USB password encryption has become a major security issue as the use of flash drives has increased among state, corporate and military personnel. Selecting the right device and USB encryption can help prevent a whole host of problems later on down the road if the device is lost or stolen. Selecting the wrong device without USB encryption can open an operating system to many levels of attacks and ultimately compromise valuable and confidential data. Issues such as password access, performance, encryption, attacks and usability are issues to consider in making an educated choice.

USB Encryption: Selecting Hardware or Software Encryption

Categorizing USB encryption they can be organized in two groups; hardware or software encryption. Some issues to consider when using flash drives and USB encryption are access and control. Data should only be decrypted after users have been authenticated as authorized users. The first line of defense for securing data is a strong authenticating process. This can be accomplished with a complex password which will prevent access to decryption. USB encryption is the next issue to consider; encryption is only as strong as the algorithm's ability to produce random keys. The 256-bit AES algorithm is the best encryption available today for either hardware or software encryption applications.

USB encryption that is hardware based is emerging as the more secure method for access and control when using flash drives. When attempting to prevent the most common attacks from being effective USB encryption that are hardware based is proving to be most effective. One of the reasons that hardware based USB encryption is effective is the keys never leave the flash drive. Software based encryption keys are often temporary stored in RAM and this makes them vulnerable to attack. Hardware based encryption will also block the copying of encrypted data to an outside host computer which is common when attempting to secure encryption keys.

SanDisk USB Encryption: A Quick Overview

USB encryption with a hardware based encryption is proving to be the most secure for flash drives and one company that is producing secure flash drives is SanDisk Enterprise. Flash drives produced by SanDisk use USB encryption with 256-bit AES algorithm encryption with strong authenticating passwords. If the flash drive is stolen drives are locked down after a number of failed passwords attempts. The fact that flash drives are independent of their operating systems and encryption keys are never stored in the operating system, RAM or otherwise the possibility of a successful attack and compromising of USB encryption keys is eliminated.

Flash drives utilizing USB encryption must also have a high degree of usability to remain an effective tool for those depending on them. Corporate, government or military personnel using the flash drives will want a unit that is both secure and functional. SanDisk Enterprise produces a secure flash drive with ultra-fast transfer rates of 24MB for reading and 20MB for writing. Mandatory access and control of all transferred files is implemented by partitioning files with USB encryption for added security. Through a central management and control software program, flash drives with USB encryption can be managed, data backed up or instantly terminated from a central server if the unit is lost or stolen.