User manual

G-P6019-TM001
ST Electronics (Info-Security) ISSUE A
17
What are the advantages of hardware-based full disk encryption over software
encryption solutions?
• Unlike existing software solutions, DiskCrypt Mobile encrypt every single byte and
sector of the hard drive. This means all temporary files, all partitions and even the
boot sector is encrypted
• One major disadvantage of existing software disk encryption products is that they are
Operating System (mostly Windows) dependent. DiskCrypt Mobile is independent of
the OS or the host system BIOS and thus support any OS.
• DiskCrypt Mobile does not involve any tedious and error-prone software installation
and configuration. Just plug DiskCrypt Mobile in the computer, authenticate yourself
and you are ready to go.
• Once installed, DiskCrypt Mobile does not require any maintenance or patches thus
reducing the total cost of ownership of the product.
• There are also no performance overheads due to encryption/decryption of data, unlike
software-based solutions.
What happens when DiskCrypt Mobile malfunctions?
Every DiskCrypt Mobile is subjected to a stringent quality assurance process prior to
shipment. However, hard drives installed in DiskCrypt Mobile still have a limited lifetime.
As such, users are advised to backup their data regularly. The encryption key is stored
securely in the included smart cards. In the event that DiskCrypt Mobile malfunctions, the
data in the drive will still be readable as long as the smart cards are present. Simply
install your drive in another DiskCrypt Mobile of the same encryption key length, initialize
your card(s), and you may use the new DiskCrypt Mobile as per normal.
Is the boot sector also encrypted?
Yes, DiskCrypt Mobile employs full disk encryption (FDE), meaning every single byte and
sector of your hard drive is encrypted.
Does encryption decrease drive performance?
No. The on-the-fly hardware encryption engine in DiskCrypt Mobile DCM300 is faster than
the data transfer rate of the SATA interface, and thus does not incur any performance
overhead, nor require any additional CPU resources.
How strong is the encryption of DiskCrypt Mobile?
DiskCrypt Mobile DCM300 offers AES encryption scheme with a key-strength of either 128
bits or 256 bits.
Can the PIN be changed later without data loss?
Yes, the smart card PIN may be easily changed during the time of authentication without
any data loss. Please note that PINs are smart card specific so changing the PIN with one
smart card does NOT automatically change the PIN of another.
Can I use DiskCrypt Mobile with my operating system?
Yes! Because DiskCrypt Mobile uses hardware for the authentication and encryption
processes, it is operating system independent. As long as your choice of operating system
supports the USB Mass Storage class specification and/or Firewire 400/800 specification,
you may use DiskCrypt Mobile with it. DiskCrypt Mobile has been tested under Windows
XP, 2000, Mac OS and Linux.