Kingston Technology: New DataTraveler BlackBox

Archive notice: This article was originally published on July 3, 2008. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.

Kingston Technology, the world’s largest independent memory manufacturer, today announced the DataTraveler BlackBox, a USB flash drive with hardware-based encryption certified to the Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS). The BlackBox DataTraveler, with storage capacities of 2 GB, 4 GB and 8 GB, is now available in black, green and red.

“We are very pleased that our DataTraveler BlackBox meets all government requirements adopted by the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST),” said Christian Marhöfer, Managing Director of Kingston Technology GmbH. “To obtain FIPS 140-2 certification, the requirements established by the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the Canadian government’s Communications Security Establishment must be met. This is extremely important for European governments and companies, because FIPS is a globally recognized standard. The DataTraveler BlackBox meets all these high-security standards.”

The FIPS Level 2 standard requires the DataTraveler BlackBox to perform a power-on self-test each time it is connected to a USB port, checking that the encryption architecture is functioning and that the drive is tamper-resistant. The DataTraveler BlackBox also features 265-bit hardware-based AES encryption and is waterproof to a depth of 1.2 metres. It has a stainless-steel housing with a titanium coating, while its controller is protected by an epoxy-resin enclosure. This makes the USB drive well equipped for harsh working conditions and environments. After ten consecutive incorrect password attempts, the DataTraveler BlackBox automatically locks to prevent unauthorized access if it is lost or stolen.

The warranty is five years and includes round-the-clock technical support, seven days a week.