Enable 256-bit AES encryption on Vertex 3 SSD

[klinsmann]

I just brought a new Vertex 3 SSD for my computer and I have started using it. When saw its advertisement, it was written all over that it will have 256-bit AES encryption feature in it. So I wanted to know if this feature will have to be activated separately or will it encrypt the data as soon as I transfer it into the SSD? Is this encryption a software based encryption or hardware based encryption? Also will it make the rate at which the data is transferred in the SSD low?

[JErastus]

The data will be written on the NAND drive inside the SSD. The encryption for the Vertex 3 SSD will remain active every moment and will work on the data while you are transferring it inside the SSD. Many people has the misconception that if the SSD with encrypted data is transferred to another computer, the data won’t be read as the password will be saved in the RAM of the original PC. But let me tell you that this is not the case in working of Vertex 3 SSD. It has the password saving technique in itself and thus you can use the SSD in any PC you want with full access to the data available in it.

[Lisa Boney]

Vertex 3 SSD uses hardware based encryption to secure the data using the 256-bit AES encryption technique. This will not reduce any transfer speed and data will be transferred at normal speed. You can even use the software based encryption while transferring the data in the Vertex 3 SSD, but again the performance will be hampered. Every time you transfer the data in or out of the encrypted SSD, the system checks for the password. This process makes it slow. Actually, the password verification won’t be noticed, but when transferring large sized data, the password verification will take time. So it is recommended to set password with 4 to 5 characters only. It will guarantee security and also maintain the performance of the SSD.

[Dannai7]

Actually, from security point of view if seen, then the encryption in SSD is an awesome technique and also very useful. But from performance point of view, it is bad. During the startup, the computer will check for every data file and encryption applied on it. So if there is a large amount of data, the computer will take good amount of time to read and synchronize the data and get the computer started. Also if the startup time is large and in worst case scenario, the computer crashes, then there are chance of the data getting corrupt as the process of reading the encrypted file would be in progress. I think it is an dangerous feature to use.

[Mayoor]

I researched about the 256-bit AES encryption on Vertex 3 SSD and found that it doesn’t provide security according to the level the developers advertised. The passwords for the encrypted data will be stored in the SSD itself. This feature seems good in terms of portability, but I think if anyone needs security and proper encryption, the password should also be stored in BIOS. The feature that is being advertised by OCZ is just an enhanced version of S.M.A.R.T. protocol that is used in almost every hard disk and SSD till date.