Kingston IronKey D500S: World’s First TAA-Compliant, FIPS 140-3 Level 3 Hardware-Encrypted USB Drive with Trusted Supply Chain

TLDR:

• Kingston Digital’s IronKey D500S is the world’s first and only TAA-compliant, FIPS 140-3 Level 3 hardware-encrypted USB flash drive with a trusted supply chain.
• Designed and assembled by Kingston in California, D500S ensures high-level data security for government and military use.
• Features include XTS-AES 256-bit encryption, multi-password options, and a rugged, tamper-resistant casing with IP67 dust and water resistance.
• It offers capacities up to 512GB and includes unique features like dual-partition options and Crypto-Erase passwords.

Kingston Digital, Inc., a flash memory affiliate of Kingston Technology Company, Inc., has announced a significant achievement for its Kingston IronKey™ D500S hardware-encrypted USB flash drive. This award-winning drive has officially received NIST FIPS 140-3 Level 3 validation. This makes the D500S the world’s first and only FIPS 140-3 Level 3 validated drive that also boasts a TAA-compliant and trusted supply chain.

Designed and assembled by Kingston in California, USA, the IronKey D500S was developed with the goal of setting a new standard in hardware-encrypted drives. It features robust XTS-AES 256-bit encryption and adheres to the newest NIST security standard, FIPS 140-3 Level 3.

Beyond standard TAA-compliance, which only verifies the declared Country Of Origin (COO), the D500S was engineered to meet comprehensive TAA and CMMC compliance requirements across all critical components and assembly processes.

Unparalleled Security and Trusted Supply Chain

Kingston took extraordinary measures to ensure the integrity of the IronKey D500S’s supply chain. All critical drive components were directly sourced from TAA-compliant and trusted suppliers. These components are stocked and assembled in Kingston’s secured Manufacturing Center in California, USA. This ensures tightly controlled, engineering-supervised processes.

Critical components include the secure microprocessor managing encryption and authentication, digitally-signed firmware, drive software with multi-password authentication, NAND Flash storage chips, and the entire Printed Circuit Board (PCB) assembly. The rugged casing is then epoxy-injected to achieve FIPS 140-3 Level 3 anti-tampering protection. For enhanced asset tracking, the D500S also features matching internal and external serial numbers.

“We went over-and-above competitors in the USB data protection industry to ensure that the IronKey D500S is an unrivaled best-in-class FIPS 140-3 Level 3 certified drive for securing data-at-rest,” states a Kingston representative. The drive aims to meet stringent government and military standards worldwide. Its trusted supply chain supporting CMMC and TAA compliance, coupled with USA design and assembly, positions the D500S as the most security-focused USB drive on the market.

Advanced Features for Comprehensive Data Protection

The D500S introduces an industry-first dual-partition option on a hardware-encrypted USB drive with multiple passwords. This innovative feature allows an Admin to create two custom-sized secure partitions for Admin and User, including a “Hidden File Store.” This can be used to provision files to the User partition as needed, keeping data secure and invisible when accessed on untrusted systems or when sharing the drive.

Other advanced security features include:

• Global Read-Only Mode: An Admin can set this mode until reset, preventing any writing to the drive.
• Crypto-Erase Password: In compromising situations, entering this password will destroy all data and reset the drive, preventing unauthorized access.
• Rugged Construction: The D500S boasts a durable zinc casing that meets military-grade shock, vibration, and drop test specifications. It also holds an IP67 dust and water resistance rating.

The D500S offers fully customizable features and functionality to meet specific organizational needs. It is available in capacities up to 512GB and is backed by a 5-year warranty with free technical support.

For more information about the Kingston IronKey D500S, visit kingston.com/ironkey.