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Is there zero knowledge encryption for the Professional account?

Is there zero knowledge encryption for the Professional account?

Actually
New member | Level 2

Currently have a Professional account - spending around $20 / month.  Is there any way to get zero knowledge encryption (end-to-end encryption) at the Pro level?  I'm not eager to spend even $5 more per month.  My use case is basically home filing and I have a few questions along these lines.

  • I want some of my folders to support end-to-end encryption and some not.  Can I configure this feature at a folder level?  Use case:  I have some files I want to protect because I don't trust any cloud service.  Legal, tax, and other personal files fit into this category.
  • I may want to save some of my files to these E2E encrypted folders from my phone.  Use case:  I get an email with a tax file.  I want to save that directly to the encrypted dropbox folder without going to my computer to do it.  I.e. the Dropbox app must be able to encrypt the file before uploading and store my encryption key.
  • Given Dropbox still has my key, is this really secure?  I mean, it wouldn't be beyond reasoning that a hacker could compromise Dropbox, access my encryption key, then access my files.
  • I'd want to backup my encryption key locally and possibly rotate & re-encrypt every year or so.  Is this possible?

Thanks, folks!

6 Replies 6

Rich
Super User II

@Actually wrote:

Is there any way to get zero knowledge encryption (end-to-end encryption) at the Pro level?


End-to-end Encryption isn't available on the Professional plan. It's only available for teams on Dropbox Business Plus, Advanced, and Enterprise.

 

apfund
Dropbox Product Manager
As Rich mentioned earlier, E2EE is currently only available on our team plans. I still wanted to address your other questions: Can I configure this feature at a folder level? Yes! With our E2EE feature, you can choose which folders to encrypt. Once a folder is encrypted, all content within that folder, including subfolders and files, will also be encrypted. Can I access E2EE on my phone? Currently, E2EE is only available on desktop (Windows, macOS, Linux) and web. However, adding E2EE to mobile is a highly requested feature, and it's on our roadmap. Given Dropbox still has my keys, is this really secure? With E2EE, we have no access to your private keys. Only you, as the customer, can access the keys needed to decrypt your files. Can I back up my encryption key and rotate/re-encrypt it? Yes. You’ll receive a Backup Key, which is essential for accessing your data. You can create multiple backup keys (for storage in different locations) and delete them as needed. Additionally, as a team admin, you can rotate team keys, such as after a team member leaves. Thank you!

DrStan54
Explorer | Level 4

I have another question. I just enabled end to end encryption but I need to encrypt an existing, non-shared folder with subs. These are my patient files. How can I do this? I was sent to folders already shared by my team or was given the option to create a new encrypted folder which I do not want to do. Make sense?


How to encrypt an existing folder that isn't shared by my team?

Best, Stan

Hannah
Dropbox Staff

Hey @DrStan54, thanks for your question.

 

End-to-end encryption applies only to team folders; any other folders in a team account are not included.

 

I hope this clarifies things.


Hannah
Community Moderator @ Dropbox
dropbox.com/support


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DrStan54
Explorer | Level 4

Hi Hannah and thank you.

 

  1. Can I still create team folder with end to end encryption and then kick my team members out of the folder afterward?

apfund
Dropbox Product Manager

Hi Stan,

As an admin, you have the option to create a new team folder with end-to-end encryption enabled, and you can choose not to share it with any other team members. This will result in a team folder that only you, as the admin, can access. To move your existing files into this encrypted folder, simply copy and paste them, and all files will be encrypted and accessible only by you.

Feel free to reach out if you have any further questions!

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    apfund Dropbox Product Manager
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    DrStan54 Explorer | Level 4
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