Freecom Hard Drive Secure File Storage

Secure Data Storage Device Uses RFID Tags To Secure Data On Drive

Aug 12, 2009

Portable USB hard drives are very insecure by their very nature. Protecting secure data on the Freecom Hard Drive Secure uses RFID Keys to lock the data from prying eyes.

The term secure hard drive means different things to different people. Some companies bill their hard drives as secure simply by sugar coating them with a password and some encryption. While this may be good enough for home users, business users and the more paranoid among us may prefer a second level of security.

Freecom has recently introduced their new Hard Drive Secure, an encrypted hard drive that uses AES encrypted RFID tags as keys.

Secure File Storage With RFID Tags For Keys

Portable file storage devices like USB hard drives have a significant security risk in that they are by their very nature portable. Portable drives can get lost easily, and if the drive finds its way into the hands of certain people all of the secure data on the drive is potentially at risk.

Credit card and bank account information, personal files, and a myriad of other types of data can potentially be used by a criminal are usually left open and easily readable by anyone that has possession of the drive. The Freecom Hard Drive Secure puts a different level of security on the drive by locking it down and preventing data access unless the owner's credit card sized RFID tag key is nearby.

The key card is encrypted using the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) to prevent RFID sniffers from stealing the codes.

Using the Freecom Hard Drive Secure is fairly straightforward. Plug the device into any computer with a USB port and then pass the key card close to the drive so that the RFID tag's code can be sensed by the drive. If the correct card is used then the portable hard drive will unlock itself and allow the user access to the secure data on board.

When the user is done the drive can be unplugged or the RFID card passed by the device again to relock the drive into its secure file storage mode, preventing any further access.

Pros: For users that use portable hard drives with sensitive information in many different locations the peace of mind of knowing that the drive will lock itself against access.

Cons: User must remember to swipe the key card to relock the drive or unplug the drive from the USB port to lock it back down. If user loses the RFID key card the data on the drive will no longer be able to be accessed. More expensive than portable USB hard drives of comparable sizes.

The copyright of the article Freecom Hard Drive Secure File Storage in Computer Drives/Storage is owned by Chad Criswell. Permission to republish Freecom Hard Drive Secure File Storage in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.