USBs are a common way of easily transferring data and carrying personal files. A tiny device like a USB flash drive can hold hundreds of GBs of data in the palm of your hand. However, that convenience comes with a relatively significant security risk. While it is easy for a person to use a USB flash drive to save data and carry it around, it is equally easy for someone to steal it and gain access to private information an individual might have saved.
To prevent such situations, there are ways to ensure that the data on your drive is safe. One of the most common ways is to implement USB flash drive encryption. Data encryption on a USB can enhance the security of your drive and ensure that your files are safe and remain inaccessible to unauthorized personnel despite the device being lost or stolen.
If you, too, carry your data on USB drives and want to ensure that they are protected even in your absence, then read this one until the end. This blog will take a closer look at USB encryption and protection. We will try to identify the need for encrypted USB flash drives and suggest some impactful ways to help you do the same!
Let’s begin!
USB Encryption: Introduction & Benefits
Encryption, in general, helps protect your data. It converts your data into a set of code that only appears as data when decrypted using a key. The entire process is perfect on a USB drive, making carrying your data in a USB safer. Encrypting a USB ensures that every user with their hands on it must decrypt it to access it. Decryption usually involves a password or a file that must be entered/run.
Usually, encryption in a USB drive can be implemented in two ways –
- Software Encryption
- Hardware Encryption
Software-based encryption involves dedicated encryption software that accesses your USB drive and encrypts the available data. Bitlocker is one of the most common examples of software encryption. The best part of using software encryption is that it can be applied to any USB drive.
On the other hand, hardware-based encryption is more or less an integrated hardware feature of the USB. Sometimes, it is a chip that instantly starts encryption data as soon as it is written on it, and sometimes, it comes with hardware like a keypad for manual passkey entry and biometric authentication. This encryption is more impactful than software-based encryption as it resists tampering or hacking.
Since a flash drive’s footprint is usually smaller than a finger, it is easy to carry and misplace! Things can get twisted if you lose a USB with sensitive information, especially when it is not encrypted or protected. Using an encrypted USB flash drive, you can easily eradicate the chances of your sensitive data being accessed by someone you don’t intend to see.
Benefits of Using Encrypted USB Flash Drives:-
- Ensures data protection and privacy for sensitive files.
- Keeps data integrity intact, ensuring that the data is not altered without getting detected.
- Safeguards your data even if you end up losing it.
- Allows you to meet severe compliance requirements if you deal with sensitive data at your organization.
- Allows you to avoid unnecessary data breaches.
Encrypted USB flash drives offer endless benefits and possibilities. However, the most common use case is for regular users who want to keep their data safe. After all, it’s all about data safety and protection.
How Can a USB Drive Be Encrypted
You can do several things to protect your data and keep USB flash drives safe and secure. However, the two commonly used methods that are highly effective are –
- Data Encryption
- Password Protection
If you plan for encryption, you already know how to encrypt your data. You can either go for software that allows you to create a layer of encryption or simply hit the market to buy an encrypted flash drive that uses hardware to keep your data secure. We highly recommend you use software encryption as it has flexibility; however, if the data you want to protect is highly sensitive, you must use hardware-based encryption.
Another method to keep your files safe on a USB is to add a password. While password protection is not as secure as using an encrypted flash drive, it adds a layer of security to your USB flash drive. Multiple apps can be used to add password protection and encryption.
For Windows users, BitLocker is the ideal tool for adding password protection to a USB drive. It is a full-drive encryption and password protection feature built into licensed Windows Pro and Enterprise versions. It can help you protect your drive using a password and encrypt your data easily.
Here are the steps you can use –
Step 1 – Plug your USB drive into the PC.
Step 2 – Open Explorer and head to This PC to find your drive listed.
Step 3 – Right-click on your drive and select Turn on BitLocker.
Step 4—When you open the BitLocker utility, it will ask you how you want to unlock the drive. If you want to add a word to the drive, click on Use a password and set a new password for it
Step 5 – Since BitLocker uses software-based encryption, it will ask you whether you want to back up your recovery key (decryption key) if you want to remove the encryption. You can save the key as a document, print it on paper, or save it directly to your Microsoft account.
