Insights For Success

Strategy, Innovation, Leadership and Security

Dropbox

Wormhole could be the free file transfer app Firefox Send wanted to be

GeneralEdward Kiledjian
jakob-soby-RjPG-_LVmiQ-unsplash.jpg

Firefox Send was a fantastic tool that allowed anyone on the internet to send large files for free using encryption. Unfortunately, the bad guys started using it, and Firefox pulled the plug.

The concept is simple, by visiting the service page, you upload your files, and the service provides a link that allows anyone to download the content. The challenge with most free services is that they are insecure, and most are slow (encouraging you to buy their faster service).

Wormhole one such service that leverages WebTorrent for fast transfers, promises end-to-end encryption and is free (with no upsell). Wormhole doesn't even require registration. Transfers of 5GB or less are handled by their servers, which means your browser doesn't even have to remain open. 

Traditional torrents require special clients, but WebTorrent is a gateway that allows any torrent files to be shared through a web browser (no special client or unique configuration).

When you create a new transfer, your device generates a unique encryption key used to encrypt the content before it is sent to the Wormhole servers. 

The unique twist

Remember that Wormhole is built with a combination of traditional web technologies married to torrenting. This unique combination makes their service faster than most competitors. But the magic is that the recipient can start downloading the content before you have completed the upload. This streaming functionality is something no other competitors (that I am aware of) offer. This means you can share the link with the recipient while you are uploading the content (and not have to wait until everything is uploaded). 

It's good but not perfect

Perfection is the enemy of good and there are some limitations you should be aware of:

  • If you upload content larger than 5GB (up to the 10GB limit), you have to keep your browser page open because Wormhole won't store the files on their servers (they do up to 5GB)

  • Uploaded content is only available for 24 hours

  • A file can be downloaded up to 100 times

If you are curious, they share their roadmap here.

Screen Shot 2021-06-13 at 1.00.46 PM.png

Conclusion

This is a new service, but it has already found a place in my online toolkit. Obviously, the long-term viability will depend on some time of premium service, but there aren't any details yet. I guess that the premium service will allow larger transfers, longer storage and more download slots. 

The security write-up (here) seems interesting, and the product looks to be designed securely. Still, because it is not open-source, there is no way to be sure they have implemented the security controls they say they have. If something is very sensitive, encrypt it using 7-zip before uploading (using a unique password shared with the recipient out of band). 

Google One finally available to all US customers

GeneralEdward Kiledjian

I first wrote about Google One in May 2018, when it was still shrouded in secrecy.  The new storage program with improved storage capacities was an invitation-only program until today (for US residents anyway).

Per the original (Google Drive) model, storage is shared across all of the Google properties you use (GMAIL, Photos stored in full resolution, Drive, etc.)

  • 100 GB for $1.99
  • 200 GB for $2.99 (New)
  • 2 TB for $9.99 (2TB for the price of 1TB on the old plan)
  • 10 TB for $99.99
  • 20 TB for $199.99
  • 30 TB for $299.99

If you use the Google Family sharing program (not available to Google Apps accounts, unfortunately), you can share your Google One storage with up to 5 family members. In addition to storage, Google is offering Google Play credit to Google One subscribers and promises to add even more benefits (24x7 support is now also included).

Many still see the Google One page as invitation only but expect this to change shortly. Rolling this new program out to its millions of customers is likely being undertaken in stages.

As a Canadian, I anxiously await any indication about when it will open for us.

Review of the free Mozilla Send service

GeneralEdward Kiledjian

As a citizen of the digital world, you probably transfer large files daily. Sure you could use Google Drive, Dropbox or OpenText Core but Mozilla believes there is a better way (Mozilla Send). Mozilla Send is a web experiment that allows you to easily transfer large files up to 1GB in size.

Mozilla Send can be used with any modern browser.

How to use Send

1 - Go to https://send.firefox.com/

2 - Upload a file

3 - Decide how many downloads you want to allow in a 24-hour window. Determine if you want to enable a download password.

4 - send the link to the recipient of the file.

