INTRODUCTION

   If you're a professional or even a casual user and want to securely store/backup all your sensitive data you have four current options, software encryption via an app or program, the cloud or a software and/or a hardware encrypted drive (also known as keypad drives). The cloud although indeed very convenient since you need not carry anything around with you (as long as you can have high-speed internet access wherever you go) is not nearly as secure as some people may think and the same also applies for software encryption since that can also be hacked into (via brute force, dictionary and other attacks/means). That only leaves hardware encrypted drives and although they may not be as popular among consumers as the other three, they are the go-to choice for professionals all over the world. SECUREDATA has a large number of available hardware encrypted drives (both via Keypad and Wireless connectivity) and after testing their portable SSD's today we're testing their SECURE USB KP 64GB USB 3.0 Flash Drive.

   SECUREDATA, Inc. is a privately held company, headquartered in California, USA. SecureData offers a range of tailored high-level data protection capabilities through a set of services and products. These include hardware encrypted portable storage devices, backup solutions, file repair software, data recovery, and digital forensics services to help clients achieve their security objectives. SecureData has a presence through its partners in North America, Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), Asia, and South America, and serves companies and organizations in regulated industries, such as government, financial services, military, law enforcement, legal, healthcare, and education. More information regarding the SECUREDATA products line can be found at securedrive.com.

   The Red Dot 2019 award winning SECURE USB KP line of USB 3.0 flash drives (currently available in 8/32/64/128GB capacities) is OS independent (meaning it can be used with virtually any USB enabled device) and features an IP57 certified aluminum housing (dust protection and up to 1m of submersion under water), special wear-resistant coating for its keys (prevents people from knowing which keys are used most), interior covered in tough epoxy resin (makes it nearly impossible to recover components) and a 38mAh lithium-ion polymer rechargeable battery. In terms of data safety the SECURE USB line sports Military-Grade AES 256-bit XTS hardware encryption (FIPS 140-2 Level 3 certification is also pending), brute-force anti-hacking protection via dedicated microprocessor (deletes both the PIN and all data stored in the drive after a total of 10 consecutive incorrect PIN entries), inactivity auto-lock (predefined time between 0 and 60 minutes) and Bad USB protection (cuts off the drive completely from USB access until the proper password is entered). Finally, SECUREDATA ships the SECURE USB KP line of USB 3.0 flash drives with a 1-year pre-loaded license for the DriveSecurity Antivirus (powered by ESET) and covers it with a 3-year limited warranty.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

The SECUREUSB KP USB 3.0 flash drive is shipped inside a blister package which allows you to see the drive and its main features from the front.

A 2D barcode is placed at the rear of the blister package right over a small opening (via which you can see details about the built-in battery) and instructions on how to use the drive.

The blister package contains just the SECUREUSB KP USB 3.0 flash drive and the quick start guide.

THE SECUREUSB KP 64GB

The 22g heavy aluminum body of the SECUREUSB KP 64GB flash drive measures 80mm in length, 20mm in width and 10.5mm on height.

Removing the protective cover reveals the keypad and the activity LEDs.

The keypad consists from 11 keys all feature wear resistant coating.

At the rear of the drive we find a 2D barcode, information about the built-in battery and the serial and part numbers.

SECUREDATA has placed their logo at the base of the drive.

We feel that a comparison with the equal capacity diskAshur PRO USB flash drive which we reviewed last year is unavoidable and so here you can see both.

Both drives share several similarities but unfortunately unlike the diskAshur PRO the SECUREUSB KP doesn't feature a metal wire lanyard.

As with past models by SECUREDATA the SECUREUSB KP drive comes bundled with the DriveSecurity AV by ESET and the USB to CLOUD backup software by clevX.

TEST BED

TESTING METHODOLOGY

   Since flash drives are basically plain storage media devices just like solid state drives and hard disk drives, we are using almost the same testing methodology to successfully record the achieved performance numbers. The benchmark suites used are HD Tach RW (Read Speeds / Long Bench 32mb Zone Testing), HD Tune Pro (Read speeds), Sisoftware Sandra Pro (Read / Write speeds - some drives can't be tested for write performance), AIDA 64 Engineer Edition (Average Linear Read / Random Read speeds), Crystal Disk Mark x64 (100MB-1000MB Read / Write speeds) and finally ATTO (Max Read / Max Write speeds). Every test is repeated a total of 6 times after which the average performance numbers are recorded into our charts (0 = we were unable to complete that test).

All tests are performed with our main rig running Microsoft Windows 10 Pro installation on a HyperX Predator 480GB PCIe SSD with all updates installed up to the 18th of May 2019. As always for comparison purposes in the charts you will also find many other flash drivers which have been tested using the same exact test bench as the one in this review (we really can't keep every flash drive we get forever and also even if we could test them all again and again would simply not be possible).

TEST RESULTS - AIDA64 / ATTO

TEST RESULTS - HD TACH RW / HD TUNE PRO

TEST RESULTS - SISOFTWARE SANDRA PRO / CRYSTAL DISK MARK X64

CONCLUSION

   Exactly like with past hardware encrypted drives we had no luck hacking our way into the SECURE USB KP USB 3.0 flash drive (but then again, we are not really hackers so our resources are somewhat limited in that field) so we don’t have any reason to doubt what SECUREDATA says about this particular drive. In terms of performance just like in the case of the diskAshur PRO the SECURE USB KP doesn’t do great (certainly not nearly as good compared to some of other USB flash drives in our charts) but for a hardware encrypted drive we’d say it does very well (and for the most part it trades blows with the former). Our only “complaint” is the lack of a metal lanyard like in the case of the diskAshur PRO since we did find that to be very useful when attaching it to keychains and even our jeans. True this has nothing to do with the security features of the drive, it’s performance or its IP57 certified aluminum enclosure but still we feel it would be great if SECUREDATA came around to adding that tiny feature in their USB flash line product lines.

   As we’ve pointed out many times in our past reviews due to their somewhat “special” target audience hardware encrypted drives are not what we’d call affordable and so the SECURE USB KP 64GB USB 3.0 Flash Drive by SECUREDATA currently retails for USD159.99 inside the USA (Amazon.com). Of course, this price tag may not feel as hefty to professionals who place data integrity/safety above all else but when you can find regular USB flash drives with capacities of up to 512GB for as much or even less it’s understandable that for casual consumers this is far from an affordable model. That being said the SECURE USB KP does deliver on everything SECUREDATA advertises it for and for that it certainly deserves our Golden Award.

PROS

- Build Quality (IP57 Certified Aluminum Enclosure)
- PIN Authentication
- Security Measures (AES-XTS 256-bit Hardware Encryption/ FIPS 140-2 Level 3 - pending)
- Good Performance
- Available in 8/16/32/64/128GB
- ESET DriveSecurity Software (1 Year License)
- 3 Year Warranty

CONS

- Price (For Some)
- Availability Outside The USA
- No Lanyard Included (For Some)