Iron Key and Portable Drive Security

1. Iron Key and Portable Drive Security Zakary Littlefield

2. Flash Drive Security Problems • Lost Drives • Sensitive Information • Viruses and Malware • Data Theft

3. Solutions • Educate the users. • Lock your system. • Anti-virus • Include return info on the drive. • Use third party software to restrict USB drive use

5. Hardware Encryption • Uses up to 256 bit AES encryption. • This meets the FIPS 140-2 Level 3 standards. • When drive is first used, a random number is generated for the encryption key. • The key is never loaded onto the system, so the key is not vulnerable to traditional attacks. • Encryption can never be turned off, either accidentally or on purpose.

6. Design Tamper Resistant Design • all circuit and components are surrounded with a tough epoxy compound • Firmware protects against power analysis, temperature and probing attacks • A thin film metal coating surrounds the onboard memory to prevent electrical scanning

7. Self-Defending • Uses an internal password counter on the cryptographic chip, rather than storing that counter in flash memory. • Also, there is a global counter of failed password attempts. • And if a maximum number of incorrect passwords are entered, the encryption keys and data are all securely erased. • Has defense mechanisms for when the drive is inserted into a possibly insecure computer.

8. Internet Security • Can store your remembered passwords securely • The online manager can only be accessed with your password and the Iron Key inserted into a drive. • The Iron Key site uses the image for mutual authentication. • Firefox can be installed on the drive and can run a secure session.

9. References http://labmice.techtarget.com/articles/usbflashdrives.htm www.ironkey.com http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9062527/Review_7_secure_USB_drives?taxonomyId=18&pageNumber=9

10. Questions?