IronKey releases S200 - earns FIPS 140-2 Level 3 validation

by Steve Ragan - Jul 14 2009, 16:58

On Monday, IronKey released the S200, heralding it as the first and only USB device to earn FIPS 140-2, Level 3 validation. In addition to the FIPS 140-2 Level 3 validation, the S200 uses AES-256-bit encryption and self-destruction circuitry.

Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) publication 140-2, is a government standard to accredit cryptographic modules. There are four security levels, listed from level 1 as the lowest and level 4 as the highest. Security Level 3 validation for a USB device is a notable accomplishment, that cannot be denied. Moreover, considering the amount of information that is often discovered on USB drives, the hardened security is worth the cost in many cases. (IronKey offers great security, but it isn’t cheap.)

Security Level 3 moves beyond the cryptographic protection, requiring also that the devices cannot be disassembled without rendering the device inoperable or without erasing all plaintext secrets. Level 3 requires that all automatically established keys be encrypted with a FIPS-approved algorithm.

Some of the security features in the S200, leaving the Mission Impossible self-destruction abilities aside, include IronKey’s famous aluminum case, which is tamper-proof and water resistant per military specs, anti-Malware abilities, including a read-only mode to prevent Malware infection and optional anti-Malware (Virus) scanning, AutoRun lock-down, and trusted network restrictions, that prevent the S200 from unlocking on uncontrolled computers. 

Moreover, IronKey offers the Enterprise Management Cloud Service, which the S200 supports, which offers the enforcement of security policies, security and anti-Malware updates, and the tracking and auditing of hundreds or thousands of devices. If there is a need for it, enterprise’s can purchase the Enterprise Management Server and host it themselves (EMCS hosted internally).

After all of this, there is another aspect to the S200. The importance of the S200 announcement isn’t just the security. Since US government agencies are required to purchase FIPS validated products, the ability to offer the government Level 3 validated USB drives is a great jump point for IronKey.

More information is online.

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