Mozilla Send Security

Mozilla send uses AES-128 (AES-GCM algorithm) to encrypt and authenticate the file. Encryption is performed on the client before the file is uploaded to the Mozilla Send servers. Mozilla Send also uses the Web Cryptography API. This Web Cryptography API is the magic that performs hashing, signature verification, encryption, etc). All the security is performed without requiring any user intervention.

It is important to highlight the fact that anyone that intercepts the URL can download the file. The encryption key is appended to the URL.

Sample URL : https://send.firefox.com/download/2f3eea2e0f/#6kUB9cj4gXgTZWgDXrPEZQ

 

Important security notes:

  • Once 24-hours has elapsed or the maximum number of downloads has been reached, Mozilla Send deletes the file from the server
  • You can manually delete the file using the Delete button. An important note is that the Delete button only shows up on that initial download page. If you think you might need the delete button, keep that original upload confirmation page open. 

Web Experiment

Mozilla send is a Web Experiment and Mozilla is gathering usage statistics to determine if this is something they want to keep as a permanent offering. Right now it is a great example of solid design and engineering.

Best URL shorteners

GeneralEdward Kiledjian

URL shorteners are something you either use a lot or never. Google launched it's own URL shortening service in 2009 with unique (at the time) features like third-party API access, QR code generation, ability to use easily on mobile. 

But Google is retiring this public facing service and replacing it with Firebase Dynamic Links (FDL) accessible by developers only. 

This is not surprising since Twitter retired Deck.ly when it acquired TweetDeck.

If you have links, Google is giving you until March 30, 2019, to figure out what you are going to do (even though you will lose the ability to create new short links on April 13). 

What are the best Goo.gl alternatives?

1 - Bit.ly

The first alternative has to be Bit.ly which is one of the most popular URL shortening services on the internet and one of the oldest. You create an account and then generate short links as required (you can also choose a tag to group your URL). 

Bitly allows you to create custom branded short URLs, which is excellent for marketing. 

2 - Ow.ly

Hootsuite runs a service called Ow.ly. Ow.ly offers all of the features of Bit.ly but integrates with HootSuite. So if you use Hootsuite to manage your social media presence, this could be the best option for you.

The big difference is that Bit.ly allows you to quickly shorten a link from their main webpage without having to sign-up whereas Ow.ly does not.

3 - rebrandly.com

Many lists include Firebase from Google but I am omitting it since it is only designed for use by developers in apps (not useful for the average Joe). My last recommendation is Rebrandly.com which offers custom URL shorteners. Many large cloud companies are Rebrandly customers (such as Microsoft, Dropbox, etc).

Before you get scared and look away, they offer a free tier that will meet the needs of most users.

Conclusion

A URL shortener is a service that you will rely on for years, and I have presented the companies (services) that look to be the most stable. Remeber that when the service disappears's your links break which could wreak havoc on your social strategy.

OPSEC : Backup Strategy for the Security Conscious

GeneralEdward Kiledjian

RELATED: The best way to protect your data - images, music, documents

Even with all of the technological advancements we have made, backups are usually overlooked by the "average Joe" until something significant occurs (causing a massive shift in paradigm). 

Why backup

Traditionally we backed up our information in case the physical media we used (hard drive, DVD, ZIP Drive cartridge, Bernoulli Box, etc.) had a catastrophic incident. 

Modern headaches that we add to the justification list now include malware and cryptoware data modification, seizure at a border crossing or shutdown of a cloud service. 

When thinking about backups (as a security conscious individual), you are concerned about:

  • Recovering your files in their original format (not some compressed low-quality version of your precious originals)
  • Ensuring that only YOU can access your backed up information 

Know thyself

Before we can discuss how to protect your information, we need to know what and where that information is

Inventorying your information is not as simple as it first appears... Think of everywhere you have stored digital data. 

  • You have one or more email accounts possibly with various providers (Hotmail, Outlook, GMAIL, Yahoo Mail, your ISP, etc)
  • You could have contact information on Google, iCloud, Samsung Contacts, etc
  • You may have documents in Dropbox, Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, various 3rd party apps (diaries, note taking apps, etc)
  • You may have information (sometimes even forgotten) on USB keys, SD cards, CD/DVD disks, etc
  • This blog has information (articles) going back 7+ years

You get the picture. What first seems like a basic easy to answer question could quickly turn into a monstrous inventory activity. 

