Kingston IronKey D300 USB Flash Drive has FIPS 140-2 Level 3 256-bit AES-XTS hardware encryption
Flash drives are less popular nowadays thanks to cloud storage. While the cloud offers convenience, there is extra control and security when local storage is used. Remember folks, when you leverage the cloud, you open yourself up to deficiencies of a third-party company -- a mass data breach could expose your secret files. For a business in particular, this could mean the loss of important information, or the leak of confidential information. Your company's reputation could be tarnished as a result.
If you are more comfortable using USB flash drives for storing and transmitting data, encryption is a must -- hardware being the best. Today, Kingston unveils the IronKey D300 USB Flash Drive. To secure your data, it uses FIPS 140-2 Level 3, 256-bit AES-XTS hardware encryption. There is also a "managed" version of the drive which allows companies to impose its requirements on employee-used drives.
"IronKey D300 is FIPS 140-2 Level 3 certified, with 256-bit AES hardware encryption in XTS mode. The drive’s exterior is made with a zinc casing and waterproof to 4 feet while the interior components are encased in a tamper-evident epoxy seal for physical security. IronKey D300 employs digitally signed firmware, making it immune to the BadUSB malware, and it enforces complex password protocol with minimum characteristics to prevent unauthorized access. Encryption and decryption is done on the drive with no trace left on the host system and the drive locks down and reformats after 10 invalid attempts, to protect against brute force attacks", says Kingston.
The company further says, "IronKey D300 managed requires IronKey EMS by DataLocker which allows central management of drive access and usage across thousands of drives. IronKey EMS is a flexible management solution as it can be either cloud-based or on premises. It enforces drive-specific policies such as password strength and retry limits, and lets administrators remotely disable lost or stolen drives, recover lost passwords and more. Kingston and DataLocker have been close partners working together on managed encrypted solutions".
Kingston shares the following specifications.
Interface: USB 3.0
Capacities and Speed: 4GB, 8GB, 16GB, 32GB, 64GB and 128GB
- 4GB: 80MB/s read, 12MB/s write
- 8GB: 165MB/s read, 22MB/s write
- 16GB: 165MB/s read, 22MB/s write
- 32GB: 250MB/s read, 40MB/s write
- 64GB: 250MB/s read, 85MB/s write
- 128GB: 250MB/s read, 85MB/s write
Dimensions: 3.06" x 0.9" x 0.47" (77.9 mm x 22.2 mm x 12.05 mm)
Waterproof / Dustproof: Up to 4 ft.; conforms to IEC 60529 IPX8. Product must be clean and dry before use.
Operating Temperature: 32°F to 140°F (0°C to 60°C)
Storage Temperature: -4°F to 185°F (-20°C to 85°C)
Standard Drive Compatibility: Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows 8, Windows 7 (SP1), Windows Vista (SP2), Mac OS X v.10.9.x – 10.11.x, Linux v.2.6x+
Managed Drive Compatibility: Compatible with: Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows 8, Windows 7 (SP1), Windows Vista (SP2), Mac OS X v.10.9.x – 10.11.x
If you want to buy the drive, it is available immediately here. Pricing starts at $65 for the 4GB variant, and goes up from there. The highest capacity 128GB model is $338.