Got an IronKey encrypted pen drive 2gb – Lite Review

I recently purchased a 2gb Ironkey pendrive. I have been using it for about two weeks and so far I have mixed emotions about it. It has an incredibly rugged build quality and looks absolutely beautiful. The security features built into it are pretty nice. I picked up the 2gb version for $149 $90 US which is ridiculously high priced on a per-gigabyte cost. The worst part of the cost is that there is no ceiling, no point were you are just purchasing more space. One would think that there is some base price for the encryption built into the drive and extra space would be a nominal fee, but that is not the case. Also, capacity is limited. the largest drive is 8gb which has a $299 msrp. At the time of the post you can purchase two 64gb pen drives and use software based encryption which is free, but I wanted something that would make it easier and this has really simplified the process. As for the space limitations I only need to secure document files and 2gb will hold plenty of them.

Iron Key is a self encrypting pen-drive which can manage passwords, encrypts files stored on the drive, and several other applications. The software is nice and very straight forward. The personal addition comes bundled with a custom version of Firefox that included a TOR (The Onion Router) proxy to allow anonymous surfing, as well as a password manager which I find is very easy to use and even easier to make changes to your passwords should you need to. The browser is a little slow and I am not sure if you can apply add-ons to it, and I wouldn’t recommend it as they could potentially compromise your security. I use the browser to connect to sites where I use complex passwords.

Hit the jump for more info

Here is a summary of IronKeys capabilities from their site.

SECURE YOUR FILES & PROTECT YOUR IDENTITY

The IronKey Personal is a revolutionary personal security device designed to protect your data, passwords and online identity on any computer.

Hardware Encryption for Bullet-Proof Security

All data stored on an IronKey is encrypted with high-speed military-grade hardware encryption. Unlike software-based encryption, this “always-on” protection cannot be disabled and is protected against cold-boot and brute force attacks. No one can access files stored on an IronKey unless they authenticate with the correct password. All encryption and password verification is performed in hardware – and cannot be disabled by malware or a careless user.

Secure & Private Web Browsing

IronKeys are pre-configured with a portable version of Mozilla’s popular Firefox Web browser. All data, cookies, and web history are maintained locally on the IronKey. IronKey’s optional Secure Sessions service protects your privacy on the Web by triple-encrypting your web surfing traffic, and provides secure DNS services to help assure that you are not visiting a spoofed website.

Secure Password Management

The Ironkey Password Manager locally manages all your online passwords with secure one-click direct access and protection against keystroke-logging spyware and other online threats. Optional encrypted password backup is provided as an online service.

Self-Service Password Recovery

If you forget your IronKey’s password, IronKey offers an optional online password recovery service. Advanced mutual authentication technology is used to verify your identity, allowing you to recover your device’s password securely.

Rugged & Physically Secure

The IronKey is an investment that will last for years. The IronKey has a rugged metal casing to protect it from physical damage, and the internal components are sealed to protect against tampering. Also, IronKey has passed and exceeded military waterproof testing requirements.

At the end of the day the question is would I recommend an Ironkey to someone. The short answer is “yes”. If you have a number of passwords and need to manage them this is the best answer I have seen so far. Not to mention the nerd factor of having a pen drive that will “self-destruct” after ten failed attempts.

Pros

• Rugged Construction
• Waterproof
• Secure Browser with anonymous proxy
• Encrypts data and passwords
• Self-destructing “nerd-factor”

Cons

• Password recovery requires Iron Key
• Could be scary if you forget your password
• Expensive per gigabyte
• Slow Firefox app

More info can be found at ironkey.com

Post a Comment

You must be logged in to post a comment.