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Many online applications, like content management systems, insurance sites as well as healthcare portals and messaging apps, depend on secure uploading and downloading of business-related files. Making uploads open to all is a prime attack vector for malicious actors who are able to easily insert malware and steal private data.
A reliable file upload system will check uploaded files against a list of allowed types of files and then test them for viruses before they are stored. This ensures that personal data of the users is not exposed, and is compliant with standards such as HIPAA (for health-related data) and GDPR (for EU citizens).
It is essential to be able to identify the file types, as attackers are able «mask» malicious applications by renaming files to acceptable extensions like.jpg or.gif. This means that your solution may not be able to detect the exact file type and would allow it to go without being noticed. To prevent this, you need a file upload system that validates the extension as well.
Another way to defend yourself against a range of attacks is to apply strong encryption to all data during travel and at rest. This turns messages and files into codes that hackers cannot access, even when they gain access to.
You can also create an uploading process that will reject any files that don’t match your naming conventions. This helps you organize your team and also prevents you from exposing confidential information in the file names.