Most Physically and Cryptographically Secure USB Flash Drive

Always wondered How to Protect Data if  it stored in USB Flash Drives, & if it's Stolen! 

Some of the ways we can think of protecting the data would be to Simply Destroy it, without letting the information to be transmitted later. Here we are talking about a Device something similar to the one's we've seen in Hollywood Flicks like Matrix or Mission Impossible, Batman. 

The device destroys itself after the eject sequence is initiated or If any Data is being hacked. Poof !! & the Device corrupts the data. This seems like the Device has a mind of its own , well rather a Destructive mind at that. 

There are some devices in the Market which have the capability of corrupting the data by means of Encrypting it or perhaps by Asking for necessary validations for a limited number of times. But all these can be Cracked & Hacked. 

Of late, I have been thinking about an Agent on a device which can perhaps do the Job of Destructing the Device if it gets stolen.  

Say we have a GSM compatible Data Storage USB Flash Drive. 

The name says it all, The Device can Simply Communicate by sending signals from the Client Machine on which it is used,  To a Server or the Cell Phone which will authorize the Authenticity. In this case the Cell Phone could receive an SMS, which when Replied back with the Right Password will authorize the Owner. 

Lets imagine the Scenario, If the Device gets Stolen and Data has been tried to access or being Formatted.

In this case, The device sends an SMS to the Owner for Verification and If the Owner is aware that the data is being Stolen, then the Device alerts him by an SMS. Now there is a Situation which demands to have Two Passkeys/ Password: One for the Actual owner to use the Device & Secondly The Password to be used To Corrupt the Data. 

In this case if the Owner Replies the Second Password/ Passkey, which corrupts the Data, The the Device which is stolen Just goes POOF!!! & the Data is Corrupted permanently. 

This scenario explains the various technologies that can be used to develop these Agents, which do Wonderful things to these Machines. It's a Great world of Cryptography and Tremendous Opportunity for the Human Race to work upon something Real.  

There are many such Companies which just do the Encryption & Decryption part the Hardware Device, But none of them which Aims to Provide the Real Security. Below is one such device which claims to be the World Most Physically & Cryptographically Secure USB Device;

IronKey S200 is the First and Only USB Storage Device to Achieve FIPS 140-2, Level 3 Validation; Delivers Advanced Cryptochip Featuring AES-256, Tamper-Resistance and Self-Destruction Circuitry

 Highlights of IronKey S200:

• The first and only USB flash drive to meet the rigorous government security requirements of FIPS 140-2, Security Level 3.
• Hardware-based AES 256-bit encryption in CBC mode.
• Tamper-resistant and tamper-evident rugged metal case.
• Secure management of encryption keys.
• Anti-malware capabilities in hardware provide an unprecedented layer of protection from malware and prevent its spread onto enterprise and government networks.
• AutoRun lock-down protects against worms.
• Read-only mode prevents malware on infected hosts from infecting IronKey devices.
• Trusted network restrictions prevent IronKey devices from unlocking on uncontrolled PCs.
• Optional anti-virus/anti-malware scanning cleans the devices in the background.
• Dual-channel architecture enables significant performance when writing large and small files to the drive.
• Includes extended-life flash memory capable of running high-bandwidth applications such as data backups, virtual machines, or bootable mobile desktops.
• Enterprise Management Cloud Service over the Internet for the enforcement of security policies, security and anti-malware updates, and the tracking and auditing of hundreds or thousands of devices.
• Optional Enterprise Management Server that customers can host themselves.

IronKey FIPS 140-2, Level 3 Validation:

• The IronKey S200 USB flash drive has been awarded FIPS certificate 1149.
• IronKey S200 includes the ability to prevent intruders from gaining access to Critical Security Parameters (CSPs ) held within the cryptographic module.
• The physical security mechanisms required at Security Level 3 validate that IronKey thumb drives can detect and respond to attempts of physical access, use or modification of the cryptographic module.
• IronKey includes the physical security mechanisms required for the validation including the use of production-grade components, hard potting material to encapsulate the chip circuitry and a hard metallic enclosure.

Enterprise Management Service Enhancements:

• Mac support for Silver Bullet service provides remote wipe, comprehensive tracking and rich reporting capabilities.
• Configurable time-out policy enables the ability to automatically lock devices after a specified period of inactivity.
• Search capabilities help to locate device information by user name, email address, serial number or other specific information.
• Enhanced backup and recovery capabilities from previous Password Manager to the Identity Manager.
• Management capabilities are available as cloud-based SaaS or on-premise server software for flexibility in meeting organizational requirements.