IronKey
Encyclopedia
IronKey is an Internet security and privacy company located in Sunnyvale, California
that was formed in 2005 by David Jevans
, with the stated aim of providing security and privacy solutions to both consumers and enterprises. IronKey's founding was partially funded by the U.S. federal government
, with a grant of US$
1.4 million through the Homeland Security Research Projects Agency, and their products have been used extensively by the U.S. government in various areas.
, including the IronKey S200 and IronKey D200, which come in three varieties (Basic, Personal, and Enterprise) in sizes ranging from 1 GB
to 16 GB (up to 32 GB for the D200). The three versions differ primarily in the software included with them; there are also some hardware differences that prevent the end-user from converting one version to another. All three contain the same level of hardware encryption
and are structured with two partitions: an unlocker partition with software handling locking and unlocking, and a secure area. The Basic model has no extra software and is targeted at government and military users, while the Personal includes a portable version of Mozilla Firefox
, Identity Manager (an account/password management software), and Secure Sessions. The Enterprise model is intended for corporate and government environments, and is completely configurable by an administrator. As such, it can contain any or all of the software on the Personal edition, along with anti-malware software, RSA, and OTP
software.
One of the key design features of the IronKey is a self-destruct mechanism which activates after the user enters his password incorrectly a certain number of consecutive times. On the Personal model ten times is the limit, and on the Enterprise model the count is configurable by the administrator, while the Basic model can be configured to disable this feature entirely. As a safety measure, the device is required to be unplugged and replugged after every three password attempts. After reaching the password limit, the device will delete its encryption keys and instigates a wear level pass on the drive, effectively making the device completely unusable.
A key differentiator of IronKey from software-based encryption solutions is that IronKey's controller does not allow access to the user's data before authentication, even in encrypted form. With a USB drive containing software-encrypted data, full access to the encrypted data is available immediately upon mounting. This allows offline brute-force attacks or cryptanalysis
. Instead, with IronKey, the only attack surface available is giving the authentication interface different potential passwords. Because of the (also hardware-based) low limit on password attempts, this makes brute-forcing infeasible. Without getting access to the tamper-resistant hardware, an attacker cannot try hundreds of passwords, let alone the billions required to guess a moderately secure password.
The IronKey S100 has passed FIPS 140-2
Level 2 validation, and the S200 and D200 have passed FIPS 140-2
Level 3 validation. As of July 2009, the latter two were the only USB drives to obtain an Overall Level 3 (although Kingston Technology
has stated that Level 3 certification is pending for their DataTraveler 5000 device).
of the open source Tor
anonymizer
network
, offering similar features to end-users of secure and private web browsing by routing network traffic through a random selection of nodes
. Unlike Tor, it only uses private servers (around 22 of them) owned by IronKey in several different countries, including the USA, Canada
, Denmark
, the Netherlands
, and the UK. Users are unable to configure themselves as nodes, which means that the entire system would stop working
if IronKey ever ceased operations. While use of all private nodes secures users from potential third-party rogue nodes, it requires the user to trust IronKey alone with their traffic. With a single company (IronKey) controlling all the nodes, a court order against IronKey could result in the entire Secure Sessions network being compromised
.
Secure Sessions frequently generates new private keys on each server (used to encrypt all traffic), thereby making it very difficult to obtain the keys to decrypt any traffic that may have been captured by a law enforcement
or other agency. Some performance enhancements have been added to Secure Sessions and, as with Tor, some traffic restrictions are in place for blocking P2P
and other overlay networks that can cause bandwidth saturation
.
Identity Manager is a password management tool bundled on the Personal and Enterprise devices. The Identity Manager stores the passwords of a user in an encrypted format within a non-user-accessible area of the device, and connects to Mozilla Firefox
and Internet Explorer
, allowing automatic logins. This prevents malware from simply copying an account database off the device for a later attack. Passwords are only visible in memory for a matter of seconds while being populated onto the web form. During that time, they are as vulnerable as any other system.
using the more expensive and faster SLC, rather than the slower and shorter-lived MLC
, which is one of the reasons for the higher price of the S200 compared to the D200, which uses MLC flash. The S200's outer case is silver-metallic in color, while the D200 is gray. IronKey utilizes a strong, metallic outer casing to protect against physical damage, and the internal components are sealed with an epoxy
-based potting compound to protect against tampering as well as increase waterproofing
, along with increasing the device's strength. Additionally, there is a coating over the chipsets that senses any tampering by a change in the electrical impedance. If the IronKey senses a change, the cryptochip self-destructs the next time power is applied, and an NSA wear level erase of the flash is enacted. It tends to be a bit larger and heavier than most current flash drives, at 75 millimetres (3 in) x 19 millimetre (0.748031496062992 in) x 9 millimetre (0.354330708661417 in), and a weight of 25 gram (0.881849052627799 oz).
