If you use Google Drive in your daily life, you probably store a lot of files. Some of them could become a problem in the medium or long term. They may affect your privacy or security. We are going to talk to you about which are the main ones, so that you can control them better or even eliminate them. If they end up in the wrong hands, that is when you could have major problems and it is advisable to avoid them.
Although we focus on Drive, as it is the most popular platform today, the same could happen in others such as OneDrive or Dropbox. Therefore, it is advisable to review everything you store in the cloud and thus avoid problems that affect your privacy on the network or even that of third parties.
Drive files that may be problematic
The risk of having files hosted in the cloud is that they could end up in the wrong hands. This can happen for different reasons and one of them is that your account is stolen. You could also leave it open on someone else’s computer, if there is a data leak, a problem with the platform itself, etc.
Confidential information
The first thing that can happen is that you have confidential information saved in Drive. Maybe you uploaded personal documents at some point, such as a copy of your ID, a bank card or any report that contains sensitive data and that could be a problem if it ends up in the wrong hands.
Although on paper it is a secure platform, as we have explained, there may be problems that put all the files stored on it at risk. You could make a mistake, someone could attack that service, etc.
Documents shared with third parties
Another problem is the possible documents that you upload and share with third parties. Especially be careful with anything that may contain personal data and sensitive information. Again, if that were exposed it could compromise your security and attackers would have an easier time tricking you.
What can happen? Maybe the other person with whom you share that data makes a mistake at some point. An intruder may be able to enter your account, accidentally publish a document that you have previously shared, etc.
Text files with passwords
It is a serious mistake, but the truth is that many users do this. They have a text document with passwords to enter accounts of all kinds so they don’t have to memorize them. Basically, use Google Drive storage as a password manager. It is comfortable, but it is not the best solution.
What can happen is that this document is exposed. Someone could log into your account and see all your other passwords. This can happen if, for example, you leave the session open on a computer. There could even be a leak without you having made any personal mistake.
Third Party Information
You should also not save documents that contain third-party information. They can be from co-workers, data from an organization, friends or family, etc. Even if you think those files are safe, as in all previous cases there could always be some problem that causes them to be exposed.
It is best to limit any third-party information you have stored in the cloud. Careful with this. It will help you avoid problems on a personal level, but also that may affect others.
In short, these are some types of files that you should avoid in Google Drive. Always check very carefully what you have stored and do not make the mistake of leaving documents that could end up exposed and affect you. It is also important to avoid Spam Drive file shares.
