Silver Bullet Helps Wipe Out Data

[MattyBoy]

There are plenty of options to protect data on a USB flash drive that can meet the numerous security requirements of government and corporate alike. Perhaps onboard encryption just isn't enough when admins want to micro-manage individual flash drive content in situations physical access to the hardware is impossible. That's where Silver Bullet comes in. The web-based subscription service that costs $24 per user annually will let admins remotely wipe out or lock the data stored on IronKey.



Basically, whenever an IronKey is inserted into a PC, it can receive commands from Bullet Bullet, which may include completion data destruction; sending back the host's MAC and IP address to the admins; and locking the drive. IronKeys under the control of Silver Bullet could also be configured to work on specific types of computers. If that still isn't enough, admins can also pull out a map indicating where their IronKeys are located around the globe - one of the many examples to keep a record of IP addresses.

[ everythingusb ]

[Dr. V]

Silver Bullet is a Web-based service that will be offered as a subscription add-on to IronKey's USB device management software, said David Jevans, IronKey's CEO.

An IronKey USB (Universal Serial Bus) stick uses the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) to securely store data, which is used by the U.S. government for sensitive material. Nonetheless, some customers have requested more features in order to destroy data, Jevans said.

[Birdie]

Alternatively, Silver Bullet will also let administrators simply lock the data on an IronKey. If an employee loses an IronKey but later finds it, the device can be unlocked, Jevans said. Another scenario where the lock feature is useful is if a company believes one of its employees is carry objectionable material and wants to preserve the data for analysis.

Silver Bullet can also transmit to a central administration console the IP (Internet Protocol) address of a computer in which an IronKey is being used. IronKey is also working on other tracking-related features that could be rolled out by the end of year.