Do you need to encrypt your NAS?

NAS or Network-Attached Storage devices have always been popular with users who want to access all their data through their home network. There are many reasons to own a NAS, such as having a media server, replacing your dependence on Google Photos, or setting up a home surveillance system.




If you've recently purchased your own NAS device, you may want to look into encryption. Encrypting your NAS drives can add another layer of security to your data and prevent prying eyes from accessing it or making it public. Before you start looking into encryption solutions, however, there are a few things you should consider before deciding if it's important to you.

You should encrypt your NAS if you store confidential data

Your credit card information is more important than your Plex library


Encryption is a way to make your data inaccessible to unauthorized parties. By using various cryptographic methods, you can turn your data into unreadable gibberish. If someone needs to decrypt that data, they must use the decryption key, which ideally is not at hand.

Whether you should even think about encryption depends on What You store on your NAS drives. If you run a NAS at home, you most likely store tons of movies and TV shows, backups that are important but otherwise not confidential, and in some cases, important financial information or health data. This last area of ​​data requires data encryption to avoid unpleasant situations where your confidential data is misused, made public, or used for blackmail.

Encrypting your NAS, either with your NAS manufacturer's standard software or with other third-party tools, comes in handy if someone gains access to your NAS drives or physically steals them.


Even if you only have several years' worth of personal photos and videos stored on your NAS, you probably don't want anyone to access them, especially if the data is compromising. Encrypting your NAS, either with your NAS manufacturer's standard software or with other third-party tools, comes in handy if someone gains access to your NAS drives or physically steals them.

If you encrypt your NAS volumes or specific folders, you'll have to enter your private key every time you boot up your NAS. Alternatively, you can automate the process using various methods so that you don't have to manually enter the decryption key every time. However, this makes encrypting your files pointless in the first place, especially if you think there's a high chance someone will break into your house and steal your fancy NAS.


NAS encryption is not always foolproof

Not all encryption methods are the same

Terramaster F2-423 hard drive in frame

While encryption may make you feel good, it is not necessarily a 100% secure way to protect your data. Many encryption solutions offer the option to store the decryption key on the encrypted drive itself, which is significantly less secure than storing it on a separate drive, server, or in the cloud. An uninformed user could select this option during the encryption process, making their NAS less secure than intended.

If you store your private key somewhere outside the encrypted drive, you need to make sure it is available to you but difficult for others to find.


Image of a Yubikey on a table.

Source: Unsplash

Another problem with encryption is the possibility of losing your private key and with it all your data. If you store your private key somewhere outside of the encrypted drive, you need to make sure it is available to you but difficult for others to find. If you accidentally lose it, it is virtually impossible to recover your data.


This is not to scare anyone away. You shouldn't forego encryption altogether if it makes sense for your purposes. However, if you don't need encryption, you should focus more on protecting your NAS with a strong administrator password and/or making it physically difficult for intruders to access it. Except for businesses and government organizations that handle vast amounts of sensitive PHI, PII, and financial data, NAS encryption is not a requirement for the average user, unless of course you're storing highly sensitive information on it.

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