iCloud data on Google servers | Problem for Apple users?

iCloud data on Google servers

Apple has made amendments to its living iOS Security Guide document to confirm that it now uses Google servers to store user’s iCloud data. Let’s read about why is iCloud data on Google servers?

Under the iCloud heading in the document, Apple now references Google Cloud Platform alongside Amazon S3 as one of its utilized third-party storage services.

Previous versions of the iOS Security Guide had confirmed that Apple used Amazon S3 and Microsoft’s Azure platform to securely hold iCloud data. It was suggested as far back as 2016 that Apple would make some changes to how that data is stored and that it would likely use Google’s mature and efficient Cloud Platform as part of those changes.

Apple failed to state the type of iCloud data stored on Google’s Servers. A little bit of this information has been revealed in the new document and it tells us a little about how data is encrypted. All it states is, iCloud is capable enough of storing user’s contacts, documents, photos, calendars, and a lot more. The best thing about it is that it keeps the information updated throughout the device.

Not only this, but iCloud can also be used by third-party apps to store and sync the data. To set up the iCloud, the users need to sign in with Apple ID, and then they need to choose services they wish to avail themselves. iCloud is featured with various benefits like iCloud Drive, iCloud backup, My Photo Stream, etc.

A Problem for Apple users?

Now comes the encryption of the data, where each file is broken into chunks and encrypted by iCloud with the help of AES 128 and also a there is a chunk’s content which is involved in the utilization of SHA – 256 from this a key is derived.

All these keys and the metadata of the files are then stored in the user’s iCloud account by Apple. The encrypted chunks of the file that lack in having any sort of user identifying information are stored with the aid of third-party storage services like Google Cloud Platform or S3. S3 here states the Amazon Web Services (AWS). In previous documents, S3 was stated as Azure Cloud computing services, but Azure has got no reference in the current document.

Final Conclusion

Apple has also stated that the use of third-party cloud infrastructure is just a temporary situation, as Apple has been constantly working hard to increase the number of data centers all across the globe. Apple has recently opened a new data center in China which is handled and operated by their local partner. This center in China has started working on the process of shifting entire iCloud data to servers located within the country. This is being practiced for all the customers based in China.

We hope you enjoyed this post. Your data is precious and priceless. To know more about how your data is handled by the tech giants please do visit our tech insights blog.