128-bit CBC hardware encryption
. It was renamed in July 2009 to the S100 to match the release of the newer S200, which uses AES 256-bit CBC hardware encryption.
(specifically Windows 2000 SP4, Windows XP SP2, Windows Vista, and Windows 7) users, the IronKey includes an unlocker for Mac OS X
10.4+, along with a large range of Linux
variants. The latest build of the IronKey Unlocker does not require any administrator
or root permissions, and installs no extra drivers
.
has partnered with IronKey to produce a bootable version of an IronKey drive, branded the IronClad. IronClad drives combine IronKey hardware with customized virtualization and security software that enables the drives to house and boot an entire operating system, applications and files from the USB drive.
As of October 2011, there does not appear to be ordering or pricing information available to the general public, and the only information seems to be press releases prior to June 2011. Cached pages indicate that this is or will be a custom item, with minimum order quantities in the 200 unit range. No record or review of the IronClad 'in the wild' seems to exist.
Most of the larger flash drive manufacturers have released similar products with varying feature sets; some of the more well known examples of which are:
Alternatively, free software-based disk encryption systems
can be used with any USB flash drive
and provide functionality comparable to IronKey's secure storage.
Sunnyvale, California
Sunnyvale is a city in Santa Clara County, California, United States. It is one of the major cities that make up the Silicon Valley located in the San Francisco Bay Area...
that was formed in 2005 by David Jevans
David Jevans
David Jevans is the Chairman and Founder of IronKey, an Internet security and privacy company in California. He has previously held senior positions at various Internet security companies, primarily Chief Marketing Officer and Senior Vice President positions at Tumbleweed Communications , Valicert...
, with the stated aim of providing security and privacy solutions to both consumers and enterprises. IronKey's founding was partially funded by the U.S. federal government
Federal government of the United States
The federal government of the United States is the national government of the constitutional republic of fifty states that is the United States of America. The federal government comprises three distinct branches of government: a legislative, an executive and a judiciary. These branches and...
, with a grant of US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
1.4 million through the Homeland Security Research Projects Agency, and their products have been used extensively by the U.S. government in various areas.
Overview
IronKey manufactures a range of secure USB flash drivesUSB flash drive security
Secure USB flash drives protect the data stored on them from access by unauthorized users. USB flash drive products have been on the market since 2000, and their use is increasing exponentially...
, including the IronKey S200 and IronKey D200, which come in three varieties (Basic, Personal, and Enterprise) in sizes ranging from 1 GB
Gigabyte
The gigabyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information storage. The prefix giga means 109 in the International System of Units , therefore 1 gigabyte is...
to 16 GB (up to 32 GB for the D200). The three versions differ primarily in the software included with them; there are also some hardware differences that prevent the end-user from converting one version to another. All three contain the same level of hardware encryption
Encryption
In cryptography, encryption is the process of transforming information using an algorithm to make it unreadable to anyone except those possessing special knowledge, usually referred to as a key. The result of the process is encrypted information...
and are structured with two partitions: an unlocker partition with software handling locking and unlocking, and a secure area. The Basic model has no extra software and is targeted at government and military users, while the Personal includes a portable version of Mozilla Firefox
Mozilla Firefox
Mozilla Firefox is a free and open source web browser descended from the Mozilla Application Suite and managed by Mozilla Corporation. , Firefox is the second most widely used browser, with approximately 25% of worldwide usage share of web browsers...
, Identity Manager (an account/password management software), and Secure Sessions. The Enterprise model is intended for corporate and government environments, and is completely configurable by an administrator. As such, it can contain any or all of the software on the Personal edition, along with anti-malware software, RSA, and OTP
One-time password
A one-time password is a password that is valid for only one login session or transaction. OTPs avoid a number of shortcomings that are associated with traditional passwords. The most important shortcoming that is addressed by OTPs is that, in contrast to static passwords, they are not vulnerable...
software.
One of the key design features of the IronKey is a self-destruct mechanism which activates after the user enters his password incorrectly a certain number of consecutive times. On the Personal model ten times is the limit, and on the Enterprise model the count is configurable by the administrator, while the Basic model can be configured to disable this feature entirely. As a safety measure, the device is required to be unplugged and replugged after every three password attempts. After reaching the password limit, the device will delete its encryption keys and instigates a wear level pass on the drive, effectively making the device completely unusable.
