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Forum Discussion
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!
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?
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.
- Consider Sync.com. They have e-2-e, zero knowledge cloud-based storage that works cross-device/cross-platform.
- Daphne
Dropbox Staff
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.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.
- 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!
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?
