I barely finished the article about the first USB devices with an build in Iris scanner when the next developer announced a system to secure data on USB devices called Flash Padlock. It is basically a a USB stick with one or two Gigabytes of space that is protected by a pin that has to be entered on the device itself to be able to access the data on the stick.
The user may choose a pin with up to ten digits which is then used to unlock the data on the device and make it accessible for devices that are connected to it. Flash Padlock, developed by Corsair Memory, automatically locks itself when removed from the device it is currently connected to.
The main advantages of Flash Padlock are:
- Platform independent solution
- Hardware based, no installation needed
- Easy to understand
The limitation to a maximum of ten digits for the pin makes it vulnerable to brute force attacks making it easy to calculate the time needed to try all possible combinations because all chars that can be entered and the limitation is known.
A software based solution such as True Crypt is offering more chars that can be used to decrypt data plus it supports longer keys. Ever calculated how long it takes to break a key that uses all possible chars and has a length of 40+ of them ?
The advantage is clearly that Flash Padlock does not need software and that it is easier to understand than a software based solution. Users only need to remember their Pin and have a solid protection of their data. This will definitely not be used areas where security is more important than accessibility but it should be enough for most users.
Flash Padlock comes in two models offering one and two gigabytes respectively and a price of around $40 for the two Gigabyte stick.
product description: Corsair
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Now I have to purchase another flash drive. Rather stick with the software option for my existing “trusted” flash