INTRODUCTION

   For reasons which have been evading me for the last decade or so it seems that most people (at least where i live) are not interested in hardware secure drives and yes that includes consumers, professionals and even government employees. Granted they do end up costing significantly more compared to regular models but at the same time they offer unparalleled security/protection for your sensitive data regardless of type (for example i use them to store personal family moments) and are OS independent (unlike software secure drives). On top of that you can actually pick how your hardware secure drive locks/unlocks and so aside the typical PIN authenticated models that feature keypads on them we now have Bluetooth enabled ones which you can lock/unlock from your smartphone and/or tablet. Over the years iStorage has released many popular and award winning hardware encrypted drives and today with me i have what's probably their fastest one to date the datAshur PRO+ C.

   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 brand new datAshur PRO+ C by iStorage is currently available in 8 different storage capacities (4/8/16/32/64/128/256/512GB) and unlike its predecessors it uses a USB-C plug. Once again, this drive is secured with real-time military grade FIPS PUB 197 validated AES-XTS 256-bit hardware encryption (FIPS 140-3 Level 3 pending) via PIN authentication (8-15 digits in length / supports independent Admin and User PINs) and sports an IP68 certified (dust and water resistant up to 1.5 meters for up to 30 minutes and crushproof since according to iStorage it can withstand the weight of a 2.7 ton vehicle) rugged aluminum enclosure, built-in 3.7v lithium-polymer rechargeable battery, super tough epoxy resin coating placed on its internal components and a polymer coated (wear resistant) alphanumeric keypad. As for functions iStorage has equipped it with an auto-lock (can be set to lock after a predetermined amount of time) and a Brute Force Hack Defence Mechanism which basically deletes both the PIN and all data stored in the drive after a total of 10 consecutive incorrect PIN entries, network whitelist (via unique VID/PID and internal/external serial number with barcode) and Bad USB protection (cuts off the drive completely from USB access until the proper password is entered). As for warranty iStorage still offers a 3-year limited one.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

Two product pictures are placed at the front of the box right next to the new FIPS 140-3 Level 3 certification.

Another product picture is located at the rear of the box and right over the product features.

Along with the datAshur PRO+ C inside the box you'll also find a USB-C to USB-A adapter and the quick start guide.

THE DATASHUR PRO+ C 128GB

Measuring 80.10mm in length, 20.25mm in width and 10.70mm in height the datAshur PRO+ C is almost identical to its predecessor.

The alphanumeric keypad placed on top is wear resistant thanks to its polymer coating.

At the rear of the drive, we find a metal wire lanyard which is very useful since you can use it either to attach it with your keys or your jeans.

On the other side of the drive, we find the barcode, serial number, company URL, drive capacity and the included power source details.

Attaching the aluminum cover makes the datAshur PRO+ C not only water resistant up to 1.5 meters but also crushproof since iStorage has tested it with a 2.7 ton vehicle.

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 date of this review. 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).

* As of November 2020, secure USB flash drives have their own charts (also added write performance levels) for a more "direct" and "easy" comparison between similar models.

TEST RESULTS - AIDA64 / ATTO

TEST RESULTS - HD TACH RW / HD TUNE PRO

TEST RESULTS - SISOFTWARE SANDRA PRO / CRYSTAL DISK MARK X64

CONCLUSION

   The new datAshur PRO+ C by iStorage may not be worlds apart with their datAshur PRO but it’s definitely a step further not only in terms of performance but also features. So aside being one of the fastest secure drives I’ve tested to date it also comes with the latest FIPS 140-3 Level 3 standard which offers quite a few improvements over FIPS 140-2 Level 3. Another difference between the new datAshur PRO+ C and previous models by iStorage is the PIN password since now requires at least 8 digits (previous models required at least 7). As with every secure drive to arrive in the lab i used some generic software suites to try and bypass the protection of the drive without luck. Still, I’m no hacker/cracker so if you’d like me to try something specific always feel free to reach out.

   The datAshur PRO+ C 128GB Secure Drive by iStorage currently retails for USD152 inside the USA (Amazon.com) a for around 190Euros inside the EU, a price tag which obviously places the datAshur PRO+ C 128GB right next to several similar models. Overall there’s not much more I can say about the datAshur PRO+ C 128GB, performance is very good, build quality/durability is even better, encryption is second to none and unlike previous models it’s available in numerous capacities so the Golden Award is in order.

PROS

- Build Quality (IP68 Certified Aluminum Enclosure)
- PIN Authentication
- Security Measures (AES-XTS 256-bit Hardware Encryption / FIPS 140-3 Level 3)
- Very Good Performance
- Available in 4/8/16/32/64/128/256/512GB
- 3 Year Limited Warranty

CONS

- Price (For Some)
- PIN Not Always Easy To Enter