Firmware is the software component where data and instructions are stored and operate on a hardware device. Since it is the "brain" of the hardware device, it could be a target for hackers. Secure Firmware protects this component by consistently validating the identity of the device with a digitally-signed component. Each time the device is booted, secure firmware self-checks to ensure the device identifies itself as what it is supposed to be, confirming that it has not been tampered with. This makes secure firmware drives ideal for whitelisting as trusted devices for highly-secure organizations and for use with Endpoint Security environments to protect an organization from tampered devices that might be used for a malware attack. 

In addition, since secure firmware is a separate component from encryption, organizations who may not require the expense of encryption for their data may still want to protect their infrastructure from potential malware threats with secure firmware USB devices like the Kanguru FlashTrust.

Kanguru provides RSA-2048, digitally-signed, secure firmware trusted USB devices for organizations. Protect your organization from the possibility of third-party, malicious attacks by using Kanguru secure firmware USB devices with your Endpoint Security or security policies.

How Kanguru Secure Firmware USB Devices Help Organizations

Your data is one of the most valuable assets to your organization including company financials, personal information of clients, patients, proprietary, technical data, etc. To conduct good business requires easy access, convenience and portability of this information in order to get work done. USB flash drives have become very popular for this reason because of the easy transfer of data. But researchers urge caution for specific circumstances where savvy hackers could potentially use USB technology to wreak havoc on a network or infrastructure. This threat, called "badUSB" could come from a third-party manipulating the firmware of any USB peripheral such as a printer, keyboard, computer mouse, webcam or memory stick to trick the USB into delivering malware that could infiltrate an organization's network.

Energy & Utility companies, Defense Contractors, and Government organizations are just a few of the industries where using secure firmware USB drives to protect from third-party malware tampering is a good idea. Industries that could be a potential high-target for terrorism may choose to be proactive in implementing a solution that helps alleviate this potential threat by using USB drives with secure firmware implementation.

Organizations and IT professionals that restrict USB devices to Kanguru trusted secure firmware drives either through a company-wide security policy or endpoint protection, inherently protect their network and infrastructure because the firmware cannot be manipulated effectively.

(Note: Secure Firmware is a separate component from encryption. If you require hardware encryption in addition to secure firmware, please see our Defender® Hardware Encrypted USB Drives.)

Is "badUSB" Really As Bad As It Sounds?

In August of 2014, researchers Karsten Nohl and Jakob Lell at a Black Hat security event, revealed a potential threat to USB technology, pointing out that any USB peripheral, including printers, keyboards, computer mice, webcams or flash keys, could be open to a possibility of a third-party hacker physically changing the firmware to deliver infective malware. Although this would be a very difficult thing to do, the news, known as "BadUSB", has worried some organizations that USB devices could be vulnerable to such type of physical tampering.

It is not so much a threat to the average user, but there could be a potential threat to organizations that might be a target for terrorism or cyber-attacks. To combat this, organizations at greater risk can restrict their USB use to devices with secure firmware, making it a part of their overall security policy. Secure firmware USB provides an ideal layer of protection from malware attack. For more on this, please see our blog.

See all Kanguru Secure Firmware Devices

Protect Your Organization With Kanguru Secure Firmware USB Drives

Protect With Kanguru Defender® RSA-2048, Digitally-Signed, Trusted Secure Firmware, Hardware Encrypted USB Flash Drives

All Kanguru Defender secure USB flash drives with AES hardware encryption are built with RSA-2048 digitally-signed secure firmware, impervious to the potential risk of malicious third-party, firmware-based attacks. Recent discoveries like "badUSB" have worried some organizations who may be particularly vulnerable to this type of attack. Kanguru's on-board, RSA-2048 secure firmware makes Defender® USB drives the most trusted, secure USB on the market to protect against third-party attacks. If your organization worries about any possibility of malware tampering through USB peripherals, you can be assured the Kanguru Defender® Series of secure USB drives provide a robust defense and can help secure data along with helping to protect your organization's infrastructure.

· AES 256-Bit Hardware Encryption
· RSA-2048 Digitally-Signed, Secure Firmware
· Physical Write Protect Switch (select models)
· On-Board Anti-Virus
· Remotely-Manageable

In addition, with Kanguru Remote Management Console, (KRMC™) organizations can monitor, locate, and even remotely delete/disable their USB drives if lost or stolen. All Kanguru Defender® secure USB drives are remotely manageable through KRMC as an optional feature.

Learn More   Where to Buy   Buy Now

Non-Encrypted, Trusted Secure Firmware Flash Drive - Kanguru FlashTrust™

For organizations not in the market for high-end hardware encryption, but still want to be protected from third-party malware tampering, Kanguru launched its newest non-encrypted version of an RSA-2048 secure firmware USB flash drive called the Kanguru FlashTrust back in 2014. FlashTrust is the world's first non-encrypted USB drive with on-board secure firmware, offering organizations the same level of firmware protection used in our trusted hardware encrypted devices. Using the same principle, if a third-party hacker were to try to tamper with the USB drive to deliver malware to a network, it would simply shut down, as it is consistently verified through a self-test on start-up, making it a perfect solution for Endpoint Security environments.

· RSA-2048 Digitally-Signed, Secure Firmware
· Physical Write Protect Switch

Where to Buy   Buy Now

Secure Firmware External USB Drive - Kanguru UltraLock™ Hard Drive or Solid State Drive (SSD)

The Kanguru UltraLock is available as both an external Hard Drive or external Solid State Drive, and provides self-checking firmware. The Ultralock's internal controller is able to self-check the digital signature of the firmware and verify that it is valid. If the firmware has been modified in any way by a third party, the signature validation will fail and the device will cease operation, preventing an attack to a network.

· Digitally-Signed, Secure Firmware
· Physical Write Protect Switch
· Available Models: HDD or SSD

Where to Buy   Buy Now

Kanguru UltraLock™ USB-C M.2 NVMe SSD

The Kanguru UltraLock USB-C M.2 NVMe SSD is a SuperSpeed+ USB 3.1 Gen 2 solid state drive for high speed data transfers. The Ultralock's internal controller is able to self-check the digital signature of the firmware and verify that the signature is valid. If the firmware has been modified in any way by a third party, the signature validation will fail and the device will cease operation, preventing an attack. Along with a physical write protect switch, the Kanguru UltraLock USB-C M.2 NVMe SSD is ideal for storing data and high-speed data transfers.

· Secure Firmware
· Available Models: UltraLock USB-C M.2 NVMe SSD

Where to Buy   Buy Now

Kanguru QS-Slim™, Secure Firmware DVD and Blu-ray Burners

The firmware for the Kanguru QS Slim DVDRW DVD and BD-RE Blu-ray Burner is digitally-signed secure firmware, preventing it from being used maliciously by a third-party as a malware attack. If an intrusion of malware from third-party hacking on USB devices is a concern within your organization, the Kanguru QS Slim DVD and BD-RE drives are protected by digitally-signed secure firmware; trusted on computers and networks around the world.

· Digitally-Signed, Secure Firmware
· Available Models: DVD or Blu-ray Burner

Where to Buy   Buy Now