IronKey S200 Line Achieves Unique Federal Certification

ronKey's new S200 line of secure Flash drives has been certified by the government to meet the stringent requirements of FIPS 140-2, Security Level 3. Government agencies can purchase only security products that receive FIPS certification from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Level 3 certification means NIST has verified that in addition to meeting the requirements for Level 2, the product is both tamper-proof and tamper-evident. According to IronKey, no other USB Flash drive has received this certification.

Level 3 certification is more commonly reached by larger-scale devices. According to Scott Crawford, research director for the security practice at Enterprise Management Associates, "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."

The existing IronKey product line is extremely tough, both cryptographically and physically. It has a crypto-chip built in and is designed to withstand traumatic events that would destroy most USB drives. Any attempt to attack its components results in electronic self-destruction. The IronKey Personal includes a built-in password manager and secure browser with anonymizing capability.

The S200 line can automatically lock down AutoRun to protect against worms such as Conficker. An option to open in read-only mode prevents malware on infected host systems from migrating to the IronKey. The Enterprise edition can be configured to unlock only inside the trusted network. And an optional anti-malware scanner (powered by McAfee) keeps the device malware-free.

This new edition also expands the range of USB drive capacities offered, including 16GB and 32GB. IronKey VP John Jefferies pointed out that with that much space, available users could put an entire virtualized PC on the IronKey. In that case the host computer would be little more than a docking station supplying network connection, keyboard, and display.

PCMag will evaluate the device when it becomes available in early August. Prices will vary by capacity; a 1GB unit will cost $79 and a 16GB unit will be $299.