You can encrypt and password-protect your drive after choosing your preferred option to save the recovery key. BitLocker also allows you to encrypt your USB flash drive partially, which means you can either encrypt entire data on your drive, leaving the free space unencrypted, or you can encrypt the entire drive.
While using BitLocker is convenient and practical, only some Windows users run the Pro or Enterprise version of the OS. Hence, if you are not using an activated Windows or are a Home Basic version user, you can rely on free and open-source third-party applications.
If you are wondering how to encrypt a USB without using BitLocker, VeraCrypt is your answer!
Encrypt USB Without BitLocker
VeraCrypt is an open-source encryption software that is available for free. All you need to do is download the same and follow the instructions given below (make sure your USB is plugged in) –
Step 1 – Launch VeraCrypt on your computer after it is successfully installed.
Step 2 – Click on Create Volume to start the process. 
Step 3—To encrypt a USB flash drive, click on Encrypt a non-system partition/drive.
Step 4 – Then Click on Standard VeraCrypt Volume.
Step 5 – Select the drive you want to protect from the available list. 
Step 6 – You have the option to choose the type of encryption. The standard choice is AES, which is available. 
Step 7 – Choose your password and set it for protection. 
Keep in mind that using VeraCrypt requires formatting the drive to implement encryption.
Hence, ensure that you run the process before copying files to it; otherwise, all the files will be lost.
Added Tips to Keep Your USB Flash Drive & Data Protected
Other than simply relying on encrypted USB flash drives, several measures can help keep your data secure. Look at some of them and try to implement them for better data security.
Tip 1 – Rely More on Hardware
If you have sensitive data to protect, you should invest in hardware encryption. Buy a USB flash drive with an added biometric scanner or physical password key mechanism as it adds a secure layer that is not easy to bypass compared to software encryption, which is good but relatively easier to crack.
Tip 2 – Disable Autorun
Windows offers a convenient feature called Autorun for USBs. This feature instantly runs a pre-decided action, such as launching the explorer to open files or running media files. You should disable autorun.
To disable AutoRun on Windows:
- Press Win + R and type gpedit.msc to open the Group Policy Editor.
- Navigate to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > AutoPlay Policies.
- Double-click, Turn off AutoPlay and set it to Enabled.
- Apply the changes and restart your computer.
Tip 3 – Always Keep a Check on Drive Health
USB flash drives are the most abused storage devices. Over time, usage starts degrading the quality of the drive, read and write speeds, and overall performance. This degradation can cause a loophole in the security of your drive, which may lead to data leaks. Hence, keeping device health in check should be one of your primary concerns.
You can use Advanced System Optimizer to run a quick scan of the drive and identify gaps in performance. You can also use Disk Tools, specifically designed to keep your internal and external drives in check for the best-optimized performance.
Tip 4 – Keep Your PC and Encryption Software Updated
If you plan to use VeraCrypt, make sure you are using the latest version. Every version pushes new features and advanced security patches for protection. If you have used an older version of the application, chances are that a person using a newer version may be able to hack into the USB flash drive.
The same goes for BitLocker. However, to update BitLocker, you should keep looking for the latest Windows updates, as, theoretically, those security updates will improve BitLocker’s performance.
USB Flash Drive Encryption is NECESSARY!
In the age where USB flash drives are an integral part of every PC user’s life, it is necessary to know how to ensure that your data remains secure on the drive. It is a human tendency to make mistakes and leave loopholes; however, it is the duty of tech not to miss out, even if a human does. Encrypted flash drives do exactly that. Even if you forget your drive somewhere or someone else gets their hands on it, encryption ensures that the files in the drive are not manipulated.
Hence, encrypting your drive is necessary. We hope this blog post helps you understand encrypted USB flash drives and how to use them to protect your data. If you have any queries about the post, feel free to comment below. That will be all for this one. Thanks for reading. Good luck!
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