Google drive for backup. Manager and encryption?

August 01, 2021, 02:28 PM

I want to backup some directories on my desktop to a google drive. Is there a backup manager that will handle this automatically, and that can encrypt the files before sending them sending them to the Google drive (so Google can't read them)?

Am I barking up the wrong tree?

August 01, 2021, 02:39 PM

konata88

quote:
... and that can encrypt the files before sending them sending them to the Google drive (so Google can't read them)?

Ohhhhh. Interested as well. Can Bitlocker (Windows) work for this? Use this technique for apple drive or one drive.... I have all this free cloud space but don't use a byte of it. But would consider if I could pre-encrypt. Love this idea.

"Wrong does not cease to be wrong because the majority share in it." L.Tolstoy
"A government is just a body of people, usually, notably, ungoverned." Shepherd Book

August 01, 2021, 03:32 PM

architect

One option, on macOS at least, is to keep your private stuff on a "sparse bundle" disk image that is password protected/encrypted. When "opened," this image looks like a mounted disk in the Finder, and will house any normal content that needs protecting. When not open, it can be treated as a normal file that can be copied to the cloud or other backup media with no fear of content disclosure. More details can be found in this article.

I don't know if similar is available in MS Windows, but I'd be surprised if there isn't something.

August 01, 2021, 03:56 PM

lkdr1989

VeraCrypt does exactly this; you create a volume, set the encryption and then "mount" it as a drive.

https://sourceforge.net/projects/veracrypt/

quote:
Originally posted by architect:
One option, on macOS at least, is to keep your private stuff on a "sparse bundle" disk image that is password protected/encrypted. When "opened," this image looks like a mounted disk in the Finder, and will house any normal content that needs protecting. When not open, it can be treated as a normal file that can be copied to the cloud or other backup media with no fear of content disclosure. More details can be found in this article.

I don't know if similar is available in MS Windows, but I'd be surprised if there isn't something.

...let him who has no sword sell his robe and buy one. Luke 22:35-36 NAV

"Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves." Matthew 10:16 NASV

August 02, 2021, 11:59 AM

K0ZZZ

quote:
Originally posted by lkdr1989:
VeraCrypt does exactly this; you create a volume, set the encryption and then "mount" it as a drive.

https://sourceforge.net/projects/veracrypt/

One thing to remember about using Veracrypt for this (which is a GREAT solution btw) is that there's a setting so that when you update the files in the encrypted drive, that the "last touched" date/time on the drive file isn't changed, so google drive (or any other sync tool) wouldn't know that it was updated, so it won't upload the changes. Just make sure that setting is turned off so that when you close the encrypted drive, that it gets sync'd to the cloud.