I use USB thumb drives to store all sorts of data, most of which would be useless (and boring) to anyone other than myself. But some of the data is potentially valuable, including aspects of my finances and even some private information entrusted to me by third parties. This reality has somewhat limited my use of USB drives since they can be so easily dropped, misplaced or stolen.
In the past I’ve experimented with encryption software, but I don’t think the average user would be very comfortable with much of what’s out there. What the USB-thumb-drive-using masses need is a drive that comes with good security right out of the box.
And that’s exactly what the new Corsair Padlock 2 has: 256-bit AES hardware encryption baked right in. What does this mean? Well, in a nutshell, it means that there’s internal juju that locks down the information stored on the drive and it’s not computer dependant. There’s no software to install, and there are no special adapters. You just program the lock code (4-10 digits), and enter that code using the buttons on the drive to unlock the data. Don’t input the correct code, and the Padlock 2 doesn’t even register when it’s plugged into a USB port. If you did happen to lose the Padlock, it can only be used by the person who finds it once it’s been restored to factory defaults, which wipes all data in memory.
I think this product (or products like it) will prove invaluable to professionals who carry sensitive data on a daily basis (lawyers and CPAs come to mind). But its uses go far beyond preventing corporate espionage or identity theft – the Padlock 2 security is great for students, parents, or anyone who has mobile data to keep safe.
At present, the Corsair Padlock 2 is available in an 8GB capacity.
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