For portable storage needs,
a USB flash drive on a keyring is a constant companion these days.
However, there are two weaknesses to this ubiquitous device. The
first is that the capacity is limited, and the second is that very
few are secure in any way. In other words, when it is time to do
some serious data moving, in a safe fashion, then the Aegis Padlock 3.0 becomes the right tool for the job.
This latest Padlock updates
the line to the latest in portable hard drives. The Aegis Padlock
now has a 1 terabyte (TB) capacity, which means it will be large
enough to backup most system drives out there... with room to spare.
The other is that the USB is now the faster 3.0 standard that we
should start seeing in more systems soon.
What's in the box?
- Aegis Padlock 1 TB drive with integrated USB cable
- Y-cable
- Foam case
- Quick Start Guide
- Complete Manual as PDF preinstalled on drive
The Y-cable is designed that
if your USB port does not provide adequate power, the drive can then
draw power from 2 USB ports. It is nice that they include this for the
"just in case," but I found the drive worked fine using
only one USB port. As the USB 3.0 standard is relatively new, all
testing was done via a Shuttle desktop running Windows 7 Home
Premium, with the drive directly attatched to a USB 2.0 port without any
adapters or hubs.
The other specs are as
follows:
- Data Transfer Rate: USB 3.0 - up to 5 Gbps
- Power Supply: 100% Bus Powered
- Buffersize: 8 MB
- Interface Super Speed USB 3.0 (Backwards compatible with USB 2.0 and 1.1)
- RPM:5400 - Average seek time: 12 ms
- Shock: non operating 1000G 1ms Shock: operating 300G 2ms
- Dimensions: 19mm X 84.5mm X 120mm (0.75” X 3.3” X 4.7”)
- Weight: 6.2oz. (176 g)
- Warranty: 1 year limited
- Compatible with all Operating Systems, including Windows, Mac and Linux (Requires USB port)
The Aegis Padlock 3.0 is
about the size of a deck of cards, and is using a standard 2.5"
notebook drive inside. The device is a little thicker than some
others out there at 19 mm thick, but there is a keyboard built into
the top of it. The plastic shell is bonded with epoxy, and is made
of a soft plastic, and the buttons all feel solid. They also
designed this to not show fingerprints which could give a clue about
the password (so called "smudge attack"); they call this a
wear resistant keyboard.
The Aegis Padlock 3.0 is available in three capacities: 250 GB, 500 GB, and 1 TB. Formatted, the 1 TB has 931 GB of usable space. Each of these can then be had with either 128 bit encryption, or 256 bit encryption. While both are tough to crack, reportedly the 128 bit version is adequate for US Government "Secret" documents, while 256 bit is required for "Top Secret." You can also have confidence that reportedly the 256 bit version of encryption has not been cracked.
The Aegis Padlock 3.0 is available in three capacities: 250 GB, 500 GB, and 1 TB. Formatted, the 1 TB has 931 GB of usable space. Each of these can then be had with either 128 bit encryption, or 256 bit encryption. While both are tough to crack, reportedly the 128 bit version is adequate for US Government "Secret" documents, while 256 bit is required for "Top Secret." You can also have confidence that reportedly the 256 bit version of encryption has not been cracked.
The device is setup as
previous Aegis products have been. There is a default password that
comes installed. Using the Quick Start Guide, it is a few minute
procedure to change the password to a new one that is a minimum of 6
digits. Most importantly do not forget the password as then there
are several protections to a brute force attack. For example, after
6 unsuccessful password entry events, the Aegis will need to be
removed and plugged in again before any more passwords can be
entered. Then, after the 25th attempt, the drive will lock, and
there is a sequence to follow to reset it so more attempts can be
made. This goes on to a permanent lock, and there is even an option
for a self destruct password. In addition, all the data is encrypted
on the fly, so even if the drive is removed from the casing, and
plugged directly into a reader, the data will still be inaccessible.
This is all done at the drive level, and no software gets installed
onto the computer.
The drive itself has good
speeds, and was probably bottlenecked on my USB 2.0 interface. The
Aegis Padlock 3.0 was benchmarked in HDTune 2.55 against a pile of
other USB hard drives. Even through the USB 2.0 interface, it still
managed the fastest average speed, and was even slightly faster than
its 750 GB Aegis brethren.
In summary, the Aegis
Padlock 3.0 is a stable device, which provides through an easy to use
interface, a large capacity and fast speeds. The simple numerical
keyboard belies quite complex security. While most of us do not
handle "Top Secret" documents too often, this Aegis Padlock
3.0 can keep digital documents safe, and is an essential adition to
any road warrior's gear bag. Prices start at $169 for the 250 GB, 128 bit encryption, and go up to $249 for the 1 TB, 256 bit.
Jonas
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