SecureData grabbed our consideration again in 2018 when it launched the SecureDrive BT, with its unique mannequin for dealing with encrypted storage by way of Bluetooth know-how.
Three years later, its designers have integrated the identical know-how inside a USB flash drive type issue to launch the SecureUSB BT.
Is that this only a more handy package deal with smaller capacities, or has the SecureUSB BT acquired more to supply?
Value and availability
The SecureData SecureUSB BT is available in 5 sizes, 8GB, 16GB, 32GB, 64GB and 128GB.
Direct from SecureData, these value £72.60, £79.93, £101.93, £131.27, and £160.60 respectively.
Because the drives get larger, their value will increase aren’t constant, although the price per GB is rather more acceptable for the bigger drives.
Design and options
The essential design of USB keys hasn’t considerably modified from once they first appeared within the Nineties, and SecureData hasn’t damaged any new floor with the SecureUSB BT.
It’s an oblong key that comes with a protecting metallic cowl that stops mud and liquid from attending to the uncovered USB blade and inner electronics.
On the reverse finish to the blade is a gap to connect the drive to a lanyard, or included within the field is a wrist strap.
Together with the strap are two high-quality USB adapters that permit the SecureUSB BT to be linked to a cell phone, both Micro-B or USB-C.
What’s mildly annoying is that the sleeve doesn’t connect with the drive as soon as it's eliminated, encouraging it to be misplaced, and the USB adapters don't have any pure dwelling aside from the product field. A pouch to retailer these items may need been a very good possibility.
That stated, you solely want the USB adapters as soon as if you pair the SecureUSB BT to the cellphone, so they may in all probability return to the field when you don’t misplace that.
This answer works intrinsically the identical because the SecureDrive BT earlier than it, the place the drives are paired with a cellular system that's then used to unlock it.
As methodologies go, that is a chic one, because it allows the storage to be unlocked on any laptop with out the necessity to set up a decryption utility on that machine. With out the necessity for native software program or drivers, the SecureUSB BT is OS-agnostic, so long as that working system can perceive the file system that the SecureUSB BT is formatted with.
In use
As soon as the SecureData Consumer software is put in on the cellphone or pill, the SecureUSB BT could be linked to be paired with that system.
There's a default password that you could change on first use, and you'll then set the drive to unlocked by that password, or biometrically if the cellular system helps that, and even by way of two-factor authentication.
In brief, exactly how safe you want to make the drive is as much as you.
However, it's value noting that with out the password or biometric unlocking the contents of the drive are encrypted forevermore. There isn't any backdoor strategy to unlock it for many who overlook, and repeated makes an attempt with the incorrect password or another brute power methodology will outcome within the erasure of all of the contents.
As a individually charged service from SecureData, it's doable to remotely wipe the contents of the SecureUSB BT, however solely on the level that it's linked to the unlock software.
An administrative device can be used to handle many drives for these firms that must maintain tight management of them and who can unlock them.
Total, the SecureUSB BT does what many encrypted drives obtain, but it surely avoids the plain limitations of keypads and different on-device mechanisms.
{Hardware} and efficiency
The {hardware} on this system has two elements that make up the safety performance and the storage.
There appears little revolutionary concerning the NAND flash reminiscence elements as they’re very a lot the identical as you may discover in good high quality branded elements offered as USB 3.0 compliant.
In our benchmarking, it managed acceptable 161MB/s reads and 11MB/s write speeds.
These scores evaluate badly with exterior NVMe-based SSD, the place switch speeds of 1,000MB’s and a capability of 1TB are generally out there for the value of a 128GB SecureUSB BT.
However, these merchandise typically aren’t protected by the safety mechanisms that SecureData included here, even when lots of them could be AES {hardware} encrypted.
The place the reminiscence is decidedly run-of-the-mill, the safe facet is rather more spectacular. It's FIPS compliant, makes use of AES-256Bit XTS {hardware} encryption and incorporates triggers that may detect brute-force entry makes an attempt and provoke a software program self-destruct of the information.
Not that the drive will emit a puff of smoke Mission Not possible-style, however the contents with be deleted with no likelihood of ever being resurrected.
Timed limits for inactivity can be set in order that the drive locks itself after a predetermined interval of inactivity, lowering the opportunity of a system being out there to others with an unlocked SecureUSB BT connected to it.
And, when you take your cellphone with you on that consolation break, as soon as the cellphone is 10ft away from the SecureUSB BT, it is going to mechanically lock.
Benchmarks
Here’s how the SecureData SecureUSB BT carried out in our suite of benchmark assessments:
CrystalDiskMark: 161MBps (learn); 111MBps (write)
ATTO: 157.46MBps (learn, 256mb); 47.91MBps (write, 256mb)
AS SSD: 158.87MBps (seq learn); 101.82MBps (seq write)
AJA: 156MBps (learn); 47MBps (write)
For these companies closely invested in safety that need the administration service, additional safeguards can be found similar to time and geofence limits on when and the place the drive will unlock. Admins can even distant unlock, deny entry and even wipe the drive.
Total, this system could be made safer than most authorized companies would fairly want or need to handle. Much more safe options are utilized by safety companies and banks, however they make the pricing of those units appear paltry as compared.
The competitors
When contemplating safe storage, the competitor that springs most readily to thoughts is iStorage and its DATASHUR BT vary.
This product makes use of the same mechanism that leverages Bluetooth to unlock an encrypted flash drive by way of a cell phone software.
Pricing of the DATASHUR BT is £79, £99, £109 and £139 for the 16GB, 32GB, 64GB and 128GB choices. That makes it a very good bit cheaper than the SecureUSB BT product for a similar capacities.
If 128GB isn’t sufficient capability on your wants, Western Digital has just lately added the G-DRIVE ArmorLock SSD to its product vary that additionally makes use of cellular system biometrics and 256-bit AES-XT to safe the contents.
The G-DRIVE ArmorLock SSD is available in 1TB, 2TB and 4TB for £200.99, £340.99 and £700.99, respectively. And with USB 3.2 Gen 2 connection can ship 1,000MB/s of studying and writing efficiency.
Closing verdict
The SecureUSB BT is likely one of the higher safe flash drive applied sciences we’ve seen, and it makes working with an encrypted system simple.
Its potential to be taken to a shopper’s location after which decrypted with out putting in information on the distant system is a chic design that makes it extremely sensible for many who must share delicate information with others.
What we’re much less impressed with are the out there capacities - particularly why SecureData even bothered with the 8GB and 16GB drives, and absolutely a 256GB and 512GB ought to be simply doable on this type issue?
It isn’t stunning that the costs are inflated above what abnormal units value, but it surely's how rather more is a priority. A typical 128GB flash drive with related efficiency, just like the SanDisk Extremely Aptitude 128 GB, prices about £15.99. And, the 512GB mannequin of that drive is cheaper than the 8GB SecureUSB BT, at simply £59.99.
Something with the phrase ‘Secure’ connected to it's typically marked up in value, however even by these requirements, the SecureUSB BT is dear for the restricted capacities on this vary.
The brand new G-DRIVE ArmorLock SSD underlines this, because the 1TB mannequin is barely a bit of costlier than the 128GB and at the very least eight instances sooner at studying and writing.
We are able to’t argue concerning the deserves of the safety fashions every of those merchandise has, however purely from a worth for cash place, the SecureUSB BT must value much less and carry out higher at transfers.
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