IronKey AES-256 USB Drives Pass Stringent Testing to Meet Physical Security Standards for Government Certification

IronKey announced that its new IronKey S200 productsare the first portable USB storage devices to gain full approval from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) for Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) 140-2, Security Level 3 validation.

Key Facts/Highlights:

• US government agencies must only purchase security products that have received FIPS 140-2 validation. In addition, commercial organizations increasingly rely on the validation as an objective, independent review that helps ensure the security capabilities of the products they purchase.

• FIPS validation is accepted globally as one of the most trusted security validations. Companies in the private sector care about a FIPS 140-2 certificate because it means anindependent, trusted third-party has reviewed the product design forserious flaws.

• FIPS 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.

• FIPS validation requires rigorous testing and inspection in order to be certified by NIST. This is not the same as FIPS compliance. FIPS-validated products go through a comprehensive review by government-approved laboratories, as well as a review by NIST and CSE authorities.

David Jevans, CEO at IronKey said:

“This certification sets IronKey apart as the only USB storage device to receive the Level 3 security validation. Firmly committed to security since our inception, this validation demonstrates that we have achieved a level of security sophistication that puts us in a unique position to lead efforts in bringing the most secure USB storage and management products to civilian and military agencies, as well as commercial organizations.”

IronKey S200 is the First and Only USB Storage Device to Achieve FIPS 140-2, Level 3 Validation; Delivers Advanced Cryptochip Featuring AES-256, Tamper-Resistance and Self-Destruction Circuitry

IronKey, maker of the world’s most secure flash drive, today announced the launch of its S200 device for government and enterprise customers, featuring hardened physical security, the latest Cryptochip technology, active anti-malware and enhanced management capabilities.

Highlights of IronKey S200:

• The first and only USB flash drive to meet the rigorous government security requirements of FIPS 140-2, Security Level 3.
• Hardware-based AES 256-bit encryption in CBC mode.
• Tamper-resistant and tamper-evident rugged metal case.
• Secure management of encryption keys.
• Anti-malware capabilities in hardware provide an unprecedented layer of protection from malware and prevent its spread onto enterprise and government networks.
• AutoRun lock-down protects against worms.
• Read-only mode prevents malware on infected hosts from infecting IronKey devices.
• Trusted network restrictions prevent IronKey devices from unlocking on uncontrolled PCs.
• Optional anti-virus/anti-malware scanning cleans the devices in the background.
• Dual-channel architecture enables significant performance when writing large and small files to the drive.
• Includes extended-life flash memory capable of running high-bandwidth applications such as data backups, virtual machines, or bootable
• mobile desktops.
• Enterprise Management Cloud Service over the Internet for the enforcement of security policies, security and anti-malware updates, and the tracking and auditing of hundreds or thousands of devices.
• Optional Enterprise Management Server that customers can host themselves.

IronKey FIPS 140-2, Level 3 Validation:

• The IronKey S200 USB flash drive has been awarded FIPS certificate 1149.
• IronKey S200 includes the ability to prevent intruders from gaining access to Critical Security Parameters (CSPs ) held within the cryptographic module.
• The physical security mechanisms required at Security Level 3 validate that IronKey thumb drives can detect and respond to attempts of physical access, use or modification of the cryptographic module.
• IronKey includes the physical security mechanisms required for the validation including the use of production-grade components, hard potting material to encapsulate the chip circuitry and a hard metallic enclosure.

Enterprise Management Service Enhancements:

• Mac support for Silver Bullet service provides remote wipe, comprehensive tracking and rich reporting capabilities.
• Configurable time-out policy enables the ability to automatically lock devices after a specified period of inactivity.
• Search capabilities help to locate device information by user name, email address, serial number or other specific information.
• Enhanced backup and recovery capabilities from previous Password Manager to the Identity Manager.
• Management capabilities are available as cloud-based SaaS or on-premise server software for flexibility in meeting organizational requirements.

