Research the problem of performing a forensic investigation involving cloud comp

Question

Research the problem of performing a forensic investigation involving cloud computing resources. There is dropbox, iCloud, Google Drive, and lots of other 'cloud' based applications. Write a 500+ word summary of the types of problems you can reasonably expect to encounter and the steps required to overcome these limitations or issues. Your summary should be suitable for use in a discussion with a "regular" client who has asked you for your professional opinion regarding the forensics implications of moving sensitive corporate information from a private data center into the cloud.

Explanation / Answer

1. Google Drive

Google Drive came into existence after Google decided to re-brand the popular Google Docs service. Since then, Google Drive has found its own fans and haters in equal amounts. With amazing collaboration features, this cloud syncing and storage service is definitely a game changer in the market.

Pros

Cons

2. Dropbox

The godfather of cloud syncing services has been in the business for a very long time. Dropbox’s success is the reason so many cloud services got launched in the market, but the king still reigns in many respects. More than 400 million users worldwide are a testament to Dropbox’s success.

Pros

Cons

3. iCloud

Apple’s iCloud is more of an extra perk available to Apple users rather than an individual service. Most iCloud’s features only work if you’re using an Apple device, and if you’re not, it’s really unnecessary. Nevertheless, we wanted to include iCloud into this comparison because Apple users are plentiful indeed.

Pros

Cons

4. OneDrive

SkyDrive was renamed and revamped into OneDrive by Microsoft due legal disputes with Sky Broadcasting, and since then, the company has been pushing to get more and more customers to use their cloud services. Though OneDrive still has a long way to go, its deep integration with Microsoft Office is definitely luring in more customers.

Pros

Cons

FOR BUSINESS :

When a cloud storage service is meant for business use, priorities change.While Dropbox has been touted as a cloud service for individuals, it is definitely trying to turn the tables around with Dropbox Teams and Dropbox for Business. With Dropbox for Business, the company pulled in several compliance certificates that it wasn’t following before, making it easier for organizations to opt for Dropbox.

Backup

There is a difference between cloud backup services and cloud storage services. Services such as:

Are all cloud storage and syncing services, they do not backup data.

About File Syncing, Storage and Collaboration

We tried syncing files across five services, to see which one was the fastest and which ones lagged behind. We used an iPhone, an Android and a Windows 10 machine and a Macbook Air.

That way, we could test how each cloud service performed on various platforms and systems and also how file syncing works across platforms.

Risks Related to Encryption and NSA

Here is a common fact to all the cloud storage services we are comparing today: none of them provide end-to-end encryption.

This means that though data is encrypted when it’s being transferred, it is completely unencrypted and unattended when it’s sitting idle in the cloud. And even if the data is encrypted, technically, that cloud service has the key to unlock the encrypted information. This poses three problems.

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