I’ve been using WD external USB hard drives for years for backing up data. I’ve always used them with TrueCrypt - creating encrypted partitions - so that if a drive is lost or stolen, my personal data is still reasonably safe.
A few months ago, I got a WD My Cloud device to use as a media server for a home audio system as well as as a data backup device which additionally allows me to access personal files over the internet from work or elsewhere.
I didn’t give much thought to the security of the data on the internal hard drive until now. I don’t necessarily need to have everything on the My Cloud device encrypted - I presume encryption would interfere at least with the media serving capability - but I’m just wondering if there’s any solution, similar to my previous use of TrueCrypt, that would make my data reasonably inaccessible in the event that the My Cloud device was stolen?
It there’s no simple solution, I might start using TrueCrypt or VeraCrypt file containers on the device, but it’s a bit annoying because it would mean I could no longer access the files simply over the internet without first downloading the encrypted file container (and then having to re-upload it in the case that I’ve modified any of the files).
Officially the single bay My Cloud units do not support encryption of the entire hard drive through the My Cloud Dashboard. If you haven’t done so already, use the forum search feature (magnifying glass icon upper right) and perform a search. The subject of encryption on the My Cloud has been discussed in several prior discussions.
Note that generally any encryption will interfere with the My Cloud (Twonky) DLNA media server since the media server will be unable to access any encrypted media.
Currently the My Cloud support setting a Share to Private and assigning per user permission level access to the Share contents.
Thanks for the reply. You mention that “single bay My Cloud units do not support encryption”. Is that to say that dual-bay units do support encryption? If so, maybe I will sell my device and buy a dual-bay unit. Could you elaborate a little, or give me a pointer where to find more explanation?
Thanks
Some of the Multi Bay My Cloud models do support volume encryption. See the following WD Knowledgebase article that explains the differences between My Cloud models.
See the link I posted in my previous post if you haven’t already to see past discussion on encryption with the single bay My Cloud units. There may be further suggestions beyond just encrypting individual files (or folders) in those discussions.
Yes, thanks for the earlier link. I read through several previous discussions. Solutions tend towards using ssh and “hacking” the device to an extent, and I’m really looking for something a bit more straightforward than that.