David Jevans, CEO at IronKey said:

“As one of the world’s leading information security companies, IronKey is continually innovating to push the boundaries of security and ease of use. Our new IronKey S200 family of secure USB flash drives puts a whole new level of security into the hands of government, military and enterprise customers, at an affordable price. The IronKey S200 is the first and only USB flash drive to achieve the demanding FIPS 140-2, Level 3 security validation from NIST, giving even more proof that IronKey is the world’s most secure flash drive. We are also releasing a suite of new enterprise remote management capabilities, available over the Internet from the IronKey managed service, or from our enterprise server software that companies can install and operate themselves.”

Scott Crawford, research director for the security practice at Enterprise Management Associates said:

“FIPS 140-2, Level 3 is most often associated with devices such as high-confidence security hardware typically found in the data center. To have implemented this in a USB form factor is a noteworthy achievement–yet is just one of the many measures IronKey has integrated with its products, which speaks to IronKey’s commitment to extending a distinctively high level of security to portable media devices.”

Source: IronKey

Domainmonster.com & the DotAsia Registry launched their promotion to give away 2GB micro USB flash drives with every new .asia domain name (http://www.domainmonster.com/domain-name/asia/) purchased for two years or more.

Measuring just 15 x 25 x 4mm deep, the Domainmonster.com branded USB drive is only a fraction larger than a quarter dollar or 50 Euro cent coin, making it ultra portable.

“This is typically innovative of the DotAsia Registry”, said Matt Mansell, CEO, Domainmonster.com. “What better way to embrace the innovation and pace that the Asia Pacific region has to offer, than give away such a must have product with their regional top level domain”, continued Mansell.

Domain purchasers at Domainmonster.com, just need to confirm their details at freeb.asia upon purchase to ensure their Domainmonster.asia flash drive is delivered direct to their door within 28 days.

No other purchased is required and the offer will continue to run while stocks last.

Single, Dual, and Quad-Channel UARTs with Industry’s Smallest Package Choices, plus Optimized Software Drivers Deliver Superior Design Options

Exar Corporation, announced the industry’s fastest Full-Speed USB UART with up to 12Mbps serial data rate. The series is composed of three devices which is compliant to the USB 2.0 specification. The XR21V1410/V1412/V1414 have differentiated features which include the smallest packaging options, optimized software drivers, and support large FIFO sizes delivering flexible and proven design options to system architects.

“The series of devices offer the lowest Bill of Materials (BOM) costs, minimal system overhead and are designed in space saving packages that are less than half the size of competitive solutions,” said Levent Ozcolak, vice president, Interface Product Line. “With hardware and software tool kits readily available, system architects can quickly design in these devices to meet rapidly changing time-to-market requirements.”

According to leading market research firm InStat, the USB interface is the most successful interface ever with over three billion devices shipped in 2008 alone. It has been broadly adopted across consumer electronics, communications and automotive devices.

The XR21V1410/V1412/V1414 series targets a large cross-section of embedded and consumer applications. Examples of embedded applications are gaming systems, ATM machines, industrial automation systems amongst others. For consumer applications, the series is ideal for smart phones, Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), GPS systems, DVD players/recorders and gaming systems and other portable applications.

“Adding enhanced capabilities to our market-leading UART portfolio of 8-bit, PCI, I2C/SPI, VLIO, and wireless UARTs, this new series of USB compliant solutions immediately opens new opportunities to support our customers’ next generation applications,” said Rakesh Bhatia, senior manager, strategic marketing, Interface Products Line. “In addition, when added to Exar’s serial transceiver and power management products we can offer a complete and optimized solution for serial communications designs.”

Series Details

The XR21V1410, XR21V1412, and XR21V1414 have a USB slave interface, which is compliant with Full-Speed USB 2.0 specification. All devices in the series support USB suspend, resume and remote wakeup operations. All the devices share a common set of features including large FIFO sizes of 128-byte TX and 384-byte RX that optimize overall data throughput, automatic hardware (RTS/CTS or DTR/DSR) flow control, automatic software (Xon/Xoff) flow control, and multi-drop mode with auto half-duplex transceiver control. In addition, none of the devices require an external crystal/oscillator which saves on board real estate. These devices also have Sleep and PowerSave modes to minimize power consumption. Software drivers are available for Windows 2000, XP, Vista, and CE, as well as Mac and Linux. These devices operate from a single 2.97 to 3.63 volt power supply with the core operating at 1.2V to minimize overall power consumption.

