USB Memory sticks

[silverback]

Are there any loungers that have experience of purchasing/using USB Memory Sticks with password and/ or encryption protection?
Are they worth it, or are there better ways to protect archived material on them?

Thanks
Silverback

[HansV]

I use the free utility TrueCrypt - Free Open-Source On-The-Fly Disk Encryption Software for Windows 7/Vista/XP, Mac OS X and Linux to encrypt disks (including USB drives).

[jscher2000]

I have not purchased any USB flash drives with serious security circuitry built in.

One of our clients builds flash drives designed for government and enterprise use, although of course they could be purchased for personal use if one has the budget.

https://www.ironkey.com/personal" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

This review is followed by comments comparing an alternative drive from Kingston:

http://the-gadgeteer.com/2010/02/25/iro ... ve-review/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[John Gray]

Yes, we have one of the Corsair Flash Padlock devices. The 2 GB version (at least) has had a security flaw, with a fix available. Other reports are that by pulling the drive apart, the security can be bypassed.

Given the fact that it cost 3-4 times that of the equivalently-sized ordinary USB Flash Drive, I would probably take one of those and stick TrueCrypt on it, as Hans suggested. However, this drive is used by "a user", and you know what they are like!

[StuartR]

I used a Kingston Data Traveller Secure for a while, but nowadays I just use Truecrypt, as I can easily add it to any USB drive that I use. the portable version works well on USB disks, and I regularly mount my private container file on other people's PCs, even if they don't have Truecrypt installed

[silverback]

Stuart
Am I correct in interpreting your response to mean that, if my PC gets trashed (sorry to bang on about it, but it was a pretty traumatic event), it will still be possible to read/retrieve the encrypted data on the stick on the rebuilt machine?

Thanks
Silverback

[ChrisGreaves]

USB Memory Sticks with password and/ or encryption protection?

I generally re-partition memory sticks that arrive with pre-loaded gunk and, like several respondents here, use TrueCrypt exclusively.
My hard drive and both external backups are encrypted partitions.
I rarely end up with confidential stuff on the USB; I carry a couple with me to a client site; we use them to ferry stuff back and forth to my encrypted machine; I reformat them afterwards and/or charge them with trash.

[StuartR]

...Am I correct in interpreting your response to mean that, if my PC gets trashed (sorry to bang on about it, but it was a pretty traumatic event), it will still be possible to read/retrieve the encrypted data on the stick on the rebuilt machine?...

Yes. Assuming you have a portable copy of Truecrypt on the USB disk, which is the only sensible way to do this, you can access your files on any computer - so long as you remember the encryption password.

[Argus]

Are there any loungers that have experience of purchasing/using USB Memory Sticks with password and/ or encryption protection?

I have used a Kingston Data Traveller, with its SecureTraveler software, and TrueCrypt. Both of them don’t need a built-in security circuitry on the USB memory, such as those mentioned by Jefferson, John or Stuart.

I agree with the others; if you are looking at USB memory sticks that only have software tools for encryption, then you might just as well use TrueCrypt (the memory I mentioned above, I mostly bought it for its speed, at the time).

However, there is one major drawback with these tools, that definitely should be mentioned, and that I can't see mentioned: you need to have administrator privileges on the PC where you are going to use the little USB memory. And that is far from always the case ...

It is possible to run/use TrueCrypt, with some limitations, without administrator privileges if TrueCrypt is already there, installed on the PC; but that is even less likely than having administrator privileges on a randomly selected PC. Anyhow, for portable mode it needs administrator privileges.

But if you are only moving data between you own computers, well, then you probably have administrator privileges, or can give yourself some.

[StuartR]

Argus,

While I accept your point about needing administrator privileges, I don't think I have ever come across a situation where the main user of a PC doesn't have administrator access.

(Maybe a topic for a new thread...)

[HansV]

Moreover, I own (but do not use any more) a USB stick with built-in encryption software. In order to use the encrypted partition on another PC, it requires administrator privileges too, if I remember correctly...

[John Gray]

The Corsair Flash Padlock 2 doesn't!

[Argus]

Argus,

While I accept your point about needing administrator privileges, I don't think I have ever come across a situation where the main user of a PC doesn't have administrator access.

(Maybe a topic for a new thread...)

Oh, another topic, sorry to bother then.

Just wanted to point out that you can't expect to be able use it at an Internet café, library computer etc. i.e. a random computer; or a student using a University computer. On the other hand, if the data is of some importance, most people wouldn't work with it on such computer, but in some cases they have no choice.

[StuartR]

...Just wanted to point out that you can't expect to be able use it at an Internet café, library computer etc. ...

Good point, I hadn't thought of that. I tend to use my laptop for accessing the Internet from these locations.

The sort of thing that I keep in my Truecrypt container is account details for all my email and other accounts, security certificates, and other things that I really wouldn't want to use on a public computer, but I can imagine wanting to access some private things on one of these public computers.

[Argus]

I see. Yes, it is very versatile and capable software. That is the major reason, as I see it, why so many suggest it in this thread; even if the topic is USB memories, the same software can be used on computers' disk drives, as you all know, container files/volumes, system encryption etc. so it is a very good choice.