Apricorn launches 4TB hardware-encrypted USB drive

Apricorn has launched a 4TB version of its Aegis Secure Key 3 encrypted USB drive, which it describes as the highest-capacity hardware-encrypted USB drive of its kind.

The new model expands the Aegis Secure Key 3 range with a storage capacity Apricorn says is eight times larger than comparable hardware-encrypted USB flash drives. It uses a mini solid-state drive architecture inside a flash drive-sized device, departing from the conventional design of encrypted thumb drives.

Apricorn says the 4TB drive has been engineered to meet or exceed the requirements for FIPS 140-3 Level 3 and has been submitted to the National Institute of Standards and Technology's Cryptographic Module Validation Program for validation. The standard is widely used by organisations that handle sensitive data and require hardware-based protection.

The device is aimed at government agencies, defence contractors, healthcare providers, financial institutions, legal professionals, digital forensic investigators and other organisations that need to move or store sensitive information offline. It uses software-free authentication and hardware encryption, an approach Apricorn has long used across its storage products.

Alongside the increase in capacity, the 4TB version includes the same hardware changes introduced in the latest generation of the Aegis Secure Key 3 family. These include a new bridge controller chip and an environmental protection design intended to shut the device down if temperature or electrical conditions move beyond safe thresholds.

Apricorn says the drive can resume operation once conditions return to normal. The feature is intended to protect both the hardware and the encrypted data stored on it.

Market demand

The launch reflects rising demand from organisations that need to transfer larger volumes of data without relying entirely on network connections. That includes fully offline systems, field operations and environments where moving large files over wide area networks is difficult or impractical.

“As organisations generate and move larger amounts of sensitive data than ever before, they need solutions that scale without sacrificing protection,” said Jeanclaude Toma, Chief Executive Officer, Apricorn.

“The new 4TB ASK3 reflects that need and demonstrates what is possible when innovation is driven by real customer demand, whether supporting fully offline edge systems or cloud-connected environments where transporting terabytes of secure data over wide area networks is impractical.

“As data footprints at the edge continue to grow, this device delivers greater capacity in a form factor that fits in the palm of your hand.”

Apricorn also says the updated design improves transfer speeds over the previous generation, with read speeds up by as much as 31 per cent and write speeds up by as much as 16 per cent.

Those changes are likely to matter in sectors where encrypted removable media remains part of daily workflows. While cloud storage and remote collaboration platforms have reduced dependence on physical media in many office settings, regulated industries and air-gapped systems still rely on hardware-encrypted devices for secure file transport.

Form factor

A key part of Apricorn's pitch is that the 4TB capacity comes in a device no larger than a traditional thumb drive. Hardware-encrypted USB products have often faced trade-offs between storage limits, size and ease of use, particularly where organisations want strong security controls without carrying larger external drives.

Kurt Markley, Managing Director, Apricorn, said customers had asked for more storage in the same portable design.

“There has never been a hardware-encrypted USB drive this small with this much storage,” said Markley.

“Customers asked us for more capacity without giving up the convenience of carrying a secure drive in their pocket, and that is exactly what we built. The 4TB ASK3 combines the ruggedness customers expect from Apricorn with super-fast performance and a design that meets and exceeds FIPS 140-3 Level 3 requirements. Whether it is travelling between offices, supporting field operations or moving sensitive files in harsh environments, this device is built to go wherever the data needs to go.”

Apricorn, based in California, develops hardware-encrypted storage products for sectors including government, aerospace, industrial, healthcare, finance, legal and education. The new drive is available through its authorised reseller network.