IronKey Personal Secure Flash Drive Personal User Manual
User Guide
IronKey Personal
Secure Flash Drive
PAGE 1IRONKEY USER GUIDE
Thank you for your interest in IronKey.
IronKey is committed to creating and developing
the best security technologies and making them
simple-to-use, affordable, and available to everyone. Years of research and millions of dollars of
development have gone into bringing this technology to you in the IronKey.
For a quick product overview, you can also view
our online demos at https://www.ironkey.com/demo.
We are very open to user feedback and would
greatly appreciate hearing about your comments,
suggestions, and experiences with the IronKey.
Standard Feedback:
feedback@ironkey.com
Anonymous Feedback:
https://www.ironkey.com/feedback
User Forum:
https://forum.ironkey.com
PAGE 1IRONKEY USER GUIDE
CONTENTS
What is it?
Meet the IronKey
Core Features
Device Diagrams
Technical & Security Notes
IronKey Device Security
IronKey Services Security
How Does it Work?
Product Walkthrough
Initializing and Activating Your IronKey on Windows
Using the IronKey Unlocker on Windows
Initializing Your IronKey on a Mac
Using the IronKey Unlocker on a Mac
Initializing Your IronKey on Linux
Using the IronKey Unlocker on Linux
Using the IronKey Control Panel
Using the IronKey Virtual Keyboard
Using the Onboard Firefox & Secure Sessions Service
Using the IronKey Password Manager
Using the Secure Backup Software
ImportingaDigitalCerticateintotheIronKey
Using my.ironkey.com
Using Your IronKey in Read-Only Mode
Product Specications
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What’s Next?
Where can I go for more Information?
Who is the IronKey Team?
Contact Information
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PAGE 2IRONKEY USER GUIDE
What is it?
Meet the IronKey
The IronKey Personal Secure Flash Drive, designed to be the world’s
most secure USB ash drive, protects your data, passwords, and Internet
privacy with some of today’s most advanced security technologies. Even
if your IronKey is lost or stolen, your data remains protected and can
even be restored to a new IronKey from an encrypted backup. While the
underlying security technologies are complex, the IronKey is simple to use
and you only need to remember a password to unlock it.
Core Features
Hardware-Encrypted Flash Drive
Your IronKey can safely store 1, 2, 4 or 8 gigabytes of documents, applica-
tions, les and other data. The IronKey Cryptochip inside the IronKey
protects your data to the same level as highly classied government infor-
mation, and it cannot be disabled or accidently turned off.
Self-Destruct Sequence
If the IronKey Cryptochip detects any physical tampering by a thief or a
hacker, it will self-destruct. Similarly, after 10 consecutive invalid password
attempts
Anti-Malware Autorun Protection
Your IronKey helps protect you from many of the latest malware threats
targeting USB ash drives. It will detect and prevent autorun execution of
unapproved programs, and it can be unlocked in a Read-Only Mode.
your IronKey will self-destruct using ash-trash technology.
PAGE 3IRONKEY USER GUIDE
Portable Cross-Platform Data Access
The IronKey Unlocker allows you to access your encrypted les on Windows 2000, XP, Vista, Mac OS X and numerous distributions of Linux.
Simple Device Management
Your IronKey includes the IronKey Control Panel, a central launchpad for
launching your applications, editing your preferences, and safely locking
your IronKey.
Secure Data Recovery
Securely back up the data on your IronKey using IronKey’s Secure Backup
software. It allows you to recover your data to a new IronKey in case
your IronKey is ever lost, and even synchronize data between IronKeys.
Stealth Browsing Technology
Surf the Web safely and privately through almost any network, even across
unsecured wireless hotspots, with IronKey’s Secure Sessions Service. It
can be easily toggled through the onboard Mozilla Firefox web browser.
Self-Learning Password Management
Securely store and back up all your online passwords as you go with the
IronKey Password Manager. It allows you to automatically log into your
online accounts to avoid keylogging spyware and phishing attacks.
