Computerworld recently ran a fascinating review of a bunch of USB flash drives with built-in security. That’s a good thing to think about. You might use these little devices to keep all kinds of valuable data – and they’re easy to misplace. I do it all the time. That’s why security is so important on these devices. The idea is that for a bit more money, you can ensure that whoever finds your lost USB drive won’t be able to do anything with it or its content.

The reviewers use Pricegrabber.com to provide pricing information about each of the seven drives they evaluate.

On that topic, the least expensive model tested was the 1GB Corsair Flash Padlock, which also is available in 2GB and 4GB versions. Unlike the other USB drives considered, this one uses a combination lock to secure its contents. (Out of the package, it comes unlocked and can be used as a standard device without security.) Interestingly, reviewer Lucas Mearian includes a sidebar that describes his attempt to remove the padlock and access the data. Yes, he succeeds!

The most expensive USB thumb drive evaluated was the 8GB Kingston DataTraveler Secure, which also comes in lower capacity editions. It offers 256-bit AES hardware-based encryption. From the description in the article, this one sounds like it’s probably a government favorite. Just look at that straight-as-an-arrow gray body! In fact, the word, “fortress,” is used at least once to describe it in the review.

I’m not going to divulge the ending of this particular drama by telling you which drive comes out on top. Let’s just say that layering in security matters. The more ways you can use to keep prying eyeballs out of your stuff, the safer it is. Plus, you don’t have to spend a fortune but you do have to spend a bit to play securely when it comes to flash thumb drives.

Posted on March 7th, 2008 by dian