USB Hard Drive Review: Apricorn Aegis Padlock

Portable hard drives offer an easy and convenient way to carry around loads of data. The problem is, they're also comparatively easy to lose -- or to steal.

So what's a security-conscious enterprise or individual to do? Well, if you're concerned about personal or corporate information getting into the wrong hands, you could do a lot worse than pick up the Aegis Padlock, a 2.5-inch USB hard drive from storage and peripheral vendor Apricorn.

This hardware-encrypted drive -- with AES 128- or 256-bit encryption depending on the model purchased -- is small enough, at 3.3 by 4.7 by 0.8 inches, to fit in your coat pocket and secure enough to provide peace of mind should it become lost.

What's most interesting about the 6.2-ounce Padlock is the inclusion of a phone- or ATM-style keypad right on the front face. The keypad allows users to setup a numeric or letter-based (or a combination of the two) PIN to access data. This provides a second layer of security: Not only is all information encrypted on the fly, but the data cannot be accessed unless you've entered the correct PIN on the keypad.

The Aegis Padlock is also fairly rugged, as Apricorn mounts the hard disk in its casing using a 16-point omnidirectional system for protection against drops. We didn't test this particular aspect of our review unit too strenuously, as we wanted to make sure we returned the Padlock in one piece. However, we can say we're rough on peripherals and mobile devices around here, and the Aegis handled the bumps and jolts of everyday usage without skipping a beat.

Plug-In Security

Our test unit was the top-of-the-line 500GB drive with AES 256-bit encryption, which goes for $159. Apricorn offers an AES 128-bit version of the same drive for $20 less. It also sells both 250GB and 320GB Padlocks at both encryption levels -- $99 and $119 for the former and $109 and $129 for the latter.

To setup the Padlock, you simply plug the conveniently attached, rather short USB 2.0 cable into your laptop or desktop. The 5,400-rpm drive, which is preformatted in NTFS for Windows, is compatible with Mac and Linux systems as well. We tested it on a Windows Vista laptop.

Once plugged in, Windows automatically loads the proper driver and announces when the drive is ready to use. Next, you enter the default PIN number, which is 123456, and then press the unlock button at the lower right corner of the keypad. Once that's done the LED, which had been red, turns green; the drive appears in Windows Explorer; and you can now access its contents.

From there Apricorn, not surprisingly, recommends changing the PIN to something more personal and easy to remember but difficult for others to figure out. In the enterprise, IT administrators can secure the drive in advance of deployment to an end user. They can also provide a single drive with up to ten PINs, depending on how many people they want to give access.

Your Own Code

Changing the passcode for the Aegis is easy: Simply unplug the Aegis and plug it back in. You'll notice that the LED has turned red once again. Then press 0 and the unlock button simultaneously for a few seconds to cause the red LED to start flashing. After that, punching in the current PIN number will cause the LED to glow blue, which means you've entered Admin mode.

Press the 9 and unlock symbol together to cause the blue light to flash and then enter your new PIN, which must be at least six and at most 16 digits long. Then press the unlock symbol again, which causes the LED to flash green three times. Enter your new PIN -- if the LED glows green for a couple of seconds, you've successfully altered the code.

As Apricorn emphasizes in its literature, you'll want to write down the new PIN in a safe place: If you forget or lose it, there's no way to access the drive without it.

The device does not run on its own power, so no AC adapter is included. Under most conditions, the drive works just fine off the juice from a single USB port. Apricorn bundles a USB Y-cable to allow you to connect the drive to two USB ports for instances when one isn't enough to get the drive moving, but we didn't run into this issue during testing.

As an added layer of security, the Padlock includes protection from a brute-force attack. That means the drive will lock itself after six unsuccessful login attempts. Once it's locked, the user must unplug and then plug the Aegis in again.

Fifty unsuccessful attempts at entering the code cause the drive to lock to the point where simply unplugging it won't result in a reset. From there you need to follow specific instructions available from Apricorn to access the drive again. After 100 unsuccessful tries you must go through the same procedure you'd follow for 50, except to access the drive again, it must be reformatted as well.

With its utilitarian looks and keypad, the Aegis Padlock isn't the sleekest-looking portable hard drive on the market. Nor, because of its on-the-fly encryption, is it the fastest. It is, however, both fairly rugged and one of the most secure portable disk drives available, making it a valuable addition to the arsenal of those looking to take that one extra step to protect their data or corporate secrets.