The USB stick is a great tool for storing data, however, all along they have brought with them some inherent security risks. Of course there is the issue of viruses but there are other security issues also that have to be taken into account when using a USB stick.
Encrypted USB Sticks For Data
Storage
The
USB stick is a great tool for storing data, however, all along they have
brought with them some inherent security risks. Of course there is the issue of
viruses but there are other security issues also that have to be taken into
account when using a USB stick.
New
Security Measures Have Been Developed For USB Sticks
The
good news is that security solutions have been developed in the form of
anti-virus features, password protection and encryption that now allows users
of USB sticks to feel far more secure, with regards to the data that is
contained in them.
Security
Is Peace Of Mind
So
now if you are using a flash drive you can do scans on outside or foreign
systems even if it doesn't contain its own independent anti-virus protection in
it. Thus you can be assured that will not become infected with any viruses as
you perform these tasks.
A
Backup Form Of Anti Virus Protection
However;
as an alternate form of back-up anti-virus protection, it is advisable that the
flash drive be scanned Immediately upon plugging it back into your computer
just to be safe. This step will insure that any virus that by chance was not
detected by a portable scanner will not have a chance to infect your entire
system.
Security
For Your Passwords
As
far as passwords are concerned, with a USB stick it is to your benefit to have
and use some type of password manager software on your flash drive. Also of
course you will also want your password manager to be encrypted for security
reasons.
Haste
Makes Waste
Where
far too many people go wrong is to simply remove their USB stick without
properly going through procedure that is required to safely remove the device.
The end result of saving the few seconds of time that they do, can be that the
data contained in the USB stick can end up being corrupted.
What
Is the Most Secure USB Stick?
If
you are security minded and are interested in knowing what the most secure USB
stick is, that would be those that feature (AES) or what is known in the industry
as “advanced encryption standard”. In short, it's the very latest in corporate
grade standards thus it is sufficient to protect your data.
More
Security For a Higher Cost
While
these USB sticks do cost a bit more, they are growing in popularity as more
people are switching to using them as a way of securing their business and
personal data. However; there are a few things that you will want to take into
account, should you switch to using these far more secure USB sticks.
A
Few Things To Consider
For instance, you will
definitely need to update your companies data security policies to account for
their use in the organization. Another good idea is to install some type of
data base to store and manage all of the passwords that are in use for the secure
USB sticks, lest you run into a situation where one or more of the password are
lost or forgotten.
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| About the author |
Chris Tyrrell writes for Primo IT who specialise in secure USB solutions such as SafeStick. Visit the website for more details. |
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