Law-enforcement technologyUSB thumb drive for cybersecurity missions

Published 5 October 2010

New USB thumb drives designed for military, intelligence, and law enforcement cybersecurity missions; the device boots in less than three seconds, then automatically scans and copies data by prioritizing search criteria and securely partitions search results for analysis

Harris Corporation has introduced a customizable USB thumb drive that quickly extracts targeted data from computers. The device — called BlackJack — is designed for military, intelligence, and law enforcement cybersecurity missions, where, the company says, “speed, stealth and accuracy are paramount considerations.”

The company says the BlackJack device boots in less than three seconds, then automatically scans and copies data by prioritizing search criteria and securely partitions search results for analysis. Unlike other search devices, it has LED indicators that alerts the presence or absence of targeted data, so users can be certain whether they have indeed located and extracted information of interest.

This is a true breakthrough for the military, intelligence, and law enforcement communities that provide advanced computer forensics in the field without leaving a telltale footprint behind,” said Richard White, vice president, Advanced Information Solutions, Harris Government Communications Systems. “The BlackJack solution is lightning-fast, durable and has the potential for application in other markets, including corporate computer forensics.”

The BlackJack USB drive can be configured to search for specific data or types of data with a special configuration utility.

Everything USB reports that the drives are meant for Windows based computers and unless they have some sort of bootable technology they may be relegated to Windows XP. There are note many details available about how the BlackJack manages to launch itself, but new security measures may make its job difficult.

Windows 7 does not allow auto-run anymore, and USB boot options are not always possible, especially with BIOS passwords in place. “Without auto-run, you would have to launch the software manually from the keyboard which makes indicator lights on the drive a bit silly,” Everything USB notes. “Since it’s coming from Harris, we’re pretty sure they’ve found some creative work-arounds for these pesky details.”