INTRODUCTION

   Whenever i talk about secure hardware encrypted drives people tend to think that such products were only designed for industry experts and government workers who are always worried that someone may get illegal access to their sensitive data. This however isn't quite the case, yes, such devices were indeed at first primarily developed for use in these two areas but over the years their target audience expanded to a point that currently includes even regular consumers who just want a safe storage media for their work and/or private moments. So, if you'd be interested in such a device leaving out the obvious requirements such as capacity, size and media format (flash drive/HDD/SSD) the only remaining question would be which type to get, password, keypad or Bluetooth based? It's been well over a year since i had the chance to review the very good SECUREUSB KP (keypad) USB flash drive by SECUREDATA so after some of you asked i decided to also test their BT (Bluetooth) model.

   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.

   What makes the SECUREUSB BT (currently available in 8/16/32/64GB capacities) standout from other hardware encrypted drives is that instead of directly inputting a password or a PIN number for user authentication it connects with your smartphone and/or tablet via Bluetooth and gets unlocked via the DataLock Android/iOS mobile app. This may not seem as "simple" (at first) as just typing your password or using the keypad to input your PIN but for people who have a hard time remembering passwords (of people who just don't want to take any chances in that regard) this is actually very convenient. The SECUREUSB BT drive also features an IP57 certified aluminum housing (dust protection and up to 1m of submersion under water), interior covered in tough epoxy resin (makes it nearly impossible to recover components), FIPS 140-2 Level 3 validated military grade AES-XTS 256-bit full drive hardware encryption (GDPR compliant), dedicated hardware based crypto microprocessor which protects the drive against brute-force attacks (data in the drive is erased after the wrong password is entered a total of 10 times), bad USB protection mode (cuts off the drive completely from USB access until authorization is granted by the mobile app), read only mode and remote management (subscription service which includes Geofencing, Remote Data Wipe, Time Fencing, Password Reset & more). Last but not least SECUREDATA covers the entire SECUREUSB BT line of flash drives with a 3-year limited warranty.