A key differentiator of IronKey from software-based encryption solutions is that IronKey's controller does not allow access to the user's data before authentication, even in encrypted form. With a USB drive containing software-encrypted data, full access to the encrypted data is available immediately upon mounting. This allows offline brute-force attacks or cryptanalysis
Cryptanalysis
Cryptanalysis is the study of methods for obtaining the meaning of encrypted information, without access to the secret information that is normally required to do so. Typically, this involves knowing how the system works and finding a secret key...
. Instead, with IronKey, the only attack surface available is giving the authentication interface different potential passwords. Because of the (also hardware-based) low limit on password attempts, this makes brute-forcing infeasible. Without getting access to the tamper-resistant hardware, an attacker cannot try hundreds of passwords, let alone the billions required to guess a moderately secure password.
The IronKey S100 has passed FIPS 140-2
FIPS 140-2
The Federal Information Processing Standard Publication 140-2, , is a U.S. government computer security standard used to accredit cryptographic modules. The title is Security Requirements for Cryptographic Modules...
Level 2 validation, and the S200 and D200 have passed FIPS 140-2
FIPS 140-2
The Federal Information Processing Standard Publication 140-2, , is a U.S. government computer security standard used to accredit cryptographic modules. The title is Security Requirements for Cryptographic Modules...
Level 3 validation. As of July 2009, the latter two were the only USB drives to obtain an Overall Level 3 (although Kingston Technology
Kingston Technology
Kingston Technology Company, Inc. is an American privately held, multinational computer technology corporation that develops, manufactures, sells and supports flash memory products and other computer-related memory products. Headquartered in Fountain Valley, California, USA, Kingston Technology...
has stated that Level 3 certification is pending for their DataTraveler 5000 device).
Bundled software
Secure Sessions is an IronKey-customized forkFork (software development)
In software engineering, a project fork happens when developers take a legal copy of source code from one software package and start independent development on it, creating a distinct piece of software...
of the open source Tor
Tor (anonymity network)
Tor is a system intended to enable online anonymity. Tor client software routes Internet traffic through a worldwide volunteer network of servers in order to conceal a user's location or usage from someone conducting network surveillance or traffic analysis...
anonymizer
Anonymizer
An anonymizer or an anonymous proxy is a tool that attempts to make activity on the Internet untraceable.It is a proxy server computer that acts as an intermediary and privacy shield between a client computer and the rest of the Internet...
network
Computer network
A computer network, often simply referred to as a network, is a collection of hardware components and computers interconnected by communication channels that allow sharing of resources and information....
, offering similar features to end-users of secure and private web browsing by routing network traffic through a random selection of nodes
Node (networking)
In communication networks, a node is a connection point, either a redistribution point or a communication endpoint . The definition of a node depends on the network and protocol layer referred to...
. Unlike Tor, it only uses private servers (around 22 of them) owned by IronKey in several different countries, including the USA, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, and the UK. Users are unable to configure themselves as nodes, which means that the entire system would stop working
Single point of failure
A single point of failure is a part of a system that, if it fails, will stop the entire system from working. They are undesirable in any system with a goal of high availability or reliability, be it a business practice, software application, or other industrial system.-Overview:Systems can be made...
if IronKey ever ceased operations. While use of all private nodes secures users from potential third-party rogue nodes, it requires the user to trust IronKey alone with their traffic. With a single company (IronKey) controlling all the nodes, a court order against IronKey could result in the entire Secure Sessions network being compromised
Man-in-the-middle attack
In cryptography, the man-in-the-middle attack , bucket-brigade attack, or sometimes Janus attack, is a form of active eavesdropping in which the attacker makes independent connections with the victims and relays messages between them, making them believe that they are talking directly to each other...
.
Secure Sessions frequently generates new private keys on each server (used to encrypt all traffic), thereby making it very difficult to obtain the keys to decrypt any traffic that may have been captured by a law enforcement
Law enforcement agency
In North American English, a law enforcement agency is a government agency responsible for the enforcement of the laws.Outside North America, such organizations are called police services. In North America, some of these services are called police while others have other names In North American...
or other agency. Some performance enhancements have been added to Secure Sessions and, as with Tor, some traffic restrictions are in place for blocking P2P
Peer-to-peer file sharing
P2P or Peer-to-peer file sharing allows users to download files such as music, movies, and games using a P2P software client that searches for other connected computers. The "peers" are computer systems connected to each other through internet. Thus, the only requirements for a computer to join...
and other overlay networks that can cause bandwidth saturation
Saturation (telecommunications)
In telecommunications, the term saturation has the following meanings:*In a communications system, the condition at which a component of the system has reached its maximum traffic-handling capacity...
