USB Sticks sizes...
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Hi, We have had a smallish problem. Company policy dictates secure drives, fine. Several of our devices use old USB drives (one has a maximum of 256MB!) Due to their function and approvals it is not possible to change/upgrade them. How can you get a 'secure' 128K memory stick today (or ever)... :wtf:
Would something like this[^] USB drive work? Has HW encryption and takes a PIN to unlock it. The data on the drive is probably about as secure as you're going to find on a USB drive. The solution is to get them to relax their requirements as even these are probably pretty specialized devices, but at least they're available today.
I live in Oregon, and I'm an engineer.
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Will your old devices work with any type of encrypted flash drive? BitLocker, DiskCryptor and VeraCrypt will encrypt flash drives, but unless your devices can run the software, I seriously doubt that will work. There are hardware encrypted USB drives, but to the best of my knowledge that's all newer technology, so that won't work. THAT is your argument to management regarding their policy -- if it isn't technically feasible, it's just not gonna happen. Getting any flash drives that will work? New drives will be tough. Are used drives acceptable? [Especially if there are no other alternatives!] == I have a Kingston DataTraveler 128 MB in my briefcase -- I was going to toss it years ago but since I'm a packrat, I didn't. I'm willing to sell it for $50 USD + shipping. Nope, I'm not making a joke. This is a seller's market for a very rare device, so the price is justified. Canvas everyone you know -- people will have these tucked away. You'll get the drives you need ... although the prices is stiff.
The last time this was an issue I was a hero as I managed to 'find' 50 2MB Sticks of uncertain provonence that I 'aquired' when I left a company that didn't pay... The main stupid thing is that this security is due to some dozy half wit leaving their laptop case on a train and it disappeared :mad::mad:
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Would something like this[^] USB drive work? Has HW encryption and takes a PIN to unlock it. The data on the drive is probably about as secure as you're going to find on a USB drive. The solution is to get them to relax their requirements as even these are probably pretty specialized devices, but at least they're available today.
I live in Oregon, and I'm an engineer.
Looks interesting, but sadly too big for this need. The limited size was the issue around 2MB is the largest these :elephant:-ing things will take!
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The last time this was an issue I was a hero as I managed to 'find' 50 2MB Sticks of uncertain provonence that I 'aquired' when I left a company that didn't pay... The main stupid thing is that this security is due to some dozy half wit leaving their laptop case on a train and it disappeared :mad::mad:
glennPattonWork wrote:
some dozy half wit leaving their laptop case on a train and it disappeared
yet more anecdotal evidence in support of Ron White's Conjecture, both in the person who lost their laptop and the management non-thinking reaction. In any case, I'm still more than happy to sell my ancient stick for $50! ;P
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Looks interesting, but sadly too big for this need. The limited size was the issue around 2MB is the largest these :elephant:-ing things will take!
If the size limit is with what the devices themselves can support, and not between the ears of someone, I wonder if you could use a larger USB drive by putting a partition table on them that has only one primary partition that's only 2MB in size, and uses only the front of the device?
I live in Oregon, and I'm an engineer.
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Hi, We have had a smallish problem. Company policy dictates secure drives, fine. Several of our devices use old USB drives (one has a maximum of 256MB!) Due to their function and approvals it is not possible to change/upgrade them. How can you get a 'secure' 128K memory stick today (or ever)... :wtf:
I wonder if you can format a larger USB drive using one of the command line size switches. Trick it into thinking it's a smaller size.
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I wonder if you can format a larger USB drive using one of the command line size switches. Trick it into thinking it's a smaller size.
Well, I am pretty sure that won't work. As the actual FTDI device dictates the speed and size of the device. It is possible to 'trick' the device but it requires some handshaking from the hub to wake up. :sigh:
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From experience, company policy is written by those still using Dial up. I have got into an argument with one of the bosses because I used a personal Kingston to move test data from the server room to my desk. The test data contains no personal, commercial, or other data, just hardware test results. I explained that was no other way of doing it as the device did not have the ability to be networked...Like fighting a cloud... ;P
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If the size limit is with what the devices themselves can support, and not between the ears of someone, I wonder if you could use a larger USB drive by putting a partition table on them that has only one primary partition that's only 2MB in size, and uses only the front of the device?
I live in Oregon, and I'm an engineer.
Just tried it, and no we can't Flea-Bay here we come!
