Apricorn's Aegis Fortress L3 USB Drive Receives FIPS 140-2 level 3 Validation

Up to 80% speed increases and an ultra-rugged enclosure, Apricorn's newest encrypted portable drive is awarded NIST's highest level of FIPS validation granted to portable devices.

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Apricorn

Jan 23, 2020, 08:45 ET

POWAY, Calif., Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Apricorn, the leading manufacturer of software-free, 256-bit AES XTS hardware-encrypted USB data storage devices, today announced the Aegis Fortress L3's FIPS 140-2 level 3 validation (certification #3603) was awarded by the National Institute of Standards and Technology. For industries and institutions requiring high levels of data security such as healthcare, finance, defense, and legal, the L3 delivers compliance with the most stringent data security regulations such as HIPAA, FERPA, Gramm-Leach-Billey Act, and GDPR.

Aegis Fortress L3 with interchangeable USB type-A and type-C connectors. Now FIPS 140-2 level 3 validated

Originally released in early 2019, the Fortress L3 features Apricorn's latest encryption chipset that delivers write and read speed increases of up to 50% and 80% respectively, over the first-generation Fortress SSD models.

In contrast to many other FIPS validated encrypted USB portable drives, the Fortress L3 carries a complete FIPS 140-2 Level-3 validation meaning that the boundary addresses the entire device--the electronics, the actual drive, and the enclosure--which is milled from a solid block of aircraft-grade 6061 aluminum alloy. These two aluminum halves are first joined together using snap-off unidirectional security fasteners and then cemented and potted with epoxy to both discourage and capture evidence of tampering. Beyond tamper proofing, this ruggedized exterior is designed to withstand extreme temperatures, demanding field conditions, and provide resistance to shock. "Now that this FIPS validation has been finalized, the wait is over for our heavily regulated customers that want higher performance but require level 3," said Kurt Markley, Apricorn's Director of Sales. "The performance enhancements aside, for our customers with elevated security policies, the Fortress L3's complete device validation checks off a lot of boxes that other drives don't."

Like all Aegis Secure Drives and Secure Keys, the Fortress L3 comes standard with AegisWare™: Apricorn's proprietary firmware and feature set that is deployed universally on all Aegis Secure Drives. From the Aegis Secure Keys to the large capacity Desktop models, the feature set and controls are universal from model to model, with all passwords and commands entered by way of the device's onboard keypad. 100% of the authentication and encryption processes take place within the devices themselves, never involving host software or sharing password or encryption key data with any host computers. Additionally, all have military grade 256-bit AES XTS encryption and firmware is locked down and can't be updated or modified, defending against sophisticated attacks such as BadUSB.

Aegis Fortress L3--with interchangeable Type-A and Type-C connector cables--features the following:

256-Bit AES XTS Military-Grade Hardware Encryption: Encrypts all data on the fly
Software-Free: Ready to use right out of the box; no software, no drivers, no updates
OS Agnostic: Compatible with PC, MAC, Linux, Android, Symbian or any mass storage compliant system with a powered USB port
Forced Enrollment: No factory-preset default PINs
Aegis Configurator compatible: Create custom profiles and mass configure multiple Aegis devices at once
Onboard Keypad: All PIN entries are performed on the device's keypad making it compatible with systems without keyboards and shares no critical security parameters with its host computer.
Lock-Override Mode: Can be programmed to remain unlocked during reboot / USB re-enumeration
Two Read-Only Modes: Preserve data in its original, unaltered state while blocking malware.
Data Recovery PINs that provide access to the device in the event of forgotten PINs.
Programmable Brute Force Protection: After a predetermined number of consecutive incorrect PIN entry attempts, the Aegis Fortress L3 will conclude that it is under Brute Force and destroy its encryption key and PINs rendering the data useless
Increased Storage Capacities: 1TB - 5TB in HDD models; 500GB - 16TB in SSD models

For more information about the Aegis Fortress L3, visit https://www.apricorn.com/aegis-fortress-l3

About Apricorn
Headquartered in Poway, California, Apricorn provides secure storage innovations to the most prominent companies in the categories of finance, healthcare, education, and government throughout North America, Canada and EMEA. Apricorn products have become the trusted standard for myriad data security strategies worldwide. Founded in 1983, numerous award-winning products have been developed under the Apricorn brand as well as for a number of leading computer manufacturers on an OEM basis.

Contact:
Walter Fiorentini
[email protected]
858.513.4480

SOURCE Apricorn