The sensitive nature of confidential information is driving the need to secure data stored on all portable computer systems. CipherShield's innovative solution ensures multi-level privacy, confidentiality and authentication, allowing organizations to protect valuable assets, credentials and intellectual property which are exposed to significant risk of theft. Legal liability and the financial consequences associated with stolen confidential information require organizations to go to extreme lengths to protect their data.

Certain inhibiting factors have limited the widespread adoption of data encryption. Software solutions fail to address multiple concerns of performance degradation, user acceptance and ease-of-use. In contrast, hardware-based encryption technology is a much more secure solution offering simple and absolute data security which completely eliminates processor cycle interrupts and memory overhead. With CipherShield's transparent hardware based solution you are assured that your data and credentials are fully protected
How to Use It

All data are stored encrypted with Cipher Shield product. The encryption and decryption are done by a processor embedded inside. The access to the data isn't relied on password, which could be easily hacked, but on physical element.

For example, our USB 2.0/Firewire Combo External Drive utilizes a key to gain access to the drive. By inserting the key into a slot behind the drive, you can gain access to the data. By removing the key, data cannot be accessed even though the drive is still connected to the computer via USB or Firewire interface. When the key is removed, the drive is "transparent" to the operating system of a computer, thereby ensuring full protection of the data.

Security

Cipher Shield offers many different levels of security suitable for different users:
- 40-bit DES encryption, adequate for general users
- 64-bit DES encryption, adequate for commercial use
- 128-bit Triple DES/AES encryption, adequate for government and military use
- 192-bit AES encryption, adequate for advance security requirements

Key lengths and possible combination of "breaking the key":
- 40-bit, 240 = 1,099,511,627,776
- 64-bit, 264 = 18,446,744,073,709,551,616
- 128-bit, 2128 = 3.4028e+36
- 192-bit, 2192 = ??? You do the math

 

Advantage

The main advantage to Cipher Shield over other security method is that our product is designed to be used by everyone and anyone. Unlike software encryption, there are no password to remember or complex installation. Such method usually requires MIS support and are costly. Other hardware solution also are costly and only used by corporations.

However, at this digital age and the popularity of mobile computing, everyone needs a secured storage device to not only protect data from work, but private information as well. Such demand requires a portable storage device that is secured, fast, low-cost, and easy-to-use - which is the goal of Cipher Shield.
Hardware Encryption Software Encryption
Faster Speed Not as Efficient
- Computations are done in a separate device, which will avoid the overload of main processor
- The device usually incorporates an accelerator board speed of processing		 - Encryption involves computationally intensive processes, which will require significant processing load for the main processor
Added Security Can be Easily attacked
- Difficult to tamper with, even with the access to the device itself.
- High degree of protection against attack		 - Encryption code could be easily altered, if the encryption host is compromised
- Overall security is generally reduced by low cost and non-requirement of specialized platform
- Software "key" can be easily copied and attack "off-line"

 

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