MXI Flash Drive Gains UK Government Certification

Government departments are often exposed in embarrassing data loss incidents, with USB or flash drives among the worst culprits. However MXI Security has announced a new flash drive specifically aimed at the UK government, thanks to the fact that it has reached official British certification.

According to MXI, the Stealth M600 USB drive is the first device of its type to have received the official CAPS certification from the CESG, the Information Assurance arm of GCHQ. By gaining this certification, the Stealth M600 is now formally approved to be used by the UK public sector.

MXI Security is a Canadian outfit, but is also an established supplier of portable storage devices to both the UK and US governments, as well as other organisations such as the City of London Police.

Portable Data Protection

The Stealth M600 is able to protect data thanks to a combination of features. This includes on-board AES 256-bit encryption and hardware protection against malware. It is able to do this thanks to the Bluefly Portable Security Processor, which is described as “the world’s first dedicated hardware security processor for USB devices.”

According to MXI, this processor is designed to protect against all forms of malware. The drive also comes with advanced manageability capabilities such as device recycling, while its integrated metal enclosure is durable, waterproof, and dustproof.

“We developed the Stealth M600 encrypted USB device specifically to tackle the problem of portable data loss, head-on,” said Gerard Reusing, MXI Security’s London-based President. “The device provides full encryption at all times and cannot be used unless it is unlocked by its legitimate owner.”

“Having MXI Security receive CAPS certification signifies that the UK government understands the importance of securing data while maintaining portability,” he added. “Government agencies and organisations now have access to technology that provides a totally secure way of protecting their most sensitive data.”

Tough Certification

The UK is now regarded as having one of the strictest validation processes followed by governments anywhere in the world with the CAPS certification.

Of course, this has not stopped a number of highly embarrassing data loss incidents, but with the Data Protection Act (DPA), it is now possible to enforce fines of up to £500,000 for serious data breaches, therefore the need for public sector bodies to tighten up their security standards is increasingly important.

Indeed, the Ponemon Institute estimates that 800,000 data-sensitive devices – including USB drives, hard drives, laptops and mobile devices are lost or stolen each year.

CAPS was introduced by CESG so that private sector companies could develop cryptographic products for use by Her Majesty’s Government (HMG) and other appropriate organisations.

MXI Security has recently received US Government FIPS 140-2 Level 3 validation for the Bluefly Security Processor.