Can a Google Drive link be Dangerous? All you need to know

Google Drive and Google’s software ecosystem have revolutionized the remote working culture during the Covid-19 pandemic and collaborating on projects is simplified beyond our imagination. Millions of files and links are shared through Google Drive. And other Google platforms and the questions about the safety of these shared links still looms in the internet world.

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Can a Google Drive link be dangerous?

If you have been wondering about “Can a Google Drive link be dangerous“. The answer is yes.

According to the latest reports, hackers are using Google Drive and Google Docs platforms to deceive users into clicking a shared link to a fraudulent credential-stealing site.

Also, targeted phishing attacks using Google Drive links have left many users vulnerable to potential online threats.

In this article, we will discuss the safety features of Google Drive and how to keep your Google Drive account safe from dangerous links and cyber-attacks.

Cybersecurity is always the prime priority for Google in all its platforms including Google Drive. And they have taken all the possible measures to keep Google Drive a safe place for file sharing.

All the files uploaded to Google Drive are kept in Google’s high-security data centers. Moreover, they are continuously monitored for possible threats.

The increased use of Google Drive and other G-suite tools during the pandemic opened the perfect opportunity for hackers to wreak havoc and steal data using the loopholes in the security settings.

Taking precautions while using Google Drive and other Google tools will keep your system safe from these threats. Guarding your Google account against unauthorized access is also important for the safety of files stored in your Google Drive.

Read How to Sign Out of Google Drive on iPhone

Is it safe to open and download a public Google Drive link?

Google runs virus scans for executables and VBS files on all uploads to Google’s software ecosystem but that doesn’t mean you can trust everything blindly.

There were incidents of targeted phishing attacks using Google Drive to cloak the emails and dangerous links.

Open and download links shared only by people you trust and if you have any doubts scan the link using your antivirus software and make sure it is safe.

Shared links are a great tool but always remember anyone with the link will be able to access the file, anywhere on the internet. It is always safe to proceed with caution while dealing with public Google Drive links.

Read How to Open Unsupported Files on Google Drive

Is it safe to share a Google Drive link with someone else?

Google Drive allows you to share any file uploaded to your account using a link. Moreover, the file can be accessed by the person who has the link. It’s up to you to decide what kind of access you need to share.

And always remember the file can be shared further forward. You can always control whether people can edit, comment on, or only view the file using the access settings while sharing the file or folder.

It is not safe to share Google Drive links of sensitive files with strangers. Also, always use the access settings while you share files with your colleagues or friends. When you share a link, the user will only have access to that specific file in your drive.

Read Google Drive Personal vs Business

Is your privacy at risk when you share a Google Drive link?

Most of us ignore privacy concerns while dealing with Google Drive links. You can easily preserve the privacy of your data by taking care of a few settings before sharing a Google Drive link.

While sharing the Google Drive link of any file, you can change the permission settings to Restricted or Anyone with the link options. Let’s check the steps you need to follow to access this privacy setting.

Right-click on the file you need to share and select the Share option.
Share with people and groups window will be opened. Now, you need to select the Change option on the bottom of the window to change the privacy settings.
You have 2 options on this window.

Restricted: Only people added can open with the link and you can add people using their email id. Use this option when the data shared is sensitive and you need complete privacy.

Anyone with the link: When you select this option, you are allowing unrestricted access to anyone who has the link. Only use this option when you are not concerned about the privacy of the shared data.

Read How to Save Multiple Photos from Google Drive to iPhone

Is my data safe at Google Drive?

Google is offering 15GB of free cloud storage space to approximately 2 billion active users and what do you think they gain by doing so? The Google terms of service clearly state that Google has all the rights to the data uploaded to Google Drive.

By agreeing to the terms and conditions, you are allowing Google to reproduce, adapt, modify, translate, publish, publicly perform, publicly display and distribute any content uploaded to the Google Drive account.

Google is excellent at mining and monitoring your data. Also, it will eventually help advertisers to influence your online buying behavior.

The risk of Google spying and monetizing our data is often ignored when compared with the benefits of Google cloud storage. In fact, trust plays a big role when it comes to choosing our cloud storage partner.

Google assures the data at rest in Google Drive is encrypted by 128-bit or 256-bit AES keys and the data in transit to and from the drive is protected by Transport Layer Security (TLS).

Bottomline

Google Drive is an excellent tool to store and share your data online. But it also comes with some security and privacy concerns. Google Drive links can be a dangerous threat to your system and one wrong move can make your whole Google Account vulnerable to hackers.

Always take the necessary steps to ensure safety while sharing Google Drive links. Furthermore, never forget to keep your shared files in a separate folder to monitor them more effectively.

If you are still worried about the privacy of your data, encrypt your data before sharing. as well as can a Google Drive link be dangerous. You can use third-party encryption tools to add extra security to files shared through a Google Drive link.

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