Security best practices

This section contains security best practices addressed to all Parsec users, regardless of their role or technical knowledge.

Parsec will always do its best to ensure your data is secure. These best practices describe what you can do to protect your data, reducing even further the risk of data leaks or loss.

Keep in mind that risk can never be completely eliminated. Always assess the confidentiality needs of the data you need to access and take precautionary measures accordingly. If in doubt, contact the owner of the organization or a security expert.

How to prevent data loss

What is data loss?

Data loss refer to the permanent and definitive loss of data, which can no longer be recovered by no means (such as backup or administrator access).

This usually happens when only a single user has access to data and later on it loses access.

How Parsec helps me reducing the risk of data loss

In Parsec, you and only you are the owner of the keys to decrypt your data. These keys are never stored by Parsec so that, even if the server is compromised, an attacker will never be able to access your data.

This strong cryptographic security means that if you lose access to your computer, or cannot login for any reason, there is no way to recover data that only you had access to.

Parsec offer important features to make sure you reduce the risk of data loss.

How can I reduce the risk of data loss?

To avoid losing access to your data you should always considering the following actions.

Add multiple devices to access your organization. You should set up at least up two devices so that if you lose access to one device, you can still login with the other one.

Create a recovery file to access your organization. A recovery file is a special file that, together with its password, will allow you to connect to your organization even if you lose access to all your devices. You should always create a recovery file and store it securely.

Share your workspaces with other users. This simple step will ensure that even if you lose access to all your devices AND you don’t have a recovery file, there will be at least another user that can share the data back to you.

How to prevent data leaks

What are data leaks?

Data leaks refer to the unauthorized exposure or disclosure of sensitive information, often resulting from hacking, accidental sharing, or poor security practices.

They can lead to identity theft and other cybercrimes, making it crucial for individuals and organizations to protect their data effectively.

How Parsec helps me reducing the risk of data leaks

When you access your files locally, or open them with Parsec’s integrated viewer, Parsec does not actually store them in your disk. Instead, files are only maintained in the computer memory and kept always up to date with with your Parsec cloud storage.

This security guarantee means that, even in case of critical events such as a sudden computer shutdown, Parsec ensures that your files will never be persisted nor stored in your disk.

How can I reduce the risk of data leaks?

As soon you download a file from Parsec to your computer, or copy a file from a Parsec drive to a directory in your computer, Parsec can no longer secure them.

This does not necessarily mean they are at risk, but they are certainly exposed. The risk of data leak will greatly depend on multiple aspects such as your system configuration, the location where the files will be stored, your company security policy, etc.

Keep in mind that some software, like Microsoft Word or Google Drive, may automatically upload your files to the cloud without your necessarily being aware of it.

How to enable web browser storage

Parsec needs to securely store your access keys (device) on your web browser so you can login to your organizations.

This section explains how to enable storage for Parsec depending on your web browser.

Chrome

  1. Go to the settings menu (three dots in the upper right corner).

  2. Click on “Privacy and security”.

  3. Click on “Site settings”.

  4. Under “Content”, click on “Third-party cookies”.

  5. Make sure “Allow third-party cookies” is enabled or add Parsec website https://app.parsec.cloud to the list of allowed sites in “Site allowed to use third-party cookies”.

Firefox

  1. Go to the settings menu (horizontal lines in the upper right corner).

  2. Click on “Settings” then “Privacy & Security”.

  3. In the “Cookies and Site Data” section, click on “Manage Exceptions…”.

  4. Add Parsec website https://app.parsec.cloud to the list of allowed sites and then click “Allow”.

Important

Please note that even if you enabled “Delete cookies and site data when Firefox is closed”, the exception for Parsec website will remain.

Safari

  1. Go to “Safari” in the menu bar and select “Preferences”.

  2. Click on the “Privacy” tab.

  3. Ensure that “Block all cookies” is unchecked to allow sites to store data.