Data Encryption for Storage Devices

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Revision as of 22:16, 10 April 2009 by Shellya (Talk)

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Data Encryption for Storage Devices is a special case of data at rest^[1] protection. Data can be encrypted through the use of software, or hardware itself can encrypt data as it is saved to the device.

Data Encryption

Encryption is used in cryptography to transform plaintext to ciphertext^[2]. In the case of storage devices, encrypted data that is stored can only be accessed with the proper authentication. Physical theft of the medium negates password protection since the data can simply be read from it. On the other hand, if the data was encrypted before being written, the data is still protected unless the key is known. With the theft/loss of hard drive with personal data becoming an issue^[3], the encryption of storage devices becomes an attractive way to avoid such issues.

Implementations

Data can be encrypted through encryption technology built into the storage medium, or different software that encrypts data before writing it.

Hardware Implementation

A USB flash drive that encrypts and stores data

Hardware implementations include hard disk drives, portable storage drives, and USB flash drives. Encrypted hard disks have been available since April 2008^[4] but an actual standard was agreed upon and established in January 2009^[5].