If the information we want to protect is stored locally on a hard drivewe can encrypt the contents of the unit using one of the different applications that can be found on the market, namely Bitlocker from Microsoft, one of the most complete solutions.
In addition, it is a completely free application available in the Pro versions of Windows 10 Yes Windows 11. When encrypting a hard drive with Bitlocker, every time we connect it to a computer it is necessary to enter a password to decrypt its contents.
But if this method, which we can consider 99% safe (there is nothing secure in computers) you can use a hard drive whose protection is included via a plate connected to the hard drive.
This type of hard drive includes a physical keyboard where we have to enter the password so that the device can access its contents. If we do not know the key, the computer will never recognize the drive and therefore no method can be applied to decrypt it.
These types of drives are more expensive than traditional hard drives without any type of protection. Of course, they are the best option for transporting the data you don’t want to share with anyone in a completely secure way. If you are interested in purchasing one of these models, below we present the best options available.
How they work
The operation of these drives is similar to that of software-encrypted storage drives. Once connected to the computer, the device will turn on and display a padlock LED, implying that the device is cryptit is therefore not possible to access its content.
For Windows, Linux or macOS to recognize the disk and allow access to its contents, it is necessary enter password that we have established. At this point, the computer will detect the drive. It is important to keep in mind that if we forget the password, we may forget to recover its contents.
This is the same problem we will encounter if we lose the encryption password via software from a storage unit.
External hard drives with physical keyboard
The manufacturer Apricorn has a complete range of external hard drives from 3.5 inches ranging from 800 GB to 12 TB. They include an LED that shows us the status of the unit as soon as it is connected to the hard drive. Has a connection USB 3.1 generation 1.
But if we don’t need a lot of storage space and we prioritize reading and writing speed, the hard drive we need is the Kingston one. IronKey Vault 80 Privacy. It’s a SSD Available in various sizes starting from 2.5 inches and includes FIPS 197 certification with XTS-AES encryption mode.
The manufacturer that offers the largest number of hard drives with a physical keyboard to protect your access is iStorage. This manufacturer offers hard drives (not SSD) with numeric keypad to protect access and is also certified dust and water resistant. This drive is available in 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 TB of storage. Additionally, it is available in black, blue, green and red.
