USB flash drives, memory cards, and external hard drives make it easy to back up and share your data. And they are becoming increasingly important. But what happens if you lose or misplace one of these devices?
In many cases, the result is a data breach. Data breaches can be prevented by encrypting your USB peripherals and external storage devices. Hackers can find ways to insert the most seemingly harmless data to use in their malicious attacks.
If you encrypt your flash drive, it’s more difficult for attackers to gain unauthorized access to the data on it, whether it’s stolen or lost by you.
Encryption uses a complex algorithm to convert a message into a string of characters that cannot be read. This change is specified by the encryption key. The same key is also used to convert data into a readable format.
Encryption is broadly classified into two types: symmetric and asymmetric, depending on whether the encryption and decryption keys are identical. Asymmetric encryption consists of a public key, which you can share publicly and use to encrypt data, and a private key, which you must keep secret.
It uses your private key to decrypt encrypted data along with your public key. As long as your private key is encrypted, your encryption system is secure.
If you are a business user or a company, data protection regulations like GDPR or HIPAA may be mandatory, meaning you’ll need to encrypt your data.
Even if your company does not comply with these regulations, it is important to encrypt your USB peripherals to prevent data leaks, which can cause irreparable damage to your business.
There are many software in the market today to encrypt your USB flash drives, a popular one among them is BitLocker; however, BitLocker encryption is a long and tedious process.
A convenient and more flexible alternative to BitLocker is the USB Security, which you can download in minutes and get started. You can visit website of the developers to learn more and download the software.
You should also encrypt your personal external storage devices, especially when your flash drive contains files that contain sensitive or personally identifiable information. This type of data includes personal or business details, photos, identity documents, plain text passwords, login credentials, and financial information.
In other words, if the data you have stored on your external drive is for your use only, you should encrypt it, period.
Since these devices are small in size, there is a risk of loss or theft. Always encrypt such data and remember to keep a backup as well. It goes without saying that when you encrypt your hard drive, be sure to remember your password or keep it in a safe place.
Data is the currency of the twenty-first century and therefore, it is your most important asset. Thus, you need to do all you can to ensure your data is safe and secure.