Encrypt your files on Dropbox, OneDrive, iCloud and Google Drive

The cloud is convenient, but whoever runs it can read your files. An Obskura vault is an encrypted folder you put inside Dropbox, OneDrive, iCloud Drive or Google Drive: the service syncs as usual, but only ever sees unreadable data.

How a vault works

A vault is an ordinary folder. Inside are your files, encrypted one by one, with names and folder structure hidden: from the outside you can tell neither what they contain nor how they are organized.

Because each file is encrypted separately, when you change one the cloud uploads only that file, not one huge archive. It's the same principle as Cryptomator, together with the password manager in the same app.

Contents are encrypted with AES-256 in 64 KiB blocks, with a different key for each file; names with AES-SIV.

Create a vault in the cloud

1. Press New vault (or the + next to "File vaults").
2. Choose a name and, as the location, a folder inside Dropbox, OneDrive, iCloud Drive or Google Drive.
3. Set a master password and, if you like, a key file. Press Create.

Add and open files

• Drag files and folders into the window, or use Add files and Add folder: they are encrypted into the folder you are looking at.
• The originals are left untouched: once you've checked the vault, delete them yourself and empty the cloud's trash, where an unencrypted copy would remain.
• To edit a file open it with Open, save it in the other application and press Save changes into the vault.

On several computers

On your other computers open the same folder with the folder icon next to "File vaults". When someone adds, renames or deletes files, the list updates by itself. Instead of the cloud you can also use your own NAS or Nextcloud, over SFTP or WebDAV.

Tips

• Don't put the key file in the same cloud folder: anyone who got in would have half of your credentials.
• Turn on automatic backup of the vault to an external drive: only what changes is copied, and the copy stays encrypted.
• Without the password (and key file) the files cannot be recovered in any way: choose a passphrase you will remember.

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