HS256 high security external hard drive

External high security hard drive HS256

Professional solution for companies

The HS256 portable high security hard drive enables data protection compliant storage, transmission and archiving of sensitive and personal data in companies.

The elegant 2.5 inch plastic housing protects against mechanical influences. The combination of FireWire 400 (800) and USB 2.0 ports ensures fast data transfer for reading and writing.

The data stored on the HS256 is protected from unauthorized access, for example if the hard drive is lost or stolen, as well as in the case of logical or physical attacks, in view of the confidentiality of the information.

The encryption module of this hard drive has been tested and certified by the National Institute for Standardization and Technology of the United States of America (NIST). The FIPS 197 certificate confirms that this drive has a properly implemented AES 256-bit encryption algorithm in CBC mode.

In case of manipulation attempts of any kind, the smart card is automatically destroyed irrevocably and thus prevents access to the data.

The Digittrade HS256 ensures the confidentiality of the data through the following security mechanisms:

• Encryption
• Access control

Security mechanisms and special features:

Encryption

The encryption module integrated in the security housing performs a complete encryption of the hard drive.

Each stored byte and sector on the drive is encrypted to 256-bit AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) in CBC mode.

It also encrypts all temporary files and areas that are often overlooked by encryption software.

Access control

Access control is based on the principle of "owning and knowing": the user must have a suitable smart card and the correct PIN to access the data.

The smart card is automatically locked and unusable as soon as the 8-digit PIN has been entered incorrectly eight times. The cryptographic keys on the smart card are irrevocably destroyed. The data on the hard drive will continue to be stored securely. The access to this data can then be done with the second smartcard and the valid PIN.

Encryption key

The user can use the crypto keys:

• Destroy

Management of cryptographic keys

The 256-bit cryptographic key is generated by the manufacturer using a strong DRG3 random number generator and securely stored on the smart card separately from the hard drive.

To encrypt or decrypt the data, the cryptographic key is transmitted to the encryption module after successful authentication.

The user can destroy this key if necessary.

Smart Cards

The hard drive is supplied as standard with the smart card Atmel CryptoMemory® AT88SC0104C. It offers sufficient security in everyday life.

In addition, two different types of smart cards are available

On the one hand, for higher security requirements, the Smartcard Oberthur Cosmo 64 v5.4, certified with FIPS 140-2 Level 3.

On the other hand, the NXP P5CD081 J3A081 JCOP v2.4.1 R3 (BSI-DSZ-CC-0675-2011) smart card developed for particularly high security requirement. This smartcard is certified by the BSI (Federal Office for Information Security) according to EAL5, but in addition to the certificate has the same features as the Oberthur Cosmo 64 v5.4 smartcard.

In case of manipulation attempts of any kind, the smart card will be irrevocably destroyed and rendered useless.

AES key

The AES key is located on the smart card and can not be read from the chassis or hard drive if the hard drive is lost or stolen.

The hard drives are designed so that it is possible to change the AES keys as desired. To do this, new smart cards must be created with the matching key for each housing. New data is then saved after the hard drive has been formatted with the new AES key. Access to the old data is thereafter limited only by way of data recovery using the old smart cards with matching AES key.

Built-in hard drive

The built-in SATA hard drive in 2.5 "format makes the mobile data safe small and handy. The data transfer and the power supply via USB as well as the hardware encryption allow the use of the storage medium independently of the operating system.

Supported Operating Systems

The hard drives are independent of operating systems and bootable. This allows not only to store data but also operating systems and programs on these hard drives. This allows the HS256 to be used on all devices with USB support.