.
Identity Manager is a password management tool bundled on the Personal and Enterprise devices. The Identity Manager stores the passwords of a user in an encrypted format within a non-user-accessible area of the device, and connects to Mozilla Firefox
Mozilla Firefox
Mozilla Firefox is a free and open source web browser descended from the Mozilla Application Suite and managed by Mozilla Corporation. , Firefox is the second most widely used browser, with approximately 25% of worldwide usage share of web browsers...
and Internet Explorer
Internet Explorer
Windows Internet Explorer is a series of graphical web browsers developed by Microsoft and included as part of the Microsoft Windows line of operating systems, starting in 1995. It was first released as part of the add-on package Plus! for Windows 95 that year...
, allowing automatic logins. This prevents malware from simply copying an account database off the device for a later attack. Passwords are only visible in memory for a matter of seconds while being populated onto the web form. During that time, they are as vulnerable as any other system.
Hardware
All models of IronKey share the same case design. There are two versions of the IronKey (S200 and D200) that come in three different models. The S200 contains RAMRandom-access memory
Random access memory is a form of computer data storage. Today, it takes the form of integrated circuits that allow stored data to be accessed in any order with a worst case performance of constant time. Strictly speaking, modern types of DRAM are therefore not random access, as data is read in...
using the more expensive and faster SLC, rather than the slower and shorter-lived MLC
Multi-level cell
In electronics, a multi-level cell is a memory element capable of storing more than a single bit of information.MLC NAND flash is a flash memory technology using multiple levels per cell to allow more bits to be stored using the same number of transistors...
, which is one of the reasons for the higher price of the S200 compared to the D200, which uses MLC flash. The S200's outer case is silver-metallic in color, while the D200 is gray. IronKey utilizes a strong, metallic outer casing to protect against physical damage, and the internal components are sealed with an epoxy
Epoxy
Epoxy, also known as polyepoxide, is a thermosetting polymer formed from reaction of an epoxide "resin" with polyamine "hardener". Epoxy has a wide range of applications, including fiber-reinforced plastic materials and general purpose adhesives....
-based potting compound to protect against tampering as well as increase waterproofing
Waterproofing
Waterproof or water-resistant describes objects relatively unaffected by water or resisting the ingress of water under specified conditions. Such items may be used in wet environments or under water to specified depths...
, along with increasing the device's strength. Additionally, there is a coating over the chipsets that senses any tampering by a change in the electrical impedance. If the IronKey senses a change, the cryptochip self-destructs the next time power is applied, and an NSA wear level erase of the flash is enacted. It tends to be a bit larger and heavier than most current flash drives, at 75 millimetres (3 in) x 19 millimetre (0.748031496062992 in) x 9 millimetre (0.354330708661417 in), and a weight of 25 gram (0.881849052627799 oz).
Encryption
The original version of the IronKey (released in 2005) used AESAdvanced Encryption Standard
Advanced Encryption Standard is a specification for the encryption of electronic data. It has been adopted by the U.S. government and is now used worldwide. It supersedes DES...
128-bit CBC hardware encryption
Encryption
In cryptography, encryption is the process of transforming information using an algorithm to make it unreadable to anyone except those possessing special knowledge, usually referred to as a key. The result of the process is encrypted information...
. It was renamed in July 2009 to the S100 to match the release of the newer S200, which uses AES 256-bit CBC hardware encryption.
Operating system support
While most of the supporting software (mainly Identity Manager and Secure Sessions) are only available to WindowsMicrosoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
(specifically Windows 2000 SP4, Windows XP SP2, Windows Vista, and Windows 7) users, the IronKey includes an unlocker for Mac OS X
Mac OS X
Mac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems...
10.4+, along with a large range of Linux
Linux
Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
variants. The latest build of the IronKey Unlocker does not require any administrator
Superuser
On many computer operating systems, the superuser is a special user account used for system administration. Depending on the operating system, the actual name of this account might be: root, administrator or supervisor....
or root permissions, and installs no extra drivers
Device driver
In computing, a device driver or software driver is a computer program allowing higher-level computer programs to interact with a hardware device....
