Security Overview
We provide this overview so that you can better understand the security measures we've put in place to protect the information that you store using Dropbox.
Secure Storage
We encrypt the files that you store on Dropbox using the AES-256 standard, which is the same encryption standard used by banks to secure customer data. Encryption for storage is applied after files are uploaded, and we manage the encryption keys.
Dropbox uses Amazon S3 for data storage. Amazon stores data over several large-scale data centers. According to Amazon, they use military grade perimeter control berms, video surveillance, and professional security staff to keep their data centers physically secure.
You can find more information about Amazon's security at the Amazon Web Services' website.
Amazon and Dropbox also employ significant protection against network security issues such as Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks, Man in the Middle (MITM) attacks, and packet sniffing.
Secure Transfers
Your files are sent between Dropbox's desktop clients and our servers over a secure channel using 256-bit SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) encryption, the standard for secure Internet network connections.
Your files are sent between Dropbox's mobile apps and our servers over a secure channel using 256-bit SSL encryption where supported. Not all mobile media players support encrypted streaming, so media files streamed from our servers are not always encrypted.