
The best way to provide a high level of security and prevent expensive data breaches is via encryption. Encryption can be either hardware- or software-based. However, a hardware-centric (software-free) encryption approach to data security is the most effective means of combating unauthorised access to private healthcare-related information. Encrypted USB drives are an excellent, easy-to-use solution to protecting personal data from becoming public when it is necessary to transport it.
Hardware-encrypted USB drives offer exceptional security and data protection. They abide by strict industry standards, reducing risks from missing drives. They are self-contained, requiring no software on the host computer to operate. This means that they have cross-platform compatibility, a great benefit to those working in a mixed OS and device environment. This also prevents common attack vectors such as sniffing, brute force and memory hash attacks from working, since there is no vulnerable software handling the encryption.
Many of the industry’s most secure hardware-based encrypted USB drives use AES 256-bit encryption in XTS mode. This level of encryption ensures that anyone who comes across the drive cannot easily hack the password to access the information. Trying to ‘brute force’ the password is not possible either, as the drive’s data becomes completely inaccessible after a preset number of incorrect password guesses.
However, on top of the limited amount of password attempts, digitally signed firmware helps protect against BadUSB as another layer Kingston encrypted USBs offer. Some encrypted USB drives have additional physical layers of protection, such as epoxy-dipped or filled cases, preventing access to the physical memory itself.
Software-based encrypted drives are designed differently and are more vulnerable to attacks. The encryption is not done on the USB drive at all. These drives share the user’s computer resources with other programmes that could be malicious. A software programme on the computer encrypts the data which is then stored on the USB drive. A software programme must then be run to decrypt the data and read it back. This programme often needs to be updated. This can be an impediment to remote workers, who must continually keep up to date on software and driver updates to securely access their stored data, workspace or applications. It may seem like the cheaper solution but learning after the fact what the expense of your company’s and patient’s data is after a breach becomes exponentially more.
When considering which encrypted drive to use, think carefully about your patients’ care and the responsibility you have for their private mobile data. The right drive for your use case is out there: in many circumstances, it is best to start your search with hardware-based options such as Kingston IronKey USB drives. As well as offering more robust and reliable data protection, they offer user-friendly solutions that simplify the procedure of securely accessing stored data, while compromising none of the rigorous military-grade encryption that makes them nigh-impregnable.
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