USB flash drive : Computer Hardware Buyers’ Glossary

The official generic name is now UFD UFD. Asian companies often have a typo and call them UFBs. Most vendors are now calling them flash drives.

thumbdrive is the proprietary name used by Trek. the Singapore-based maker of the first units. A device that looks like a keychain fob that can be used to store and transport information. It is like a tiny solid state disk drive that plugs into your USB port. You can also use them as backup devices. A 32 MB thumbdrive holds as much as 7 DVDs (Digital Video Discs). It is reusable and orders of magnitude faster.

As Electronic Floppies

They are used much like sneakernet floppies were in the old days, except they typically hold 700 times as much. Often people use them to transport music files. The iPod is similar to a flash drive except you can’t unload the data to a different machine. Trek makes one with an email client on board, so you can take your email and email software with you on your keychain. The 1 GB version is only  $8.00 USD Last revised/verified: 2009-03-08

Corel gave me a 2 GB freebie flash drive. It hold the equivalent of 3 CDs.

As Extra RAM (Random Access Memory)

ReadyBoost is a feature of Vista/W2008/W7-32/W7-64 to use a flash drive you insert into a USB port to speed up disk access. It caches files.

If you are least bit worried about the data falling into the hands of criminals or strangers or the newsmedia should the flash drive be lost or stolen, make sure you get a password-protected and ideally hardware-encrypted version so that data cannot be retrieved without the pass phrase.

As Scratch Drive

I attempted to use my SanDisk Cruzer as a small fast hard disk for scratch files. To my chagrin, I discovered it was much slower than hard disk. It seems to copy files quickly, but does not handle file record I/O well. So I suggest testing the speed of your flash drive before using it this way.

As DOS (Disk Operating System) Drive

You can make a flash drive bootable. You can place DOS/FreeDOS (or a small Linux) in the drive and boot to it to run old DOS utilities.

Secure flash drives

Uses:

• These are often used in security applications instead of manually keying passwords. You plug in your flash drive (which contains secret authorisation or decryption keys) to any USB port in order give you access to the confidential material. When you remove it, access is denied. Some versions are cleverly designed to prevent malicious programs from snooping the flash drive contents, or from maliciously simulating a flash drive with software. A flash drive might contain dozens of passwords, controlling in a very detailed way exactly what you are allowed to access. All you have to do is plug it in, and remove it when done.
• Security software is used to protect data transported in flash drives. It someone steals or find the fob, the cannot retrieve the data. All manner of recent goverment data leak scandals could kve been prevented with a scure fob. You can transport one-time pads securely.
• You can use the to provide a variety of encryption keys to encrypt corporate data on disks, and to store a list of internet passwords.
• You can think of it as like a sophisticated key you plug into the ignition to give you specific access to various functions depending on which key you use. In a car, the analog would be a child’s key that lets them run the radio and DVD (Digital Video Disc) player only, or a valet’s key that lets them drive but not open the glove compartment or trunk.
• You can use them to protect your code-signing certificates.
• You can carry a secure offsite backup of all you data files.
• Clever units, such as the Safe Net iKey 2032, implement PKCS (Public-Key Cryptography Standards) #11 or cryptokey, a platform-independent scheme for hardware tokens. There is plenty of room in there for multiple keys. You could, for example, have different keys for different purposes or different keys for different times of day, days of the week, months, or years. They are like a more flexible dongle. Like ordinary thumbdrives, they can contain private keys, however, unlike ordinary flash drives, they protect them from being duplicated, even by the owner of the thumbkey. They keys cannot be extracted. They can only be used to digitally sign/encrypt/decrypt. So a flash drive can behave like a robust smart card. Like a smart card, they can have a pin.
• The Imation/Ironkey is a high-end secure card that self destructs if it detects tampering. They have a James-Bondian Flash demo to explain the product.
• There are flash drives with biometric finger print identification, with a built-in mini OS (Operating System), AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) encrypted data, These were specialty devices not long ago, but have become almost throw-away corporate gifts like pens. KCTS, the local PBS (Public Broadcasting System) public TV station is giving away 1 GB thumbdrives to people who make a pledge. There are even jumbo flash drives holding 60 GB actually a miniature hard disk. Trek flash drive make models with flash memory and hard drives and also a model especially for security keys. You could even use an iPod as a flash drive.

One project pending is to set up the Replicator with flash drive-controlled encryption. They could also be used to protect expensive software from being hacked by encrypting parts of it or the data decrypted with keys stored in the flash drive, or by putting part of the software itself in the flash drive.

In China 2 GB flash drives are manufactured for $3.50 each.

Kingston make a line of DataTraveler Vault secure USB flash drives. To your programs, they look like a small hard disk. The user has to enter a password to access it. You can’t use it like a smart card to install a secret private key that no one, not even the owner can look at. It has no CPU (Central Processing Unit). You could put private keys on it, but the owner who knows the password, could tamper with them. The main advantage is if the owner loses the fob, someone picking it up cannot access the files on it. Even with AES hardware encryption models, you cannot use this like a Smart Card.

