USB disk security loads of information and advice on USB disk security.

This site has been created to help anyone who is looking for the best way to secure a USB disk, disks or external hard drive. If you have a USB device that needs to be secured; it will not matter if you are looking for help to secure a single USB device or a manager looking for help and advice on implementing and company strategy, you all will find something of use on this site about USB disk security.

Understanding USB disk security

USB disk security should begin with understanding what a USB disk is. The best way to do this is to break down the name. USB stands for:Universal Serial Bus

Universal: simply means that it is compatible with any recently manufactured computer.
Serial: Data is transmitted; in “series” as opposed to “parallel”; when data is transmitted one bit at a time.
Bus: is a subsystem that transports data back and forth between multiple components.

USB disks utilize what is known as flash memory: flash memory is a type of memory that can be electronically erased and reprogrammed. It has the ability to retain memory even when the unit has no power. Memory is stored as electronic charge inside of many small cells. Traditional style cells only have the ability to hold and release a charge. This allows for only one byte of data to be stored in a cell.

Newer technology has allowed for these cells to hold multiple bytes of data by way of the ability to hold different levels of charge. The level of charge that is held in a cell determines how many bytes are in the particular cell.

The USB disk was invented to provide a more practical way of storing and transporting data. At the time the main form of removable memory was the floppy disk. Floppy disks were easily destroyed if not handled with extreme care and also only held up to 1.44 megabytes of memory.

The USB disk provided a much more convenient and reliable way to store data, but it’s ease of transporting USB disks, raises issues and the need for USB disk security.

There are three generations of USB disks.
First generation: these devices were able to hold 8 megabytes of memory; five times the amount of memory that the floppy drive could hold.
Second generation: This is the most common USB disks today also known as USB 2.0. now with a storage capacity ranging from 8 megabytes to 500 megabytes; capable speed of up to 480 megabits per second.
Third generation: USB 3.0. introduced in 2008 had a speed capability of 5 gigabits per second; over ten times faster than USB 2.0. Though USB 2.0 is still the most widely used type, the most recent computers are now being built with at least one USB 3.0 capable port.
Today, USB disks can be bought for anywhere from a few dollars to close to $600 (US); some with good USB disk security, but quite a lot without any USB disk security at all. The features that affect price are: capacity, speed, encryption and optional features like write protect switches. When the USB disk was first introduced, data misplacement and viruses were not a large concern; but internet scripting-type viruses were discovered in 2002 and this is when the virus really became a concern. Prior to internet viruses, the harmful program had to be distributed by hardware of some sort and they did not replicate or spread near as quickly. In the mid-2000s, personal computers, business servers, military and government networks were beginning to be infected without initially being discovered; as there was no thought about USB disk security.
The real problem came when data-transferring viruses became prominent and information such as social security, tax and financial information was being stolen. Today, thousands of new viruses, worms, trojans and other malware are written daily. With the threat of infection being so large, security is now a necessity for everyday technological life. There are many different types of security which include: manual, hardware and software.