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Just tried it, and no we can't Flea-Bay here we come!
That sucks. I feel for you.
I live in Oregon, and I'm an engineer.
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Hi, We have had a smallish problem. Company policy dictates secure drives, fine. Several of our devices use old USB drives (one has a maximum of 256MB!) Due to their function and approvals it is not possible to change/upgrade them. How can you get a 'secure' 128K memory stick today (or ever)... :wtf:
What about just made one, take some USB eqiuped chip PIC, SiLABS ... They are with up to 2MB of flash to use this days. With little FW you can get from around the web turn it into FLASH drive. You can even sell them to company a get some money back for trouble :)
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What about just made one, take some USB eqiuped chip PIC, SiLABS ... They are with up to 2MB of flash to use this days. With little FW you can get from around the web turn it into FLASH drive. You can even sell them to company a get some money back for trouble :)
Not a bad idea!
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Hi, We have had a smallish problem. Company policy dictates secure drives, fine. Several of our devices use old USB drives (one has a maximum of 256MB!) Due to their function and approvals it is not possible to change/upgrade them. How can you get a 'secure' 128K memory stick today (or ever)... :wtf:
My goodness, i've been browsing for a bit on here and your posts about the company you are at seem like one liner jokes, what can you possibly have that takes a maximum of 256MB USB?? I had some ancient SBC's that worked like that, but at the time of upgrading so they could take up to 2GB USB drives, the 256MB drives were still £20 - £30 and we got rid of the old USB's and SBCs, that was like 2006 or something, is it one of those companies that are stuck in the dark ages and the only reason they can keep going is because no other company wants to touch the "legacy" equipment, I mean good for business i'm sure, but bad for the poor sod that has to work on them or find spare parts!!
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My goodness, i've been browsing for a bit on here and your posts about the company you are at seem like one liner jokes, what can you possibly have that takes a maximum of 256MB USB?? I had some ancient SBC's that worked like that, but at the time of upgrading so they could take up to 2GB USB drives, the 256MB drives were still £20 - £30 and we got rid of the old USB's and SBCs, that was like 2006 or something, is it one of those companies that are stuck in the dark ages and the only reason they can keep going is because no other company wants to touch the "legacy" equipment, I mean good for business i'm sure, but bad for the poor sod that has to work on them or find spare parts!!
The legacy equipment is being used in an envoirment where it so safety centric and administered by people that have had the job put on them due to peoples retitrement, so lack the background knowledge.
Test Tickle wrote:
because no other company wants to touch the "legacy" equipment,
is the main reason! Also Test&Tickle@gmail.com was an email that belongs to one of the hardware team...just sayin'
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The legacy equipment is being used in an envoirment where it so safety centric and administered by people that have had the job put on them due to peoples retitrement, so lack the background knowledge.
Test Tickle wrote:
because no other company wants to touch the "legacy" equipment,
is the main reason! Also Test&Tickle@gmail.com was an email that belongs to one of the hardware team...just sayin'
So safe that you can't get parts for it! Good idea, who came up with that?! So people leave / retire, and everyone else has to suffer because they didn't make sure it was written down or whatever? Hah, that isn't my email I signed up with, nor is it my email address, I didn't think Google allowed ampersands and other odd characters in their email accounts anyway?
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Hi, We have had a smallish problem. Company policy dictates secure drives, fine. Several of our devices use old USB drives (one has a maximum of 256MB!) Due to their function and approvals it is not possible to change/upgrade them. How can you get a 'secure' 128K memory stick today (or ever)... :wtf:
Depends on how you define secure. If you need moderately secure - Kingston DataTraveler comes in a variety of sizes from 4GB to 64GB. If you need FIPS compliance and a hardware keypad to allow machine independent use - there are few choices, but this group was recently recommended to me: diskAshur DT 2 - The iStorage diskAshur DT 2 is a secure, easy to use and affordable USB 3.0 flash drive[^] And for a software solution, you could always look at Bitlocker (or Bitlocker to go), PGP or something similar.
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Hi, We have had a smallish problem. Company policy dictates secure drives, fine. Several of our devices use old USB drives (one has a maximum of 256MB!) Due to their function and approvals it is not possible to change/upgrade them. How can you get a 'secure' 128K memory stick today (or ever)... :wtf:
What exactly is a "secure drive" in this context? Isn't it enough to take any run-off-the-mill-thumbdrive and slap BitLocker on?