Interface Products

Exar has one of the broadest portfolios of high-performance interface solutions including UARTs, serial transceivers — RS-232, RS-485, and multi-protocol — the industry-first wireless UART chipset solution, as well as, integrated UART/transceiver combinations. For chip-to-chip or system-to-system connections, Exar’s single and multi-channel interface ICs provides immediate competitive advantages to designers: low power, reduction in board space requirements, increased bandwidth capacity, and enhanced product features. Interface devices are found practically everywhere including point-of-sale (POS) terminals, digital televisions, industrial automation equipment, handheld devices, and networking environments.

Tools and Support

Evaluation boards, reference designs, and software drivers are available. With the availability of these tools and Exar’s application support line: uarttechsupport@exar.com, UART customers can accelerate implementation by eliminating driver development, testing and diagnostic procedures.

Prices, Packages, Availability and Additional Information

Samples of the XR21V1410 are available now in a 16-pin QFN at 2.97V-3.63V operation over the industrial temperature range. In 1k quantities the XR21V1410 is priced at $1.80. Additional information on this product can be found at XR21V1410. Samples of the XR21V1412 are available now in a 32-pin QFN at 2.97V-3.63V operation over the industrial temperature range. In 1k quantities the XR21V1412 is priced at $3.10. Additional information on this product can be found at XR21V1412. Samples of the XR21V1414 are available now in a 48-pin TQFP at 2.97V-3.63V operation over the industrial temperature range. In 1k quantities the XR21V1414 is priced at $5.80. Additional information on this product can be found at XR21V1414. Additional information on other Interface products can be found at Interface Products.

Source: Exar Corporation

New Products Provide a Complete Sound and Vibration Stimulus Response System From a Single Vendor

National Instruments announced a new portable bus-powered dynamic signal acquisition (DSA) module and a suite of vibration sensors that are ideal for making high-accuracy vibration measurements required for noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) and machine condition monitoring applications. The NI USB-4431 DSA module acquires data at rates from 1 to 102.4 kS/s, which makes it possible to obtain a wide measurement bandwidth. The combination of the USB-4431 and the new vibration sensors, which include three accelerometers, a triaxial accelerometer and an impact hammer, gives engineers and scientists a complete stimulus response system from a single vendor for seamless product integration.

The USB-4431 is a five-channel DSA module for making high-accuracy measurements from integrated electronics piezoelectric (IEPE) sensors. The module consists of four 24-bit simultaneously sampled analog input channels and one 24-bit analog output channel, which are ideal for stimulus response test systems. The USB-4431 also works well for a wide variety of field test applications such as frequency response audio tests and suspension shaker tests due to its portability. Additionally, the module delivers 100 dB of dynamic range and incorporates software-selectable IEPE signal conditioning for accelerometers and microphones.

The new sensor suite includes three high-accuracy accelerometers and a triaxial accelerometer that are compatible with all NI DSA devices. The accelerometers have low-impedance output signals that allow for accurate signal transmission over long cables, and their small form factor makes them easy to include in a wide variety of monitoring and test systems. The triaxial accelerometer characterizes the acceleration of an object or device being measured in all three dimensions with a single sensor to minimize cabling at the source.

Also included in the sensor suite is a modal analysis impact hammer, a device that delivers effective measurements of stimulus signals. With this highly flexible impact hammer, engineers and scientists can measure the stimulus force for a wide range of frequencies and magnitudes required for proper object characterization. The impact hammer, triaxial accelerometer and USB-4431 combine to form a precise structural monitoring stimulus response test system.