USB Flash Drive vs Smart Card

In theory, there need be no sharp dividing line between a USB Flash drive and Smart Card but in practice they each serve a different niche.

Closing

There are two types of closing:

1. If you have an encrypted drive, you can close if so the data are no longer visible. You may click an icon or do it programmatically e.g. KDMBasic -u.
2. Before you unplug, you must prepare the drive for unplugging by clicking an icon on the bottom right of your screen that says Safely remove hardware and EjectMedia or by running DevEject.

Future

I would think it should be possible to use a Universal ID in the form of a USB flash drive. It would contain a private key that cannot be extracted or duplicated. However it could encrypt, decrypt and sign text presented to it. You would need a 4 button pin pad on it to prevent its use by someone who stole it. It could sign software and email. It would let you make credit card purchase, access ATM (Automated Teller Machine) machines. You could use to it prove your identity over the Internet. It could act as a passport, drivers licence, medical id… Government legislation could make it legal ID for multi-purposes which would then mean you would not even need a wallet, just the drive on your keyring. The technology to do this is far from rocket science. The impediments are political. I suppose it could start a bit at a time, perhaps first as a frequent visitor perk for hotel chains. It gives you access to VIP (Very Important Person) areas. It lets you pay your bill electronically without a credit card or if your credit cards are stolen. The military use a smart ID card called a CAC (Common Access Card) that is very close to this.

Very large flash drives are called SSDs (Solid State Disks).

Real World USB Flash Drives

When comparing prices, check the shipping. It can be outrageous.

	recommend electronic⇒Verbatim TUFF 'N' TINY 2 GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive
	asin	B001RCTA88
	dim	3.05 × 1.27 cm 1.20 × 0½ in
Cheap, tiny and tough. Designed to fit on a key ring. Comes in black, orange, red, green and purple. Comes in sizes from 2 to 32 GB. Has password protect of data, rare in such a cheap drive. It is even smaller than it looks. It will fit on a toonie. Verbatim claims read: 30MBps and write: 10MBps. Specs. These are cheap enough you might use them to distribute data, the way you would have given away floppies or CDs in earlier times.
amazon.cn amazon.ca amazon.de bestbuy.ca amazon.es newegg.ca amazon.fr tigerdirect.ca amazon.it amazon.com amazon.co.uk newegg.com junglee.com tigerdirect.com other stores
Greyed out stores probably do not have the item in stock

	recommend electronic⇒Corsair Flash Voyager 16GB USB 3.0
	asin	B008MCZHVU
CMFVYGT3A-16GB. This drive is cheaper and faster than the equivalent USB 2.0 version. There a slightly cheaper, much slower blue version of this drive. 440 MB/s read, 5 MB/s write. It comes in 16, 32, 64 and 128 GB verisons.
amazon.cn amazon.ca amazon.de bestbuy.ca amazon.es newegg.ca amazon.fr tigerdirect.ca amazon.it amazon.com amazon.co.uk newegg.com junglee.com tigerdirect.com other stores
Greyed out stores probably do not have the item in stock

	recommend electronic⇒Kanguru Defender 4 GB USB flash drive
	asin	B003XU0A18
Kanguru Defender Basic 4 GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive KDFB-4G. Comes in 2GB, 4GB, 8GB, 16GB, 32GB, 64GB, 128GB models, as well as fancier models. Available in Green, Red, Yellow, Blue, Silver, Gray, and Brown. Protects data on drive with a password and AES 256 bit encryption hardware. This is one of the least expensive drives with AES encryption. 4 GB sounds too tiny to be of any use, yet it holds almost 7 CDs or a whole DVD. It comes with a clear plastic cap to protect the USB connector. The white loop on the end flashes red when you first insert to let you know it is working. If you use it for backup, you can take it with you wherever you go. You can restore anything from your backup anywhere. If you computer or backups are stolen, you will still have the fob on your keychain. Because it is password protected, if you lose the fob, the finder cannot read it. It weighs only 11 grams. specs. The drive is not particularly fast, but consider it is doing so some pretty heavy encryption/encryption on the fly. It is not nearly as fast as a hard disk. Read: 20 to 33 MB/s, Write: 10 to 13 MB/s. manual. To see the advantages of the more expensive models, see the comparision matrix. This is what I decided to buy for myself. When you unlock the secure partition, it remains unlocked to all applications on the system unless you lock it back. There is no way to unlock it to only one application. This probably applies to encrypted, password-protected USB flash drives generally. It appears as two drives. One contains the autoplay logon application and one is the secure datadrive which looks like a removable drive, with no media, when you have not logged on. It is all menu driven and duck simple. There is a bug in the firmware. When you close the drive, it does not always close. You must check that it closed and that the files are not longer visible. If the close did not take, you must reopen and reclose. I have reported the bug, but so far Kanguru can offer no fix. I have discovered that kdmbasic.exe -u to close it programmatically works reliably. If you buy direct from the manufacturer, you will have a wider choice of colours, capacities and custom engravings. They do not take PayPal. They ship only to the USA. Despite the name, they are based in Massachusetts, not Australia. For $8 a year you can subscribe to an anti-virus checker than runs in the firmware. When your drive arrives, go to the Kanguru site to download and install the latest firmware upgrade.
amazon.cn amazon.ca amazon.de bestbuy.ca amazon.es newegg.ca amazon.fr tigerdirect.ca amazon.it amazon.com amazon.co.uk newegg.com junglee.com tigerdirect.com other stores
Greyed out stores probably do not have the item in stock

