How secure is Google Drive for holding bank information?

JustAnotherSaver

I was supposed to do this last year and as there's so many accounts i just kept putting it off but finally i'm getting round to it.

That is detailing all the accounts including bank or building society names, account types, sort codes, account numbers, direct debit info, standing order info, details on what the account is for (example - certain accounts exist purely for interest rates, rewards etc), details on cycling the money to meet criteria and insurance details such as life insurance policy number.

Obviously all this is for in the event that something happens to be like i get hit by a bus tomorrow, my wife who just let's me deal with all the accounts right now will at least have some idea of what is what and many questions should be answered.

But then i thought - is it a good idea to hold all this information in Google Drive? How secure is it?

Sort code & account numbers are things that can easily be seen on any cheque flapping about in the street so my first thought is it's fine to be held in there

but before i put a lot of work in i figured i'd just come here & ask.

[Deleted User]

As secure as you make it.

Turn on 2FA on your Google Account, have the details stored in separate password protected files, don't make them obvious titles etc etc

PlumbingTheDepths

I would personally advise against it. Google, and any other cloud backup service, are not immune to being hacked. The data is encrypted, but Google hold the "keys" that encrypt and decrypt the data (some other backup services don't hold the keys), so those keys could also be compromised.

That said, it is useful to have an offsite (i.e. away from your home) backup of this data. In terms of pure security, the alternatives are (from most secure to least)

1) An encrypted backup stored at another physical location (e.g. encrypted USB stick stored at a relative's house)

2) An encrypted online backup where only you have the keys (e.g. Crashplan)

3) An encrypted online backup where the provider has the keys (e.g. Google Drive)

If you do use Google, I would suggest encrypting the files yourself, before back them up, using something like AxCrypt or, if you don't mind getting a bit more technical, VeraCrypt.

warehouse

I have all my information, (such as that mentioned above), in a note file on my phone. The phone isn't going to get broken into if I lose it and my wife knows the login details in case anything happens to me.

EachPenny

I would just put it on a USB memory stick (or two), in an envelope, clearly marked as to what it contains.

People will argue either way on the security of things like google drive - but why take any kind of risk when simpler methods exist?

My approach is to think whether the document is something I'd be willing to ask someone living a few doors down the road to look after on my behalf. The answer to that is usually 'no'.

PlumbingTheDepths

EachPenny wrote: »

I would just put it on a USB memory stick (or two), in an envelope, clearly marked as to what it contains.

The only thing I would add is that you always need to consider whether the USB could have failed when you need to access it. Unlikely but possible.

That is another very good reason for having two (as you say).

One benefit of having an online backup is that it is routinely checked to make sure it is "healthy".

18cc

You could put the details in a Word or Excel document and password-protect it

Lokolo

I keep all the information on my google drive.

- Anyone with access to my home PC can access it (if I died suddenly its there)
- It doesn't contain passwords only basic stuff, so any information could also be found from my debit cards/cheque books/statements etc. anyway
- I can keep it updated quickly and easily
- I can access it anywhere I wanted (phone, someone elses laptop) by just logging into my google account

My parents nor my partner know every single account I have, especially when it comes to investment and pension side, so it's there in case the worst happens.

JustAnotherSaver

My situation is pretty much like Lokolo there.

If it matters then i'm not talking about including usernames/passwords, just sort codes, account numbers, policy numbers.

I tried to keep the OP simple but to detail it a bit more (since it was mentioned keeping a physical copy elsewhere), i also help with other family members - mother, brother, sister, as some of you who've helped me here & there may already know. As such it's not just my details in the file but also theirs. Again, before it's mentioned - they have also requested this.

The idea before making this thread was to give each of them a link to the folder/file so that they can view it (but not edit).

I see the point for having it stored on a USB stick but one reason i didn't do that was for a reason already given - in case it failed. So you'd need 2 copies and i thought a version in the cloud storage would be very easy for all to access.

Another concern i had was the program used. I'm currently using the spreadsheet from within Google Drive. I could've used Microsoft Excel 2010 as that's the version i have installed on my PC.
HOWEVER....hopefully it's going to be quite some time before i do die. Even if it isn't then whatever machine they use to access this would have to be able to open a MS Office Excel 2010 file. My PC is password protected.
This is why i opted for the Google Drive version of a spreadsheet.


I'm open to ideas & suggestions. Hopefully nobody takes what i say as trying to put down these suggestions as at the very worst i'll only be mentioning my concerns about them & looking for further feedback that's all.

AndyPix

Google is incredibly secure
Or as secure as any online presence gets anyway ..
As mentioned above, turn on 2FA for the added protection to mitigate against someone shoulder surfing your password etc

18cc wrote: »

You could put the details in a Word or Excel document and password-protect it

This is the worst idea ever - I can crack those in seconds as im sure can many others

JustAnotherSaver

AndyPix wrote: »

This is the worst idea ever - I can crack those in seconds as im sure can many others

Really?

Even if your password was fiq4yhioiyht7eu (i just mashed my keyboard a couple times there so totally random)

Pretty weak from Microsoft.