Engineers and scientists can get their applications up and running quickly and efficiently with the configuration-based NI Sound and Vibration Assistant software or with more than 50 ready-to-run NI LabVIEW software example code bases provided in the NI Sound and Vibration Measurement Suite. The software suite includes a pre-built Sound and Vibration Assistant project for impact hammer response to help engineers and scientists rapidly set up a structural test application. The Sound and Vibration Measurement Suite also features pre-built virtual instruments (VIs) for NVH and rotating machinery vibration analysis applications so engineers and scientists can quickly set up almost any sound and vibration application.

Source: www.ni.com/soundandvibration

Drive Includes 80MB of Bonus Content including 2 Hours of Landmark Speeches

Active Media Products, manufacturer of unique USB drives including the WWF Penguin and Panda drives, announced immediate availability of the new 8GB Obama USB drive, the new USB flash drive that commemorates President Barack Obama, and comes pre-loaded with President Obama’s Inaugural Address.

The Obama drive comes preloaded with 80MB of free bonus material that includes: high resolution photos of President Obama and the First Lady; over two hours of landmark speeches in MP3 format including the Inaugural Address and the Victory speech; text of 35+ speeches that track the President from 2002, to Senate addresses, the campaign trail, Presidential addresses and college commencement addresses in PDF format. Every Obama drive also includes a smiling rubber Obama charm that fits on the keychain.

The drive itself is an impressive product. The waterproof drive features a chrome plated steel pivot-style lid that is adorned with a holographic image of the President. Measuring only 40 x 14 x 5 mm, the drive is exceptionally small and lightweight. The Obama drive is USB 2.0 compliant and works in any computer.

Part Number Description Online Price
PV8G-OB 8GB Obama USB Drive, 200X $29.95
PV2G-OB 2GB Obama USB Drive, 150X $9.95

“The drive is loaded with content to explore. We’ve more than doubled the bonus content compared to our original Obama drive,” noted Jerry Thomson, vice president of marketing at Active Media Products. “This historically important product is offered at a time when the country celebrates its 233 year birthday.” Packaged in a patriotic retail bubble pack, the 8GB and 2GB drives are available today through TigerDirect and Amazon for under $30 and $10 respectively.

Slim Data USB Card is the Same Size and Thickness as a Credit Card, Making it the Most Usable, Versatile, Easy-to-Carry USB Flash Drive for Consumers and Businesses

Storing, carrying and sharing digital content has become more convenient with the launch of the innovative Slim Data USB Card, a high-quality, plug-and-play, ultra-slim USB flash drive the same size and thickness as a credit card. The ultra-slim Slim Data USB Card can be conveniently carried in a wallet, minimizing the chance of loss or misplacement and enabling users to keep their USB storage with them at all times.

The 4GB Slim Data USB Card, which weighs a mere nine grams, enables users to conveniently store and carry digital photos, music, video clips, and other documents in their wallets keeping them available to share with friends or family whenever or wherever the need arises.

Ideal for business uses, the customizable Slim Data USB Cards can provide long-term branding with an innovative method to distribute presentations and marketing materials on a medium that will be reused for years by the customer.

Available in multiple colors, the customizable Slim Data USB Cards are Mac, PC, and Linux compatible and support both USB 2.0 and 1.1 interfaces.

Product Features and Specifications:

• Storage Capacity: 4GB
• Dimensions: 3.4″ x 2.1″ x 0.11″
• Compatibility: Windows, Macintosh, Linux
• Interface: USB 2.0, USB 1.1
• Warranty: Limited lifetime warranty
• Colors: Clear, Gray, Orange, Red, and Blue
• Customization: Custom colors and printing are available.

Slim Data USB Cards are backed by a limited-lifetime warranty from the manufacturer and are available at www.TopTechProducts.com and www.amazon.com at a list price of $24.99.

FabulaTech announced release of the new version of USB over Network, a usb sharing program, which enables work with the remote USB devices over a local network or Internet as if they were connected directly to your local PC.

The FabulaTech team has realized a handful of fixes and improvements in this version, the major improvement is that the data transfer speed for audio and video devices is much faster now, the device names display correctly, Citrix XenDesktop and Microsoft webcam support has been added. The program is very easy to use and installs right out of the box.