Online my.ironkey.com Account
You can manage all of your IronKeys online at https://my.ironkey.com, a
secure website that requires two-factor authentication to access it. Here
you can recover forgotten passwords, disable device services, and more.
Online Security Vault
If your IronKey is ever lost or stolen, you can easily restore your online
passwords from an encrypted online backup.
Waterproof & Tamper-Resistent
The IronKey was designed to survive the extremes. The
IronKey’s rugged metal casing is injected with an epoxy
compound that makes it not only tamper-resistent, but
waterproof to military specications (MIL-STD-810F).
PAGE 4IRONKEY USER GUIDE
Up to 8 gigabytes
of secure storage
INCLUDES
“Flash-Trash” technology
for complete data erasure
SMART
Stores data up to 10 times
longer than ordinary flash drives
RELIABLE
Waterproof & tamperproof metal casing
RUGGED
IronKey Cryptochip with
military-grade cryptography
SAFE
Transfers data up to 8 times
faster than ordinary flash drives
FAST
The World’s Most Secure Flash Drive
TM
Rugged metal case
lled solid with epoxy
Multi-color LED
Drilled hole for
keyring/lanyard
Device Diagrams
The IronKey has been designed from the ground up with security in mind.
A combination of advanced security technologies are used to ensure
maximum protection of your data. Additionally, the IronKey has been
designed to be physically secure, to prevent hardware-level attacks and
tampering, as well as to make the device rugged and long-lasting. You can
rest assured that your data is secured when you carry an IronKey.
Metal Cap
Area to engrave
your name/code
Stamped unique
serial number
This IronKey Cryptochip is hardened against physical attacks such as pow-
er attacks and bus snifng. It is physically impossible to tamper with its
protected data or reset the password counter. If the Cryptochip detects
a physical attack from a hacker, it will destroy the encryption keys, making
the stored encrypted les inaccessible.
USB 2.0
Connector
PAGE 5IRONKEY USER GUIDE
Technical & Security Notes
We are endeavoring to be very open about the security architecture and
technology that we use in designing and building the IronKey devices and
online services. There is no hocus-pocus or handwaving here. We use
established cryptographic algorithms, we develop threat models, and we
perform security analyses (internal and third party) of our systems all the
way through design, development and deployment. Your IronKey is FIPS
IRONKEY DEVICE SECURITY
Data Encryption Keys
» AES keys generated by onboard Random Number Generator
» AES keys generated by user at initialization time and encrypted
» AES keys never leave the hardware and are not stored in NAND ash
Self-Destruct Data Protection
» Secure volume does not mount until password is veried in hardware
» Password try-counter implemented in tamper-resistent hardware
» Once password try-count is exceeded, all data is erased by hardware
(FIPS 186-2)
Additional Security Features
» USB command channel encryption to protect device communications
» Firmware and software securely updateable over the Internet
» Updates veried by digital signatures in hardware
Physically Secure
» Solid, rugged metal case
» Encryption keys stored in the tamper-resistent IronKey Cryptochip
» All chips are protected by epoxy-based potting compound
» Exceeds military waterproof standards (MIL-STD-810F)
Device Password Protection
The device password is hashed using salted SHA-256 before being transmitted to the IronKey Secure Flash Drive over a secure and unique USB
channel. It is stored in an extremely inaccessible location in the protected
hardware. The hashed password is validated in hardware (there is no “getPassword” function that can retrieve the hashed password), and only after
the password is validated is the AES encryption key unlocked. The password try-counter is also implemented in hardware to prevent memory
rewind attacks. Typing your password incorrectly too many times initi-
ates a patent-pending “ash-trash” self-destruct sequence, which is run in
hardware rather than using software, ensuring the ultimate protection for
your data.
PAGE 6IRONKEY USER GUIDE
Password Manager Protection
The IronKey Password Manager and my.ironkey.com work together, giving
you the ability to back up your online passwords to your Online Security
Vault at my.ironkey.com. First, you must unlock your IronKey device, which
requires two-factor authentication. Your passwords are securely stored in
a hidden hardware-encrypted area inside the device (not in the le system), being rst locally encrypted with 256-bit AES, using randomly gener-
ated keys encrypted with a SHA-256 hash of your device password. All
of this data is then doubly encrypted with 128-bit AES hardware encryption. This is the strongest password protection we have ever seen in the
industry.
