Flash drive security

Vulnerability

Flash drives that you travel around with are much more vulnerable than data you keep locked in one building.

As they say, "physical access is king", and flash drives are frequently lost or stolen. Keys and purses can be lost, and it's trivial for a thief to break a vehicle window, grab something that caught their eye, and run off, all in mere seconds.

Obviously there are ways to reduce the risk of each of these events, but it's almost impossible to eliminate that risk differential, so it's good to put some extra thought into your flash drive security.

Ways to increase security

There are some general ways you can improve the security of your flash drives:

• encryption:
  • hardware encryption — a nice option, but it's often expensive
  • software whole-disk encryption — BitLocker, VeraCrypt, MacOS's Disk Utility, (list of others)
  • software file-level encryption — many archive file formats support encryption
• physical security:
  • You're more likely to lose a flash drive if it's attached to your key ring, compared to when it's attached to your vehicle. In general, the larger the object you attach it to, the less likely you are to lose it. (as long as it's kept out of sight of thieves, of course) Backpack > keyring, and vehicle > backpack.
• physical subterfuge:
  • Note that physical subterfuge is not that great. Only a fool would rely on it as the sole method to secure their data. But as another layer on top of encryption? Sure!
  • The smaller the thumbdrive is, the easier it is to hide. Micro SD cards can even be hidden in the back corner of your wallet. However, if all your computers support USB C, I prefer USB C-only thumbdrives (not the dual USB A+USB C drives that are so prevalent now) (and even if you don't get a USB C ⇒ USB A adapter) over microSD cards for several reasons:
    • Flash drives can definitely overheat. The higher their density and the higher their transfer speed, the more likely they are to literally melt. [2] [3]
    • Micro SD cards require a separate reader, obviously USB drives don't.
    • Read the reviews on micro SD card readers, and you'll notice a not-insignificant number of people complaining about 1) extremely low transfer speeds (which often are poorly documented) and/or 2) data loss, sometimes even on name-brand card readers.
      • That said, if you're okay with keeping the transfer speeds slightly lower to avoid the risk of overheating, and you have a high-quality card reader, then microSD cards might work for you.
  • There are ways to cleverly hide items, even inside your car or under your work desk. The sky really is the limit once you start thinking like a spy.
  • If you have a burning desire to get rid of some money, there are also products that people sell with hidden compartments.
    • You really don't need to spend money though — there are tons of instructions online on how to modify existing objects.
  • There are even disguised thumb drives on the market: [1] [2] [3] [4] (more at Pinterest)