“All you have to do is to install USB over Network Server on the PC where USB devices are plugged in. USB over Network Client must be installed on the PCs you want to give access to those very USB devices you’ve already plugged in. That’s all”, said Alan Rourke, FabulaTech Technical Director. “USB over Network has been designed with enhanced multifunctional technology, with the help of it one can solve many tickling issues. With this program one can access remote USB devices, rapidly configure and deploy any USB device in a virtual session, for blade computers, make USB devices connected to thin clients accessible from remote session”.

This network to usb software supports a wide range of USB devices, moreover, USB over Network Client is free software. You can purchase the license of USB over Network Server, install it on PC where USB device is plugged in and any user with USB over Network Client installed will be able to work with that USB device.

Main program features:

• Developed for Linux and Microsoft Windows Vista, XP, 2000, Server 2003, Server 2008
• USB v1.1 and USB v2.0 compatible
• Hardware Universal Serial Bus controllers, Hyper-Threading Technology, Multiprocessor platforms compatible
• User-friendly program interface
• Hot USB devices sharing/unsharing (without computer reboot) and many more.

For the full information about USB over Network please head over to usb-over-network.com

PremiumUSB provides a wide range of products & services including custom USB flash drives, retail flash drives, USB drive duplicators, special USB printers and more.

From the very beginning, US Digital Media has been committed to providing its customers with the best quality service and products possible. That philosophy has led CDROM2GO to become a leader in the optical media industry.

In continuing that tradition of quality, US Digital Media has spun off its in-house custom USB flash drive division into a new sister company: PremiumUSB. This move will allow both companies to focus on the unique aspects of their formats while staying current with the latest trends in their respective industries.

Premium USB is highly focused on the needs of its customers. Like its CD/DVD counterpart, PremiumUSB provides a wide range of products and services including custom USB flash drives, retail flash drives, USB drive duplicators, special USB printers, and more.

Custom USB drives are currently available from Premium USB in over fifty different styles. Customers have a range of print options depending on the material of their drive. Additional services such as data preloading, custom designed menus, and custom printed packaging are also available.

With the introduction of Premium USB by US Digital Media, customers have more options for data reproduction than ever before. Be sure to check out the new site at: www.premiumusb.com.

TEAC adds the USB flash line to its disc printers and publishers’ product line

TEAC America, Inc. adds its 1×3, 1×7 and 1×11 USB Flash Duplicators line to its disc printers, publishers and duplicators’ product group.

TEAC USB Flash Duplication systems will copy, compare and erase up to 11 USB flash drives simultaneously. All functions are selectable via the duplicator controller with an LCD display, making it easier to control.

“More and more USB flash drives are used nowadays to distribute content or product information at presentations, to customers, internally within the organization or for photos, data, files, video and music,” says Les Luzar, TEAC’s Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing. “Now, with TEAC’s new line of stand-alone USB tower flash drive duplicators, copying and distributing the data is as easy as 1-2-3.”

Before the TEAC line of USB flash duplicators were available, the only solution for flash duplication was to purchase expensive and more complicated industrial duplication systems. These systems had slower duplication speeds. TEAC has streamlined the process by launching its new 1×3, 1×7 and 1×11 USB Tower Flash Drive duplication systems. TEAC’s goal is to make the Flash duplication process fast, inexpensive and easy.

TEAC’s flash duplicators are easy to operate. Advanced asynchronous duplication means no waiting and no interruption as each channel can independently load, unload, and copy.

“Recently, flash media has been popular due to its non-volatility, solid-state design and portability,” says Aris Gharapetian, TEAC’s Director of Marketing. “As capacities have increased and the prices have fallen dramatically, its popularity has increased even more in the past year alone.”

TEAC will display its complete line of flash duplication systems and disc printers, autoloaders and disc publishing products at the upcoming InfoComm Show at the Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, FL, June 17-19th, 2009. TEAC’s Booth number is 6245.

TEAC’s flash duplicators and disc publishing products are available through TEAC distributor and resellers.

Source: TEAC America, Inc.