USB copy safety and USB encryption are two phrases which many customers combine up and think about to be the identical expertise. Nevertheless, USB copy safety and USB encryption are two completely completely different applied sciences.
To summarize, USB copy safety is a expertise which protects the content material on a flash drive so the information can’t be copied or replicated.
USB encryption is a expertise which scrambles content material on a flash drive into an unreadable format so the information can’t be learn – that is referred to as encryption.
At first look, the 2 applied sciences look like the identical. USB copy safety and USB encryption each shield your content material. Each applied sciences forestall customers from copying your information and each applied sciences require some kind of decryption, however that is the place the similarities finish.
Lets take a better take a look at USB encryption. USB encryption is a expertise the place content material on a flash drive is scrambled into an unreadable format. That is the method of encrypting. As soon as the information on a USB stick are encrypted, they will solely be learn by offering a password, or key, to decrypt the information. With the proper key, the information are decrypted and introduced in a readable format.
It is very important word; as soon as the content material is decrypted and the information are readable, there isn’t a restriction for the person to repeat the information and provides to others.
The worth with USB encryption is defending the content material within the occasion the USB flash drive is misplaced or stolen. The content material is secure as a result of “the finder” [or “thief”] doesn’t have the password and thus can’t entry the content material.
Now lets check out USB copy safety. USB copy safety additionally makes use of encryption expertise; nonetheless, the encryption expertise is tied to at least one’s means to repeat the information, not view the information. With USB copy safety the information are at all times viewable by the person, however what’s protected is the power to repeat the information off the flash drive.
This feat is achieved by a two step course of which works collectively to kind the safety. The primary factor is the USB flash drive. The second factor is the file with [specific] encryption. The encryption within the file works with the decryption engine on the flash drive. The flash drive is required to see the encryption of the file, if all the things matches, the USB will go the data out to the pc and is viewable by the person.
Within the occasion the file is copied to the pc and the flash drive is faraway from the system, the 2 step course of fails and the information are now not readable by the person. Thus your content material has been copy protected.
You can additionally consider the USB flash drive as a bodily safety dongle for the information to work. So it seems the time period USB copy safety is stop literal – it means precisely that.
USB copy protection is a superb expertise the place IP house owners must share their content material with out the chance of customers stealing their Mental Property. instance of this contains e-publishers who publish invaluable articles, stories, paperwork, packages or utilities who want customers to entry the content material, however can’t allow them to share the content material.
Some have mentioned that USB encryption solely retains the trustworthy individuals trustworthy. That is true, as a result of as soon as a person has the password, they will do no matter they need with the content material. USB copy safety solves this drawback as a result of whatever the customers intention, the content material can’t be shared with others.
There are open supply packages that are constructed from GPL (Common Public License) for USB encryption corresponding to TrueCrypt [ http://www.truecrypt.org ]. This utility has an encryption model which runs from flash drives.
Some further data to contemplate in regards to the distinction between USB encryption and USB copy safety:
With USB encryption it’s attainable to format the gadget and wipe all the things off the drive. From a safety standpoint, it is higher to have a reformatted disk then giving entry to delicate information.
With USB copy safety the content material may be put right into a Write Protected partition or a CD-ROM partition which provides one other layer of safety and stability. That is particularly vital for e-publishers promoting their content material and the place the consumers count on to have a everlasting ad copy.