Unlike encrypting software, which encrypts files but leaves them visible on the drive, with DriveLock the operating system cannot see a locked drive. No drive letter will be assigned, so no data can be seen.

In addition to the main DriveLock application, we provide an administrator utility which allows creation of higher levels of security, addressing the question of how to handle the situation of a lost or unknown user password. This utility has three security levels. (a) Set master password. This allows a manager access to a locked drive in the event the user password is forgotten or unknown. When set, either the user password or the master password will unlock the drive. (b) Erase only. In the event the user password is not known, the drive can only be erased. There is no access without the password. (c) No Recovery. If the user password is unknown, there is nothing which can be done to access the data. The drive is rendered completely unusable.

There are two options for unlocking a drive. Unlocking for the session allows access to the drive until the next power-down, after which the drive will once again be locked. Removing the password will remove all security from the drive until DriveLock is used to secure it again with a password.

Features  

• Very high-level, software-only solution; no need for expensive hardware
• Drive is easily locked with a password; once locked it cannot be used until it is unlocked
• Locked drives are invisible to the operating system; there is no drive letter, no matter what the operating system
• Data on locked drives cannot be seen
• Two unlock options: session only, or remove protection
• Three administrator security levels available to protect even the most sensitive data
• Corporate MIS administrators responsible for managing fleets of notebooks can give users secure storage without compromising their need to maintain administrative rights.
• Supports both USB and direct-connect (such as mobile rack) drives
• Hard drives protected with DriveLock are secure whenever they are in a power-off state

Why use it

Anyone needing high-level security will immediately see the benefit to using DriveLock. Once a drive is locked, nobody has access to it. There is no need to bog down the CPU encrypting files. No files can be seen on a locked drive because the operating system will not even assign a drive letter!

Better than File Encryption

Important Considerations

There are a number of DriveLock features that have the potential to render a protected hard drive permanently unusable. For this reason it is important that customers fully understand the responsibilities that are inherent in any decision to use DriveLock. First, it is important to understand the intent behind DriveLock. DriveLock has been designed for customers with a need to prevent unauthorized access to hard drive data. This type of user regularly uses information that could be potentially damaging if it were to fall into the wrong hands. The cost of the hardware itself is inconsequential when compared with the damage that could result from unauthorized access to the data. Examples of the types of data in need of this level of protection might include trade secrets, passwords for a corporate LAN/Intranet, backups of corporate information, and proprietary software development, among others.

It is also important to note that users fitting this profile are perhaps not as concerned with actually losing the data as they are with unauthorized access to the data. The data itself is often replicated on a corporate information system or is regularly backed up. If a hard drive is lost or stolen, what is most important is for the customer to be able to rest assured that the thief will not be able to gain access to the data on the hard drive.

When using both user and master passwords, an obvious way to minimize the likelihood of losing both passwords is to make sure that one person is not responsible for both passwords. The most common scenario in which DriveLock is likely to be used is the corporate environment where users are provided computers from a centralized MIS department. The MIS department would be responsible for setting up the computer, which involves, among other things, setting the DriveLock master password. In the event the user loses the user password (unintentionally or otherwise) or the computer is passed on to another employee, the master password can always be used to reset the user password and regain access to the hard drive.  

We recommend that corporate MIS departments establish a corporate policy for setting and maintaining master passwords. This should be done to prevent a situation where an employee knowingly or unknowingly sets both passwords before leaving the company. In such a situation the hard drive would be rendered unusable and require replacement. As well, by not setting a master password, MIS managers may find themselves locked out of a hard drive and unable to perform routine checks for unauthorized software, other asset control functions, and support. Setting master passwords makes sense from a management control perspective.  

Use of the Erase Only or No Recovery modes in the administrator utility offers higher security than the use of user and master passwords, but higher security introduces higher risk. In either Erase Only or No Recovery mode, only one password can unlock the drive. As previously stated, these modes will usually be used to safeguard information that cannot be permitted to fall into the wrong hands. The cost of the hardware itself is inconsequential when compared with the damage that could result from unauthorized access to the data.  

No one, including MobileXperts, will be able to access or recover the contents of protected hard drives. Hard drives rendered unusable under these circumstances are NOT covered under warranty.