Securing USB drivesMXI Security: Secure USB drives

Published 23 November 2010

Making USB drives highly secure addresses two major security problems organizations face: the infection of their computer systems through an infected USB drive, and the theft or loss of sensitive data stored on a USB drive; MXI Security solutions combine the computing abilities of secure USB flash drives with identity and access management services

MXI offers a secure USB flash drive // Source: techmagnews.com

The spread of Stuxnet malware - - the most sophisticated virus to date, aiming to take control over and disrupt industrial control systems — was facilitated by infected USB drives. Experts believe that Israel was behind the cyber attack, because most of the computers infected (more than 30,000) were used in Iran’s industrial systems, including the Bushehr nuclear reactor. The Iranian deny it, but outside experts say the cyber attack caused a delay in the reactor coming on line, originally scheduled for mid-August. The Iranian government has already arrested several engineers and scientists working in the country’s sprawling nuclear weapons infrastructure, accusing them of intentionally infecting the control systems.

When we talk about how to prevent infecting computer systems by using a USB drive, or how to prevent the loss or theft of sensitive information when a USB drive is misplaced or stolen, we talk about the business of Canadian company MXI Security.

The company’s products have been adopted by DOD, DHS, Health and Human Services (HHS), Veteran Affairs (VA), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and U.S. Secret Service (USSS) for its compatibility with common access cards (CAC) and personal identity verification (PIV) capability to secure devices managed by McAfee’s ePolicy Orchestrator (ePO).

With a development group in Quebec and it’s manufacturing facilities in California, MXI Security provides a line of secure USB drivesdesigned to meet the security and privacy standards of their customers. MXI Security solutions combine the computing abilities of secure USB flash drives with identity and access management services. Their unique FIPS 140-2 Level 3 certified Biometric USB drives have allowed MXI Security to gain a significant share of the Federal Government agencies. The secure USB market shows promise for a company like MXI. A recent analysis forecasts sales in the United States growing to 156 million USB units by 2014 from the 48.9 million units sold in 2010. Among other companies in the market: Aladdin eToken Pro, Vasco DigiPass Key, Sandisk, and IronKey.

The company integrated its technologies with Tresys technology’s FiST in May of this year to offer government customers and their coalition partners enhanced end-to-end protection of their USB drives. Tresys’ FiST solution accesses and conducts deep content inspection/analysis of mobile and portable media and removes malicious hidden content, viruses, and malware. Lawrence Reusing, CEO of MXI Security commented on the partnership: “With the support of Tresys, MXI Security will now offer the most advanced portable security solutions