	recommend electronic⇒Corsair Flash Survivor 32GB USB 3.0, CMFSV3-32GB
	asin	B006B7R8ZG
32GB, super tough. Max Read (USB 3.0) 80MB/sec Max Write (USB 3.0) 40MB/Sec
amazon.cn amazon.ca amazon.de bestbuy.ca amazon.es newegg.ca amazon.fr tigerdirect.ca amazon.it amazon.com amazon.co.uk newegg.com junglee.com tigerdirect.com other stores
Greyed out stores probably do not have the item in stock

	recommend electronic⇒Verbatim Store 'n' Go 64 GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive 97005
	asin	B000BMZOBM
This drive has password protect and 256 bit AES encryption. It also features a capless design. The contact retreat into the drive when not in use, protected by two claws. Comes in sizes from 2 to 64 GB. There is also a USB 3.0 version. Claims up to 30 MBps and write speeds of up to 12 MBps. Measured 22 MBps and 12 MBps.
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Greyed out stores probably do not have the item in stock

	recommend electronic⇒Kingston Digital DataTraveler 32 GB Elite 3.0 USB Flash Drive
	asin	B007PRHNF6
USB-3 Digital Trends pick, primarily because of its great write speed, useful for using the drive for backup. Also comes in 16 GB and 64 GB versions. 70MB/s read and 30MB/s write.
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Greyed out stores probably do not have the item in stock

	recommend electronic⇒OCZ 32 GB Rally2 Pen Drive
	asin	B0013RKFB8
Claims read 32-35 MB/s and write 8-15 MB/s. This model won the 2009 PC Mag editor’s choice award.
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Greyed out stores probably do not have the item in stock

	recommend electronic⇒Kingston Datatraveller Ultimate USB-3 Flash Drive 32 GB
	asin	B0041G2YPI
white and gray. Very fast since this is USB-3. You must have a free USB-3 connector on your computer to use this. Claims read at 80 MB/s, write at 60 MB/s.
amazon.cn amazon.ca amazon.de bestbuy.ca amazon.es newegg.ca amazon.fr tigerdirect.ca amazon.it amazon.com amazon.co.uk newegg.com junglee.com tigerdirect.com other stores
Greyed out stores probably do not have the item in stock

	recommend electronic⇒Kanguru Defender 2000 8 GB USB flash drive
	asin	B008BYYZOY
8GB. This is the deluxe version of the Kanguru Defender Basic. It works on Windows, Mac OS and Linux. It comes in a strong alloy case to make it tamper resistant. It has management features. Like the Basic, it has AES encryption in hardware. It comes in sizes from 8 GB to 128 GB. If you use it for backup, you can take it with you wherever you go. You can restore anything from your backup anywhere. If your computer or backups are stolen, you will still have the fob on your keychain. Because it is password protected, if you lose the fob, the finder cannot read it. It weighs only 11 grams. specs. The drive is not particularly fast, but consider it is doing so some pretty heavy encryption/encryption on the fly. It is not nearly as fast as a hard disk. Read 30 MB/s, Write: 20 MB/s. manual. To see the advantages of the more expensive models, see the comparision matrix. When you unlock the secure partition, it remains unlocked to all applications on the system unless you lock it back. There is no way to unlock it to only one application. This probably applies to encrypted, password-protected USB flash drives generally. It appears as two drives. One contains the autoplay logon application and one is the secure datadrive which looks like a removable drive, with no media, when you have not logged on. It is all menu driven and duck simple.If you buy direct from the manufacturer, you will have a choice capacities and custom engravings. They do not take PayPal. They ship only to the USA. Despite the name, they are based in Massachusetts, not Australia. When your drive arrives, go to the Kanguru site to download and install the latest firmware upgrade.
amazon.cn amazon.ca amazon.de bestbuy.ca amazon.es newegg.ca amazon.fr tigerdirect.ca amazon.it amazon.com amazon.co.uk newegg.com junglee.com tigerdirect.com other stores
Greyed out stores probably do not have the item in stock

	recommend electronic⇒Kingston Data Traveler Vault 32 GB with AES Hardware Encryption USB Flash drive
	asin	B001LNW2S8
Ridiculously expensive at Amazon. 256-bit AES Hardware-Based Encryption. You can’t use the CPU other than to encrypt/decrypt the data stored in the drive. Read up to 24 MBps. Write up to 10 MBps.
amazon.cn amazon.ca amazon.de bestbuy.ca amazon.es newegg.ca amazon.fr tigerdirect.ca amazon.it amazon.com amazon.co.uk newegg.com junglee.com tigerdirect.com other stores
Greyed out stores probably do not have the item in stock