AN ANALYSIS OF CLOUD STORAGE SECURITY: BENEFITS AND RISKS FOR EVERYDAY USERS

This study conducts a comprehensive literature review of sources from 2019 to 2025 to examine the benefits and security risks of cloud storage for everyday users, who often lack technical expertise. Drawing from academic journals, industry reports, and analyses of major breaches like the 2019 Capital One incident, the analysis reveals two key insights: first, over 70% of cloud breaches stem from misconfigurations, disproportionately affecting non-technical users reliant on default settings; second, user awareness of privacy policies remains low, with surveys indicating that more than 50% of individuals do not comprehend policy contents, exacerbating data misuse risks. The paper's original contributions include a user-centric categorization of risks into technical, behavioral, and regulatory domains, alongside tailored recommendations such as prioritizing providers offering end-to-end encryption (E2EE) and zero-knowledge architecture. These findings underscore the need for intuitive security tools and education to empower everyday users, bridging a gap in literature focused primarily on enterprise contexts.