Toshiba Launches Wipe Technology in Self-Encrypting 2.5-Type Hard Disk Drives

Toshiba Corporation today announced the launch of the first series of Self-Encrypting Drives (SED) equipped with Wipe Technology, Toshiba's proprietary suite of security functions for IT equipment. Wipe Technology allows users to determine a range of security settings, including invalidation of encryption keys and data invalidation when a drive is removed from its housing or connected to an unauthorized host system.

The five models in the 2.5-type MK6461GSYG family range from 160GB to 640GB and are designed for use in copiers, printers, POS systems, PCs and other IT devices. Sampling will start from the end of April with mass production following at the end of June.

IT departments must contend with various security risks, from lost and stolen PC through to compliance with increasingly strict privacy laws and regulations governing data security. These concerns also go beyond PCs. Today, most office copier and printing systems utilize HDD capacity and performance to support productivity and the security of recorded document image data that must be maintained. Furthermore, data invalidation required overwriting for hours or physically disrupting until now.

Wipe Technology directly addresses these concerns. In August 2010, Toshiba announced development of the Wipe Technology that offered users two levels of control. Now, MK6461GSYG family drives not only add the third level of control, but also allow users to configure areas for invalidation and encryption.

1. Invalidation of all data by the system.
   This invalidates all data. This feature is designed for use prior to system disposal or re-purposing to ensure that private data never leaves the control of the responsible business unit or the IT department.
2. Invalidation of data on powering down.
   The HDD encryption key is automatically invalidated when the drive's power supply is turned off. If a Wipe Technology SED drive is removed from a system, it can be set to invalidate all data on the drive.
3. Invalidation of data when the equipment is connected to an unauthorized system (new).
   When an SED HDD is inserted into a system it triggers "challenge response" authentication to confirm the system is known to the HDD. If the authentication fails, the HDD automatically deletes the encryption key. This level counteracts attempts to read a drive by physically removing it from a secure host system and installing it in another system.

Wipe Technology HDD can be incorporated into existing system architectures and integrated into various IT equipments where users demand a high level of data security, including multifunction printers, POS systems and PCs. Toshiba is now studying future integration of the technology into solid state drives (SSD).

Source: Toshiba Corporation

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