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Dropbox and Google Want To Make Open Source Security Tools Easy To Use

Posted by Soulskill on from the bang-your-head-on-the-screen-to-unlock-your-forehead-profile dept.

An anonymous reader writes: Dropbox, Google, and the Open Technology Fund have announced a new organization focused on making open source security tools easier to use. Called Simply Secure, the initiative brings together security researchers with experts in user interaction and design to boost adoption rates for consumer-facing security solutions. The companies point out that various security options already do exist, and are technically effective. Features like two-factor authentication remain useless, however, because users don't adopt them due to inconvenience or technical difficulty.

4 of 24 comments (clear)

  1. First by NotInHere · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Dropbox should open-source its desktop client to prove it does what it is supposed to.

  2. How about buying PGP? by mlts · · Score: 4, Interesting

    If they are serious, they should buy Symantec Encryption Desktop (formerly PGP Desktop) from Symantec and open source the full version of that. It has a decent UI, works well with Outlook and Thunderbird, and does well on Windows, OS X, and Linux. That would give decent security on the hard disk level, file container, and individual file level. Even directories can be encrypted, CFS/EncFS like.

  3. Securing cloud data by Tool+Man · · Score: 2

    What they need to do is implement client-side encryption before it gets uploaded. Sure, we can use something like EncFS to let Dropbox host only files I've already encrypted, but other cloud-storage companies like SpiderOak have written themselves out of access to my file contents.

  4. Re:Pro Tip: by aaaaaaargh! · · Score: 2

    Why is OP modded Flamebait? He's right!

    Dropbox is the last company on earth that should be trusted with anything related to security or encryption. They have proven to be incompetent regarding security (and programming in general, for what it's worth) and there are countless alternatives on the market that are better than Dropbox. And yes, hiring Condoleeza Rice does not make them more trustworthy either. Having her in the board is like appointing Dick Cheney as a human rights adviser.

    People who honestly believe Dropbox can keep their personal documents safe against hackers or, an even more ridiculous idea, against the NSA must be seriously misinformed or deluded.