Flash drive manufacturers warn: Hackers can decrypt ‘secure’ USB sticks

Here’s some news that might cause concern for some users of hardware-encrypted USB memory sticks.

Many companies and individuals use thumb drives equipped with hardware-based encryption to secure their sensitive data. This is sensible as there have been far too many instances of USB sticks being lost containing confidential patient records, school children and records relating to US soliders serving in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Even plans for secret troop movements stored on memory sticks have been lost on the floor of a nightclub.

In fact, if you can think of a type of personal sensitive information -…

Read more in my article on the Naked Security website.

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Graham Cluley •   @gcluley

Graham Cluley is a veteran of the anti-virus industry having worked for a number of security companies since the early 1990s when he wrote the first ever version of Dr Solomon's Anti-Virus Toolkit for Windows. Now an independent security analyst, he regularly makes media appearances and is an international public speaker on the topic of computer security, hackers, and online privacy. Follow him on Twitter at @gcluley, on Mastodon at @[email protected], or drop him an email.