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How secure is the Vault?

The new Vault feature is useful, but I can't see any information about how secure it is, and what if any encryption is used on the files stored in there?

Is this a password protected folder? How hard is it to get the data inside if you don't have the PIN? I'm thinking of password protected folders on Windows which aren't really secure if you have access to the hard drive!

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Daphne

Thanks for getting back to me here @Chris S.14.

Via the desktop app, the files will only sync down to your computer once you've entered the PIN to open the Vault on your computer.

Once you lock the Vault again, the files are removed from your computer, as mentioned in the article linked above.

On Dropbox itself, the files are encrypted in the same way the rest of your files are encrypted.

Does that help to clarify the process for the desktop app?

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Daphne

Hey @Chris S.14, I hope you're well today!

You can only access the Vault once you've input the correct PIN that you set when creating the Vault.

If you do happen to forget the PIN, you would need to contact our Support team for assistance with regaining access to the files.

I'd suggest checking out this article for some more info, if you haven't already.

Let me know if you have any questions!

Chris S.14

Thanks, but I already know how to use it - I wanted to know how secure it is. Are files encrypted? Or are they still on my computer but just hidden?

Daphne

Thanks for getting back to me here @Chris S.14.

Via the desktop app, the files will only sync down to your computer once you've entered the PIN to open the Vault on your computer.

Once you lock the Vault again, the files are removed from your computer, as mentioned in the article linked above.

On Dropbox itself, the files are encrypted in the same way the rest of your files are encrypted.

Does that help to clarify the process for the desktop app?

ejpyle

So, the encryption for Vault is no different than the encryption for every other file and/or folder stored on Dropbox. I was looking for a cloud storage provider that offered zero-knowledge. From the sound of it I'd say that regardless of where you upload your files Dropbox can still see everything.

It would be nice if they would roll out end-to-end encryption for at least the Vault folder.

Daphne

Thanks for joining us here @ejpyle!

If you'd like to, I'd suggest checking out this discussion here for zero-knowledge encryption in Dropbox.

While it's not much, I hope this helps to some extent.

LCPM

It seems that, if Dropbox tech support can help you access the vault if you can't recall your PIN, the vault isn't secure at all.

celltop

Bit concerning all right...

Can staff access it ? If you forget your password?????

My faith in dropbox..has fallen dramatically.

cell.

LCPM

Consider Sync.com. They have e-2-e, zero knowledge cloud-based storage that works cross-device/cross-platform.

LCPM

20210225: Well, Daphne said, a month ago "If you do happen to forget the PIN, you would need to contact our Support team for assistance with regaining access to the files."
To me that says that Dropbox can access your files even if you can't. I've. Switched to sync.com for zero-knowledge, end-to-end, cross-platform, cross-device storage of important files.
Extra storage if you use my referral link :

[Referral link removed as per Community Guidelines]

While I'd like to see Dropbox get on board zero-knowledge encryption has been a request for a long time. They understand that, if they implement it, they can't harvest your info for selling.

stryder

I was hoping to get rid of my Boxcryptor account. For those that don't know, it's a stand alone product that can be used with all the cloud storage providers to create an encrypted file system within the storage provider. AES256, zero knowledge, fairly seamless integration, even encrypt directory names but it does cost.

aknyc

I am a newbie to Vault - just installed it. After reading the exchange on this thread, I'm a bit confused - what is the reason one would use dropbox vault, especially if one's connected devices (desktops) are adequately physically protected?

In the hypothetical case of a dropbox user with just one connected device - say a "physically secure" desktop - what is the Vault adding? An extra layer of protection should the desktop get hacked? Anything else?

Thanks!

Justin15

I agree w/ the other folks in this thread that zero-knowledge encryption is important for me ... just wanted to add that I currently use the free open-source software product 'Cryptomator' to encrypt files within my Dropbox folder to achieve this and it works great.

apfund

Hi there,

I know this thread is already quite old. But I wanted to share a quick update with you:

We have launched our end-to-end encryption in April. More details can be found here and here.
High level overview:
You can now add end-to-end encryption to team folders. The functionality is available for our Advanced, Business Plus and Enterprise customers at no additional costs.

If there are any questions, please let me know!