INTRODUCTION

   Even though for reasons unknown to me encrypted drives are not popular where i live (and even that's an understatement) they are pretty much everywhere else and so it's no surprise that most manufacturers are always coming up with new and innovative products to cover even more segments of the market. Personally, i have a tendency to prefer keypad based models (old school and more "secure" in my eyes) but i do realize that some may not be able to remember (or just could be afraid they'll forget) a PIN and so the newly introduced Bluetooth models should fit such people like a glove. Such a model is the latest datAshur BT USB 3.2 Gen 1 Flash Drive by our friends over at iStorage and today with me i have the top of the line 128GB variant.

   iStorage is the trusted global leader of award-winning, PIN authenticated, hardware encrypted portable data storage & cloud encryption devices. iStorage offers the most innovative range of products to securely encrypt, store and protect data to military standards; safeguarding valuable and sensitive data to ensure compliance with stringent regulations and directives such as GDPR, HIPAA, SOX, NRC, GLB and DHS Initiatives. Founded in London, England in 2009 by John Michael, a serial entrepreneur, with 32 years’ experience within the IT Industry, iStorage has fast become recognised as a leading innovator and supplier of ultra-secure, easy to use and affordable portable data storage devices.

   The OS independent datAshur BT USB flash drive by iStorage is currently available in 16/32/64/128GB capacities and what makes it standout from keypad (PIN) hardware encrypted drives is that instead of directly inputting a password/PIN number for user authentication it connects with your smartphone and/or tablet via Bluetooth to do exactly that (via the datAshur BT Android/iOS app). Yes, this does require slightly more preparation at first (always compared to a keypad model) but once that's over with you can either use a biometric unlock (face ID/facial recognition, touch ID/fingerprint recognition or IRIS scanning) or a 7-15 character password which you can even store in the app and access the drive automatically (just remember to always lock your smartphone/tablet otherwise that could become a security risk). Other features of the datAshur BT include 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), step away autolock (drive gets locked if you move 5 meters away for over 5 seconds), 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). Of course, just like with other product lines iStorage covers the datAshur BT models with a 3-year limited warranty.