Chris Gohlke
10-15-2007, 03:00 PM
Flash drives have become pretty ubiquitous. I'd imagine most of the visitors to this site carry one with them regularly. Of course, with this comes an increased risk of theft or loss. As a result, many drives feature some sort of security software that allow you to password protect or encrypt your files. The Lexar drive I currently carry works this way and since it's software-based, thus making it secure, I've encountered many computers on which I've been unable to access my protected files. Often times, this is because Macs and Linux systems can't read the files or because they've been business computers which prohibited the running of unauthorized programs. As a result I was pretty excited to see the release of the <a href="http://www.corsair.com/products/padlock.aspx">Cosair Flash Padlock USB 2.0 Drive</a> which uses hardware-based security and will work on any OS.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/cgg-flashpad-09092007.jpg" /><br /><br />After the break, we'll see how well it works.<br /><!><br />The Corsair Flash Padlock comes with the standard dongle and lanyard. Additionally, it comes with instructions and a quick-start guide.<br /> <br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/cgg-padlockinthebox-10092007.jpg" /><br /><i>Figure 1: In the box.</i><br /><br />The Corsair Flash Padlock is shipped unlocked. Once you open it up, it's up to you to set a password. The unit supports passwords from 1-10 numbers. While the front panel shows 0-9 as possible characters, there are only 5 buttons with 2 numbers assigned to each button. The buttons are large enough to be pressed easily. There are also 3 different colored LEDs - red for locked, green for unlocked, and a blue activity indicator.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/cgg-padlockopen-10092007.jpg" /><br /><i>Figure 2: Unlocked.</i><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/cgg-padlockclosed-10092007.jpg" /><br /><i>Figure 3: Locked.</i><br /><br />Once a password is set, a computer will not recognize the drive until the correct password has been entered. If you forget your password, there's no way to unlock the drive. Since this could prove to be a problem, you are given the option to register your pin number online with Corsair. As an additional security feature, the drive will automatically re-lock when not plugged into a computer for 15 seconds. So, if you unlock it and don't plug it in, it will re-lock and it will also re-lock itself once you remove it from your computer. <br /><br />I was curious to see if the keypad could be bypassed, rendering the security ineffective. So, I took it apart. Based on a quick look at the innards, it appears that unless you have the soldering skills to physically remove the memory chip from the drive and put it in a new drive, there is no simple way to bypass the keypad. <br /><br />I also performed some speed tests which recorded a respectable 19.7 MB/s average read speed.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/cgg-padlockapart-10092007.jpg" /><br /><i>Figure 4: Inside.</i><br /><br />If you're looking for a secure flash drive option that will work on any OS, this is the drive for you. You can pick it up in a 1 or 2 GB version, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw/102-3418745-5804138?initialSearch=1&url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=corsair+flash+padlock&Go.x=0&Go.y=0&Go=Go">starting at $24.63 on Amazon.com.</a><br /><br /><i>Chris Gohlke is a Contributing Editor for Digital Media Thoughts. He loves Sci-Fi and loves to get his hands on real-life tech gadgets. He lives in Tallahassee, Florida, USA with his wife and three cats.</i>