security protocol for end-to-end encryption is TLS. If you create your backup in an unencrypted cloud storage like Dropbox or Google Drive, you do not have full control over who can see or access your data.

One cloud service provider that offers end-to-end encryption (E2EE) is IONOS HiDrive. The pro package of the cloud storage provider includes E2EE. For other packages, users need to additionally purchase end-to-end encryption. This feature ensures that data is encrypted on a local device before being uploaded to the cloud. Only the account holder has access to the decryption key, ensuring that the backup is encrypted end to end and is safe in the cloud.

What other measures can I take to secure my backups?

In order to make your backups more secure, you can also carry out the following measures:

• Choose a secure server location: Make sure that your backed up data is stored on servers that are secure or in certified data centres. It’s best to go with service providers that are located in regions that have stricter data privacy laws and security standards.
• Implement multi-factor authentication (MFA): Set up multi-factor authentication for your backups. With an MFA, an additional authentication factor such as a one-time password app or an SMS is required in order to access your backup account. By including an MFA in the login process, you can significantly reduce the chances of someone accessing your account who is not authorised to do so. In contrast to two-factor authentication, MFA uses a combination of two or more authentication factors, giving you the possibility to add an extra layer of security.
• Check access permissions: Regularly check access rights to make sure only authorised users can access your backup data. Make sure to also regularly remove or deactivate user accounts that should no longer have access to backup data.
• Conduct data recovery tests: Regularly test if backed up data is restored correctly and without any information missing. This way, you’ll be able to see if your backup strategy is working properly and if you will be able to access your data should an emergency occur.