usb flash drives & encryption

  • Thread starter Thread starter werwer
  • Start date Start date
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werwer

Want to use an encrypted usb flash drive at various sites
on client owned Win boxes (xp 2k). Don't want to leave
installed software. Is there an encrypted usb
flash drive available that requires nothing but
a Wins OS to operate?

Thanks
 
Previously werwer said:
Want to use an encrypted usb flash drive at various sites
on client owned Win boxes (xp 2k). Don't want to leave
installed software. Is there an encrypted usb
flash drive available that requires nothing but
a Wins OS to operate?
Click to expand...

Maybe do two partitions on it, one unencrypted with the software on it
and the other software-encrypted. Then you would be machine independent.

Arno
 
So you imply that something has to be
installed. That's what I'm trying to avoid.
And, I have never partitioned a usb flash drive.
They just work. These little sticks are also
called thumb drives. Thanks

Have seen some units that have UPs installed
right in the device. They do all the encryption/de
automatically ... almost. They too seem to need
a little something on the host.
 
Previously werwer said:
So you imply that something has to be
installed. That's what I'm trying to avoid.
And, I have never partitioned a usb flash drive.
They just work. These little sticks are also
called thumb drives. Thanks
Click to expand...
Have seen some units that have UPs installed
right in the device. They do all the encryption/de
automatically ... almost. They too seem to need
a little something on the host.
Click to expand...

I don't think there are any flash-drives with reasonable
encryption on the device. It would probably be pretty
expensive having a crypto-engine on a dumb flash drive.

I think the best oprion is to install the "something" on the
flash drive. And, yes, you can partition flash drives. You
can also use them as "superfloppy" unpartitioned.

O.K., maybe I am not the best person to answer that.

Arno
 
Want to use an encrypted usb flash drive at various sites
on client owned Win boxes (xp 2k). Don't want to leave
installed software. Is there an encrypted usb
flash drive available that requires nothing but
a Wins OS to operate?
Click to expand...

I'm not certain if this will work:
Format the drive NTFS and use the Win2K/XPPro/2K3Server file encryption
option. This is under Properties/advanced properties when you right-
click a file or directory. NT does NOT support encryption. You cannot
create encrypted files with XPHome, but I don't know how it handles
existing files (I assume it will treat them as unreadable.)
 
Andrew Rossmann said:
(e-mail address removed) says...
Click to expand...
I'm not certain if this will work:
Click to expand...

I doubt it, without actually trying it.
Format the drive NTFS and use the Win2K/XPPro/2K3Server
file encryption option. This is under Properties/advanced
properties when you right-click a file or directory.
Click to expand...

Where is it going to get the encryption key from when you put it
in a system that you havent previously used the flash drive in ?

There wouldnt be any point in having it on the flash drive
where any other Win2K/XPPro/2K3Server could use it, that
would defeat the purpose of encryption in the first place.
 
Want to use an encrypted usb flash drive at various sites
on client owned Win boxes (xp 2k). Don't want to leave
installed software. Is there an encrypted usb
flash drive available that requires nothing but
a Wins OS to operate?

Thanks
Click to expand...

Hi

You could use TrueCrypt in Traveller mode, it must be on the Key (in
clear) but doesn't require to be installed on the host OS, then you
allocate the rest of the free space for a file that will be mounted as a
virtual drive.
 
Previously Paul Atreides said:
You could use TrueCrypt in Traveller mode, it must be on the Key (in
clear) but doesn't require to be installed on the host OS, then you
allocate the rest of the free space for a file that will be mounted as a
virtual drive.
Click to expand...

That sounds good. And it avoids the partitioning issue.

Arno
 
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