When you back up your passwords online, IronKey performs a complicated public key cryptography handshake with IronKey’s services using RSA
2048-bit keys. After successful authentication, your encrypted block of
password data is securely transmitted over SSL to your encrypted Online
Security Vault within one of our highly-secure data facilities.
IRONKEY SERVICES SECURITY
Secure Facilities
IronKey hosts its online services at state-of-the-art third-party data center facilities. Physical access to the IronKey systems requires multiple levels of authentication, including but not limited to hand geometry biomet-
ric readers, “man trap” entry, government-issued photo ID verications
and individual access credentials. Each data center facility is equipped with
numerous surveillance cameras, motion detectors, and a sophisticated
alarm system. The IronKey infrastructure resides in a secured cage. The
entire facility is monitored by dedicated on-site security personnel on a
24x7 basis.
Secure Environments & Policies
Logical access to the IronKey environments is controlled by multiple layers of network technologies such as rewalls, routers, intrusion prevention systems and application security appliances. For additional protection,
IronKey partitions its online services and backend applications into different network segments with independent security rules and policies.
Secure Communications & Data at Rest
When users access IronKey web sites and services, all information is exchanged over an encrypted channel. This is accomplished through Secure
Socket Layer (SSL) and by utilizing VeriSign Secure Site and VeriSign Secure
Site Pro certicates. To ensure additional security for its services, IronKey
qualied for and is using Extended Validation SSL. The IronKey applica-
tions encrypt all sensitive data prior to transmitting it within the IronKey
network and storing in databases.
PAGE 7IRONKEY USER GUIDE
Secure Sessions: Making Tor Faster and More Secure
IronKey maintains a secure, private Tor network with its own, high-perfor-
mance servers (separate from the public Tor network). This improves the
overall security in at least two ways:
Since IronKey controls the “exit-node” in your encrypted Tor
circuit, we can ensure that no one is injecting unwanted or
malicious content into your online communications, such as
advertisements or spyware. You are not assured this level of
security with other publicly-run exit-nodes.
IronKey can also make sure that no exit-node is redirecting
your web trafc by providing addition DNS protections. This
anti-pharming measure can also help mitigate phishing attacks
and other online threats.
Find lots more technical information at https://learn.ironkey.com.
PAGE 8IRONKEY USER GUIDE
How does it work?
Product Walkthrough
Your IronKey Personal Secure Flash Drive consists of the following components:
» IronKey Unlocker (Windows, Mac and Linux)
» IronKey Control Panel (Windows only)
» IronKey Virtual Keyboard (Windows only)
» Mozilla Firefox & IronKey’s Secure Sessions Service (Windows only)
» IronKey Password Manager (Windows XP & Vista only)
» IronKey Secure Backup (Windows only)
» my.ironkey.com (Windows only)
Standard Usage Requires:
» Windows 2000 (SP4), XP (SP2), Vista, Mac OS X (10.4+) or Linux (2.6+) computer
» A USB 2.0 port for high-speed data transfer
» An email address and Internet connection for the online services
INITIALIZING & ACTIVATING YOUR IRONKEY ON WINDOWS
When you open the package, you will nd one IronKey Secure Flash Drive, one lanyard, and a
Quick Start Guide. Below is a brief description of the standard way of setting up an IronKey:
Step Description
1 Plug the IronKey into your
Windows computer’s USB port.
2 The “Initialize Your IronKey”
screen will appear.
Your IronKey can be initialized on a Windows 2000, XP
or Vista computer (see Mac and Linux instructions below). To use the full speed of the IronKey, plug it into a
USB 2.0 port.
The IronKey autoruns as a virtual CD-ROM.
This screen may not appear if your computer does not
allow devices to auto-run. You can start it manually by
double-clicking on the IronKey icon in “My Computer”
and running “IronKey.exe”.
PAGE 9IRONKEY USER GUIDE
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