ViaSat Flash Drive Is Certified For Top Secret Data

ViaSat UK has announced a range of flash drives which are the first to be approved by the UK government’s technical security advisor Communications Electronic Security Group (CESG) to handle data classified as “secret” or “top secret”.

Previously, memory sticks had only been certified to carry data classified as “restricted”, but the Eclypt Nano range features built-in hardware encryption and requires the use of a username, password and physical keystone to retrieve stored data.

Rugged Encryption

The Eclypt Nano flash drives have been ruggedised and waterproofed to the US Department of Defense’s criteria used to judge equipments’ ability to survive extreme conditions, meaning that organisations will no longer have to choose between security and portability.

The memory sticks have been tested for 18 months in assessment trials held by CESG and are aimed to minimise the impact of lost or stolen memory sticks containing sensitive data.

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has criticised a number of organisations, including Cambridgeshire County Council and the NHS for losing the personal details of a number of individuals on unencrypted memory sticks. It also issued a £2.28m fine to Zurich Insurance for losing a backup tape containing confidential information on 46,000 policy holders.

ViaSat chief executive acknowledged this, stating, “The greatest threat to data isn’t from external attacks or sabotage. It comes from the belief that lost data is something that happens to other people.”

The Eclypt Nano is available immediately in 2GB, 4GB and 8GB capacities with prices starting at £99.