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Chris S.14's avatar
Chris S.14
Helpful | Level 6
5 years ago
Solved

How secure is the Vault?

The new Vault feature is useful, but I can't see any information about how secure it is, and what if any encryption is used on the files stored in there?

 

Is this a password protected folder?  How hard is it to get the data inside if you don't have the PIN?  I'm thinking of password protected folders on Windows which aren't really secure if you have access to the hard drive!

 

 

security
  • Daphne's avatar
    Daphne
    5 years ago

    Thanks for getting back to me here Chris S.14.

     

    Via the desktop app, the files will only sync down to your computer once you've entered the PIN to open the Vault on your computer.

     

    Once you lock the Vault again, the files are removed from your computer, as mentioned in the article linked above.

     

    On Dropbox itself, the files are encrypted in the same way the rest of your files are encrypted.

     

    Does that help to clarify the process for the desktop app?

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  • Daphne's avatar
    Daphne
    Icon for Dropbox Community Moderator rankDropbox Community Moderator
    5 years ago

    Thanks for getting back to me here Chris S.14.

     

    Via the desktop app, the files will only sync down to your computer once you've entered the PIN to open the Vault on your computer.

     

    Once you lock the Vault again, the files are removed from your computer, as mentioned in the article linked above.

     

    On Dropbox itself, the files are encrypted in the same way the rest of your files are encrypted.

     

    Does that help to clarify the process for the desktop app?

  • Chris S.14's avatar
    Chris S.14
    Helpful | Level 6
    5 years ago

    Thanks, but I already know how to use it - I wanted to know how secure it is.  Are files encrypted?  Or are they still on my computer but just hidden?

  • Daphne's avatar
    Daphne
    Icon for Dropbox Community Moderator rankDropbox Community Moderator
    5 years ago

    Hey Chris S.14, I hope you're well today!

     

    You can only access the Vault once you've input the correct PIN that you set when creating the Vault.

     

    If you do happen to forget the PIN, you would need to contact our Support team for assistance with regaining access to the files.

     

    I'd suggest checking out this article for some more info, if you haven't already.

     

    Let me know if you have any questions!

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