I Traveled With One Of The Most Secure SSDs Ever - And Never Felt More Relaxed

There are a lot of secure storage drives (SSDs) out there, and plenty of drives that can withstand water and dust, but drives that protect your data from everything are rare.

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However, they do exist -- and one such drive is the iStorage diskAshur PRO3, a high-speed, state-of-the-art, hardware-encrypted SSD.

On the security front, the diskAshur PRO3 uses AES-XTS 256-bit hardware encryption, meaning all data on the drive is always encrypted -- unlike drives that rely on software encryption. The drive is certified to the FIPS 140-3 Level 3 standard, helping organizations comply with data regulations such as GDPR, CCPA, HIPAA, and TAA.

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The diskAshur PRO3 also features a wear-resistant, backlit alphanumeric keypad for entering an 8-to-64-character passcode. This keypad is crucial because it prevents attackers from using wear patterns to guess the code. 

If someone tries to brute-force the passcode, the drive has robust countermeasures. After 10 consecutive incorrect attempts, the user is locked out, and only someone with the admin passcode can access the data. If the admin passcode is entered incorrectly 10 times, the drive is securely wiped, and the data is gone forever.

The drive allows you to set up a self-destruct passcode for added security. When entered, this passcode wipes the encryption key, all PINs, and the data, ensuring nothing is recoverable.

The diskAshur PRO3 is entirely self-contained and special software doesn't need to be installed on the host device. The drive works with virtually any device with a USB port. It recognizes external storage, whether running Windows, macOS, iPadOS, Linux, Android, ChromeOS, or even a computer, DVR, medical equipment, printer, scanner, or CCTV system. 

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The drive is also built to withstand physical tampering. Accessing the internal components requires physically breaking the enclosure, and, even then, every internal component is encased in layers of strong epoxy resin. This makes it virtually impossible to access the components without irreparably damaging them.

Additionally, the drive is sealed against the elements and rated IP56 for dust and water resistance. This means the device is protected against harmful dust and strong jets of water from all directions.

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The drive has a Kensington lock slot to prevent physical theft. It also has a handy carry case to keep the drive and its cables together when traveling.

On the performance front, the drive isn't a speed demon -- hardware-encrypted drives are not designed for speed, but security and reliability. However, you can expect read and write speeds of around 440MB/s.

The good news is you can be assured that whatever you put on that drive will stay there. 

ZDNET's buying advice

The iStorage diskAshur PRO3 is about as secure as it gets. It's a super-secure storage solution that connects to virtually any system with a USB port and keeps your data safe from hackers and Mother Nature. And if someone does try to break into the drive, they'll have to contend with strong, time-tested hardware encryption, brute-force protection, and layers of epoxy resin designed to thwart tampering.