I have just installed a My Cloud Mirror 4 TB. Have to say the instructions in the manual were not complete for the full installation. Managed to get the missing bits from watching a WD video on youtube.
My concern is on data security breach via tablet apps access (apps installations require access to photos, phone data, etc).
My simplitic view of the setup (please correct me where I am wrong here) is as below.
Like to know whether it is possible for apps to get to My Cloud as I have granted permission for access to the tablet photos, phone data etc.
Thanks.
plumberwd wrote:
Like to know whether it is possible for apps to get to My Cloud as I have granted permission for access to the tablet photos, phone data etc.
Of course it’s possible. That’s what the whole thing is for. You grant access to tablets, phones so that they can get access to the files.
Where’s this breach you’re concerned with?
Thanks for your reply.
Sorry that I was not clear on my question.
What I meant was, since I have granted permission for apps to have access to the files on my tablet, can the apps then gain access to My Cloud via the setup I have shown in the drawing?
Thanks.
since I have granted permission for apps to have access to the files on my tablet, can the apps then gain access to My Cloud via the setup I have shown in the drawing?
Of course the apps can gain access to your Mirror NAS - isn’t that the point of having those apps in the first place? 
Thanks.
Scary indeed if apps can get to My Cloud without my knowledge.
Maybe I failed again on the clarity of my question. Best to clarify with an example.
I installed a dictionary on my tablet. I have given it access to my tablet’s photos, phone infor, etc. as part of the apps installation.
Question - can this dictionary apps now get to My Cloud though I have given it access to only my tablet?
The access code for tablet-My Cloud is now valid for all apps on my tablet? Scary if that is the case.
Thanks.
Of course not. When you used the word apps, I thought you were asking about WD apps.How can or why would the access code be valid for all apps?? It only applies to WD apps.
@plumbewd - so are you equally worried that any app on your tablet can access the internet because you also have a web browser installed on it?
The WD app has the access, but it doesn’t grant it to any other app - it’s essentially a remote browser/file manager (ish), not a VPN portal or gateway.
Thanks.
That is what I am hoping to verify (no apps can get to My Cloud except the apps with the access code).
Cheerio.
Darren,
Hope that you can help me again.
I was trying to read an epub book on My Cloud using my Samsung Tab4 with epub reader. It was not successful. Will find out why later.
One question related to my security question came to mind.
epub reader is on my tablet while the epub book is on My Cloud.
This epub reader will have to access to My Cloud to read the book, right?
Or is it Android OS or My Cloud mobile reading the book on My Cloud and then passes it on to the epub reader?
Thanks.
The latter case.
At least on Android, if you open a file (e.g. an MP4 video) then the WD app passes (or streams) it on to the relevant player on your tablet (initially it will ask you to confirm which app to use if there are multiples, although you can set a default app for it).
Whether the app can pass data/changes back to the MCM will depend on what priviledges you have given the remote user who is making the connection via the app (ie what shares it can see, and whether they are read-only or read/write).
So in the case of your ePub it should pass the file onto your local reader. That isn’t a case I’ve ever specifically tried, but I can confirm it works that way with .mp3/.mp4 files and MS Office documents.
Whether you class that as a security risk or not is at your discretion. But everything is under the control of the WD app in terms of files served to the apps on the local device, those local apps cannot request files or make accesses themselves directly to the MCM.
I just remotely stuck an .epub file on my MCM and tried it.
I can download it and then open the local copy fine. If I try and open the remote copy I don’t get asked for an app to open it with and judging by the icon that it appears with in the WD app display it gets sent to “Upload to Play Books” (at least on my Nexus 7).
From a quick look in my Play Books I can’t see the one I accessed/downloaded, so something is weird there. So at least for the moment it looks like the easiest way is to use the WD app to download the .epub file and then open it locally. As they aren’t the largest of files in the world it’s workable probably, but it is perhaps something that may be worth reporting?
