Many online applications, like insurance sites and healthcare portals, as well as messaging apps, depend on secure uploading and downloading of business-related files. Leaving file uploads unrestricted is an ideal attack point for malicious actors who can easily introduce malware and steal private data.
A reliable system for uploading files should verify that uploaded files comply with a list of acceptable file types, and scan them for viruses prior storage. This ensures that the personal data of the users is not exposed and adheres with compliance standards such as HIPAA (for health-related information) and GDPR (for EU citizens).
It is vital to be able verify file types, as attackers are able to “mask” malicious programs by renaming the files to acceptable extensions like.jpg or.gif. This means that your solution might not be able to identify the actual file type, and could allow it to pass unnoticed. You require a file upload system that also verifies the extension of the file to prevent this.
Another way to protect against a variety of threats is to apply a strong encryption to all information during both in flight and at rest. This turns files and messages into unreadable codes that hackers cannot access even in the event that they gain access to.
Additionally you can also create a file upload system which will reject files that do not conform to your namestamp conventions. This will help organize your team and stop confidential information from being revealed in the file names.