Carrying important information on an unencrypted USB stick is just stupid. If you lose the key, anyone who finds it has immediate access to all your data, and the consequences can range from embarrassment to potentially opening your company’s digital doors to legal headaches.
What you need is a USB flash drive that secures all the data on it. You also need a key that doesn’t require software to be installed on the machines you want to use it on. In addition to being very painful to do, it turns out that some machines will be so locked that it will be impossible for you to install third-party software on them.
There is an answer to these problems: the Kingston Ironkey Keypad 200, the USB key that James Bond would use to keep all his secrets safe.
Kingston Ironkey Keypad 200 Features
- FIPS 140-3 Level 3 Certified Military Grade Security
- Operation independent of the operating system and the device it is connected to.
- 256-bit XTS-AES encryption
- Alphanumeric PIN
- Multi-PIN option (administrator and user)
- Capacities 8 GB, 16 GB, 32 GB, 64 GB, 128 GB
- Up to 145MB/s read, 115MB/s write
- IP57 certified
- Built-in battery
- Wear-resistant integrated keyboard
- USB-A interface
In short, the Ironkey Keypad 200 is like a mini Fort Knox for your data. It is compliant with the new FIPS 140-3 Level 3 standard (with military-grade security specifications) and published by the NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology). This standard further strengthens the security capabilities of the storage unit and mandates tamper-proofing.
The memory incorporates XTS-AES 256-bit encryption, as well as protection against brute force attacks and BadUSB attacks (malware attacking the firmware of the USB key), with digitally signed firmware. The drive is also filled with a special epoxy resin that makes it virtually impossible to remove the components without damaging them, thus protecting the drive from low-level attacks.
The keyboard is coated with a polymer that protects the keys from wear and even fingerprints
Plus, the protection doesn’t stop there. The keypad can be used to configure an alphanumeric passcode that is easy to remember but hard to guess for both administrators and users.
And if you’re worried about the keyboard wearing out – and that wear out betraying the password – the keyboard is coated with a polymer that protects the keys from wear and even fingerprints.
Wear-resistant keyboard. Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET
Protection against brute force attack here means that if the passcode is entered incorrectly 10 times, the data will be irrevocably destroyed and the drive reset!
For auditing purposes, each unit has been laser engraved with a unique serial number.
Each key has a laser engraved serial number for auditing purposes. Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET
The key slips into a durable extruded aluminum shell for added protection. A rubber seal secures the case to the drive and prevents dirt and water from entering.
A rubber seal protects the reader from dirt and dust. Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET
I tested the protection against dirt and water ingress, and the outer shell is indeed very good at protecting your data.
Here is the metal wire ring that allows you to attach the USB key to a key ring. Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET
As for performance, the specs advertise read speeds of up to 145MB/s and write speeds of up to 115MB/s. Using the app, I was able to get speeds framing these nominal speeds by less than 5%.
If you’re looking for a certified high security, rugged, military-grade USB flash drive, look no further than this Kingston Ironkey Keypad 200. €300.
Source: “ZDNet.com”