01/19/10
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New USB flash drive offers users a virtual privacy machine
Many who are tired of lugging a laptop to and from work to ensure secure access to much-needed information may now be able to leave the laptop behind thanks to a new “PC on a stick.” Lockheed Martin and IronKey recently announced an ultra-secure USB flash drive with custom software that allows anyone to take an entire computer – including its operating system – along for secure use on any public computer. Called IronClad, the technology starts at 8GB capacity with 256-bit military-grade encryption and built-in anti-virus protection, the company said. “Imagine leaving the office at the end of the day and, instead of slinging a laptop bag on your shoulder, you tuck a flash drive the size of a stick of gum in your pocket,” said Charles Croom, Lockheed Martin's vice president of Cyber Security Solutions. The IronClad technology runs the operating system directly from the flash drive so the user's files never touch the hard drive of the computer and leaves no trace that it was ever there, according to the company. Virtual privacy machines, such as the IronClad have been talked about as a concept for several years, according to Everything USB.