I thought the best way to disable remote access was to go into the dashboard, click Settings, and turn Cloud Service to Off. I got a message saying “By turning off Cloud Service, you will not be able to use any of the WD software such as My Cloud, WD Photos mobile app and WD Sync. Are you sure you would like to proceed?” I clicked OK.
I noticed now that the dashboard in Home Page went from this:
It seems that My Cloud software supports more than just remote access. What else did I disable when I turned it off? Is there another way to disable remote access?
I have an 8 TD My Cloud (model number wdbctl0080hwt-nesn), firmware 2.21.126.
That is normal behaviour what you see. I noticed the same. Additionally you will see no thumbnails anymore in the WD app, although I access from the local Wlan. When you enable Cloud access again, everything works again as used.
Why WD means without enabled Cloud access an indication and showing thumbnails would not make sense anymore - I can`t explain. Maybe WD does…
[quote=“cat0w, post:4, topic:201466, full:true”]Have you read all of the information provided plus Help? Look under Cloud Access in the Dashboard.
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I’ve printed and read the User Manual.
The reason for my original question was that my hard drive was busy all the time, and I couldn’t figure out why. I thought maybe someone could have been logged in remotely. Now that I have disabled Cloud Access, the device has gone into standby (sleep).
It sounds like no one knows what is causing the capacity bug?
Also strange: Copying 300 GB of data used to take two hours. But today when I did my first backup since disabling remote access, it only took one hour.
Indexing/checking files and thumbnail generation whilst copying files over adds overhead , the controller and disk(s) inside aren’t super fast , it all adds up , stopping remote access definitely turns off processes that slow things down.
If you are the kind of person that wants to ensure your device is FULLY (most) protected from the Internet:
Use your router Firewall to disable connections to and from WD My Cloud.
Pros:
You have peace of mind that data is not accessible because it’s effectively fully disconnected from the internet
Faster performance (ive noticed generally)
You can still acccess My Cloud within your local network on connected devices
Firmware Updates won’t make hidden/unexpected changes to the way your cloud device operates
Cons:
Firmware Updates are not available
A message shows in settings page “Can’t connect to internet” mwhahahah
To do this look into your routers firewall and block ALL (TCP, UNP, HTTP etc) connection port methods for the Static IP that your WD My Cloud has been assigned.
Just so others understand what is being said here. It is the automated firmware updates that would not be available. One could still manually download the My Cloud firmware and update the My Cloud firmware manually through the My Cloud Dashboard > Settings > Firmware page.
One other note when it comes to blocking access at router firewall. The My Cloud may not be able to access the NTP time servers which may cause the My Cloud to have an incorrect time. This may affect certain aspects of the My Cloud (possibly file creation/modification dates). One may have to manually configure the time in the My Cloud Dashboard > Settings section.
Is disabling all connections using your router’s Firewall a sure way of blocking any remote access or is there still a chance someone could still hack the NAS? I’m thinking about buying a 2nd router to create a local wireless network which is not connected to the internet. I know its a more expensive option but I would rather this than a chance of still being hacked with all the news about backdoor access, admin access and poor account security (ie lack of 2FA). Any info would be really appreciated as I currently have a very expensive paper weigh that I can only access with a long Ethernet cable.
Have two mycloud mirror gen 2’s. Using one as a backup for the other. For some reason, the backup seems to be more vulnerable than the primary. Has been infected by malware twice. Not sure what the issue could be. But since I don’t use it for anything other than a local backup the idea of cutting its accessibility through the router firewall makes sense to me. The clock issue sounds potentially troublesome though - especially for backups. But I would think it could be configured to get the correct time from the router? Apple Airport Extreme.
provided plus Help? Look under Cloud Access in the Dashboard.
