Zac,
A BIOS-based password can be cracked within minutes using brute force
software you can download from the internet. This is partly related to the
way the password is stored and used in BIOS. Instead, our management
software uses a hardened Linux pre-boot authentication and the password is
stored in an area that is inaccessible to anyone. No back doors, and
certainly no open Windows (bad pun, I admit). In addition, we offer many
other functions for the single-user. These include single sign-on to
Windows, Password recovery, multi-user support, and automatic e-update. We
also enable instant cryptographic erase of the drive. To my knowledge, ours
is the only software that manages the Seagate FDE drives while protecting
your computer during both sleep mode and hibernation mode.
An upcoming version of our single-user product (which we also
recommend for SMB's) will feature multi-factor authentication as well as
offline key recovery. Our enterprise version offers centralized
administrative capabilities and although it easily scales out (our largest
customer has 70,000 seats), it can just as easily be used by an 'enterprise'
of 3~5 people.
Perhaps the most important advantage is that our solution works on
virtually any PC. If your PC has a Seagate Momentus FDE.2 or FDE.4 drive,
it will automatically recognize that and activate the drive. If your PC has
a standard drive, it will default to software-based FDE. (Our product was
rated 5 stars out of 5 for Performance by SC Magazine). In this way, you
can blanket your entire laptop systems in one go without having to phase
according to your budgeted refresh cycle.
And yes, our software works on machines with TPM but in this case the
chip is on the hard drive and the keys are stored there. There are arguments
that this is actually more secure than TPM but that conversation is above my
level of technical knowledge. In the end it becomes a choice as to where
you want to store the various keys that are needed. As a member of TCG, our
goal is to offer choices that suit all users.
I hope this wasn't too long-winded!
http://www.secude.com/finallysecure
Regards,
Michael
-----Original Message-----
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On
Behalf Of Zac Folini
Sent: Saturday, September 08, 2007 8:21 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [FDE] Seagate FDE available from retailer
Michael,
I am planning to purchase the drive. Can you please elaborate on what you
mean by software to authenticate? How will this authentication software
provide more security compared to the native ATA Drive Lock? I am planning
to use it for personal use, so I don't need central management etc.
Thanks
Zac
----- Original Message ----
From: Michael Jardine <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: [email protected]
Sent: Friday, September 7, 2007 7:54:30 PM
Subject: Re: [FDE] Seagate FDE available from retailer
Scott,
That is great to hear. The drive is wonderful. But without software
to
authenticate, well, it's kind of like having a 3-digit bike lock for a
bank
safe.
Regards,
Michael
________________________
Michael Jardine
SECUDE IT Security - Seattle
____________________________________________________________________________
________
Got a little couch potato?
Check out fun summer activities for kids.
http://search.yahoo.com/search?fr=oni_on_mail&p=summer+activities+for+kids&c
s=bz
_______________________________________________
FDE mailing list
[email protected]
http://www.xml-dev.com/mailman/listinfo/fde
_______________________________________________
FDE mailing list
[email protected]
http://www.xml-dev.com/mailman/listinfo/fde