Once you know what you have, you then need to figure out which of these sources is the "master" copy. It is not uncommon for people to knowingly or unknowingly load duplicate information across multiple different storage mediums. This of the master as the version that you are likely to keep the most up to date. 

As an example, I recently did a photo duplicate cleanup and realized 15% of my total 1.5TB photo storage was duplicate files I had accumulated over the years. 

RELATED: OPSEC - How to securely delete files

It's time to strategize

In a previous article, I talked about the 3-2-1 backup strategy. The exact entry from my previous article was:

This is a simple way to remember the right way to backup and protect your data. 

  • You should always have 3 copies of your important data. This means one primary (aka the one you use on a daily basis) and 2 copies as backups.
  • You should always have your backups on 2 different types of media (one of your backups can be to an external hard disk while the other one should be to another type of media like DVD disk or to an online service).
  • You should always store 1 copy of your data to "somewhere else". This is to ensure recoverability in case your house or business experience a natural disaster. Now in most cases, this can be one of the popular online backup services or it can simply be you manually storing the media in another location like your office, a bank vault or leaving it in a friends house. To be extra careful, it is recommended to built-in some distance between you and the offsite backup in case a natural disaster eats a good part of your city. 

The reason we create the information inventory in the previous step is so that you can also backup your application datasets. As an example, if you use Google contacts, maybe export the file monthly in CSV format and make sure it is backed up (don't rely on the goodwill of the provider since they always cap their liability in the event of a catastrophic incident). If you use a journaling application, maybe export your entries in PDF and back that up. If you have pictures sitting on your smartphone, make sure a copy is taken and added to your backup strategy (Google Photos is good but it stored an "optimized" version which is not original). 

People often forget to back up basic information like their emails. To do this, you may need to install a "fat" email client on your computer and pull all the emails (or copies of them) from your mail provider then backup the local program database. Google isn't going away but there have been countless tales of users "losing" access to their accounts for months because Google made an arbitrary decision. Unless you are running your own infrastructure, assume the provider can stop your service and hijack your data at any time. 

A couple of years ago, I spent weeks scanning all my paper documents so that I could have digital easy to move, easy to backup versions. You will likely have to do the same.

Where to store your backups

Back to my 3-2-1 backup model, you should have 2 copies of the data you physically control and one up in the heavens we call "the cloud".

The size of your backup will dictate what kind of physical media you store it on. When backups were small, many users could get away with storing them on CD/DVD/Tape drives but these aren't practical for most modern users.

Most of you will likely store your local copies on some type of large local storage medium such as a USB key and/or hard-drive. If possible, store your local copies on 2 different mediums (USB key AND hard drive) or Spinning hard drive and SSD drives. 

You need one copy in the cloud. Local copies are great because you can restore access almost instantly, but if a major incident occurs, you may lose both of your physical copies. That is when your backup of last resort comes in (aka cloud backup). Remember to protect your cloud backups. You can do this by pre-encrypting the information before uploading it (which works if your backup is small and you are uploading to a service like Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive or Dropbox). The other option is to use a backup service that lets you hold on to the encryption/decryption keys like Carbonite and Backblaze.

Make sure your backup provider has version control enabled. This means they store multiple versions of files. This is useful if you are infected with cryptolocker like malware that encrypts your files, you can go back to a version pre-encryption. This is also useful if you delete a file by mistake and want to go back in time and bring it back.

It's a process

Once you figure out what your backup strategy will be, you need to ensure it is "run" regularly. Nothing is worse than having a plan and then losing six months of data because you forgot to backup. Most cloud services offer near-line backups which is a nice set it and forget it model. 

You will have to ensure your local copies are regularly updated also. On my mac, I use the built-in and free RSYNC command in the terminal to synchronize via a scheduled task. There are also a tone of reasonably priced on device backup apps (if you don't want to fiddle with the terminal). These are examples but not endorsements: