Toshiba offers USB flash drive with enhanced data protection

USB flash drives are a convenient way of having all your files with you at all times but they have numerous drawbacks with one of them being lack of protection. Once you write files onto a USB flash drive any other person can read them on any PC. This is clearly a problem for people who work with sensitive information yet they prefer to use USB flash drives.

To counter this problem Toshiba has introduced a new flash drive that comes with a clever way of offering extra data protection. The new device is called Toshiba Encrypted USB Flash Drive and its main feature is that it comes with a built-in mini keyboard that authenticates access. The keyboard is powered by an internal battery and users must enter a password before they can get to the files stored on this USB flash drive. Smart, isn’t it?

“There is a heightened sense of awareness that confidential content is at risk,” said Maciek Brzeski, Vice President of Branded Storage Products, Toshiba Digital Products Division. “Toshiba developed the Encrypted USB Flash Drive as a new way to provide portable data security with one of the highest encryption standards available on the market.”

Here’s a more detailed description of the way in which the device works – before usage users must enter the password that unlocks the content on the drive and then they can plug the flash drive in a USB 2.0 port. Strangely enough the new Toshiba gizmo seems to not support USB 3.0 but we attribute this fact to the increased level of security and the encryption that takes place. Yes, there is such a thing – once you unplug the flash drive from the USB port, the drive automatically encrypts the information inside and locks itself.

Thieves will be out of luck if they try to steal the device – apart from the password needed the Toshiba Encrypted USB Flash Drive also comes with a Brute Force Hack Defense Mechanism that will destroy the information on the drive should 10 consecutive unsuccessful attempts to access the information take place. Furthermore the Toshiba Encrypted USB Flash Drive also carries a FIPS (Federal Information Processing Standards) Publication 140-2 Level 3 certification, issued by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), a certification often required by government agencies and other data security sensitive industries, such as healthcare and finance. The Toshiba Encrypted USB Flash Drive incorporates DataLock Technology by ClevX, LLC.

Available now, the new flash drive offers capacities of 4 GB, 8 GB, 16 GB and 32 GB. The 4 GB model costs USD 95, while the more spacious 8 GB, 16 GB and 32 GB versions sell for USD 112, USD 140 and USD 200, respectively. All models come with a standard 3-year warranty.

Source: Toshiba