.
Enterprise
The Enterprise version of the IronKey is intended to allow larger companies and government departments to centrally configure, deploy, and manage their employees' IronKeys through a paid service. Some key features of this service are the abilities to create specific profiles for groups of employees (which allows different users access to different features), to remotely kill or disable an IronKey after it has been deployed, to control whether an IronKey is allowed to be unlocked at remote locations, to add an RSA SecurID app or CryptoCard app to the IronKeys, and to see where the IronKeys are being used on a global map.Partnerships
Lockheed MartinLockheed Martin
Lockheed Martin is an American global aerospace, defense, security, and advanced technology company with worldwide interests. It was formed by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta in March 1995. It is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, in the Washington Metropolitan Area....
has partnered with IronKey to produce a bootable version of an IronKey drive, branded the IronClad. IronClad drives combine IronKey hardware with customized virtualization and security software that enables the drives to house and boot an entire operating system, applications and files from the USB drive.
As of October 2011, there does not appear to be ordering or pricing information available to the general public, and the only information seems to be press releases prior to June 2011. Cached pages indicate that this is or will be a custom item, with minimum order quantities in the 200 unit range. No record or review of the IronClad 'in the wild' seems to exist.
Competing products
Secure flash drives have become more common in recent years, following increases in reports of drives and laptops with confidential data being lost or stolen.Most of the larger flash drive manufacturers have released similar products with varying feature sets; some of the more well known examples of which are:
- Deepnet Security:CryptoKey
- AloahaAloahaAloaha is a privately owned company with offices in Ibbenbueren, Germany. Their document and security products have been used extensively in various areas.- Overwiew :Aloaha manufactures a range of secure USB flash drives in sizes ranging from 4 GB to 32 GB...
: Aloaha Secure Stick with up to 32GB Smartcard encrypted flash memory - LexarLexarLexar Media, Inc. is an American manufacturer of digital media products based in Fremont, CA. Products manufactured by Lexar include SD cards, Memory Sticks, keydrives, CompactFlash cards and card readers. Lexar's Memory Stick Duos also have versions adapted for the PSP which includes a version of...
: JumpDrive SecureII Plus - MXI Security: M200, M500, M550, M600 CAPS, M700 Bio
- Kingston TechnologyKingston TechnologyKingston Technology Company, Inc. is an American privately held, multinational computer technology corporation that develops, manufactures, sells and supports flash memory products and other computer-related memory products. Headquartered in Fountain Valley, California, USA, Kingston Technology...
: DataTraveler Vault and DataTraveler BlackBox (with FIPS 140-2FIPS 140-2The Federal Information Processing Standard Publication 140-2, , is a U.S. government computer security standard used to accredit cryptographic modules. The title is Security Requirements for Cryptographic Modules...
Level 2 certification), and DataTraveler 5000 (with FIPS 140-2FIPS 140-2The Federal Information Processing Standard Publication 140-2, , is a U.S. government computer security standard used to accredit cryptographic modules. The title is Security Requirements for Cryptographic Modules...
Level 2 certification, and Level 3 pending). - Blockmaster Security: SafeStick
- SanDiskSanDiskSanDisk Corporation is an American multinational corporation that designs, develops and manufactures data storage solutions in a range of form factors using the flash memory, controller and firmware technologies. It was founded in 1988 by Dr. Eli Harari and Sanjay Mehrotra, non-volatile memory...
: Cruzer EnterpriseCruzer EnterpriseDeveloped by SanDisk, the Cruzer Enterprise is an encrypted USB flash drive. This secure USB drive imposes a mandatory access control on all files, storing them in a hardware-encrypted, password-protected partition... - VerbatimVerbatim CorporationVerbatim Americas, LLC is a US company that markets storage media and flash memory products. It is a subsidiary of Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings Corporation of Japan and is based in Charlotte, North Carolina.-History:...
: Store 'n' Go Corporate Secure USB Drive - UniKey Drive: 1GB, 4GB, and 8GB Data protection
Alternatively, free software-based disk encryption systems
Comparison of disk encryption software
-Background information:-Operating systems:-Features:* Hidden containers: Whether hidden containers can be created for deniable encryption...
can be used with any USB flash drive
USB flash drive
A flash drive is a data storage device that consists of flash memory with an integrated Universal Serial Bus interface. flash drives are typically removable and rewritable, and physically much smaller than a floppy disk. Most weigh less than 30 g...
and provide functionality comparable to IronKey's secure storage.