Kingston Technology Company Inc. today announced the release of its first Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS)*-validated USB Flash drive, the DataTraveler BlackBox, available in 2GB, 4GB and 8GB capacities. Gaining FIPS 140-2 certification requires a validation process that meets federal requirements set by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)**, and the Communications Security Establishment of the Government of Canada. This is critical because many governmental agencies in the United States and Canada mandate that sensitive "data at rest" (i.e., all information not in the network) must be encrypted with the FIPS 140-2 standard.  

"We are very excited that our DataTraveler BlackBox met all federal requirements established by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)," said Nathan Su, Flash Memory Product Manager, APAC Region, Kingston.

"This certification, along with other enhanced security features, makes the DT BlackBox an ideal way to store and transport confidential documents with the utmost confidence that the data is secure." 

The FIPS Level 2 standard requires the DT BlackBox to run a power-on self test which verifies that the encryption architecture is functioning each time it is plugged into a USB port. Beyond the NIST certification, the DataTraveler BlackBox features 256-bit hardware-based AES encryption via a dedicated processor which automatically encrypts and decrypts data on the fly. The drive automatically locks down after ten consecutive failed password attempts, thus helping to prevent unauthorized access if the drive is lost, stolen or misplaced.

Local pricing details not available.