If the utmost security is required with rapid access speeds, a beautiful enclosure and the robust reliability of an SSD, the Disk Ashur Pro2 SSD may very well be exactly what you’re looking for.
Product on Review: iStorage Disk Ashur Pro 2 SSD
Manufacturer: iStorage
Street Price:
128GB: GBP £189.00 / USD $199.00
256GB: GBP £269.00 / USD $279.00
512GB: GBP £429.00 / USD $429.00
1TB: GBP £589.00 / USD $599.00
2TB: GBP £1,049.00 / USD $1,099.00
4TB: GBP £1,949.00 / USD $1,999.00
Just a few weeks ago, iStorage sent us the Disk Ashur Pro2 HDD to review, which featured industry-leading security credentials and a 1TB hard disk drive. iStorage then offered us the opportunity to review the 1TB SSD model. While the two reviews may end up being very similar, we thought it was worth delving into anyway.
The Disk Ashur Pro2 SSD model, with 1TB of storage in our review sample, offers read and write speeds way in excess of its HDD brother, quoting up to 294MB/s and 319MB/s in read and write, respectively. Also, due to the additional robustness of solid state storage, drop protection should be improved somewhat. Another big advantage of solid state when compared to hard disk drives is the loss of weight, the SSD model tips the scales at 180g while the HDD models weighed 225g/331g depending on capacity.
the Pro2 is the world’s first and only NCSC CPA, FIPS 140-2 Level 3, NLNCSA BSPA and NATO restricted level certified encrypted portable solid state drive, allowing the end user full faith that their data is in safe hands.
Furthermore, the drive doesn’t just feature paper documentation designed to keep your data safe from would-be attackers, it’s also resistant to dust and water with IP56 certification and is Operating System agnostic, meaning it will run on almost anything with a USB port. Capacities range from 128GB all the way up to 4TB.
The 1TB model we’re reviewing today costs over twice as much as the 1TB HDD model reviewed a few weeks back, so what exactly does the extra money buy you?
iStorage on the Disk Ashur Pro2 SSD:
Technical Specifications
Packaging & Bundle
The packaging is a busy affair, with very little space wasted. The front is covered with information and certifications, but at least you can buy with confidence, knowing full well what the drive is capable of and designed for.
The rear gives even more information but is multi-lingual so the actual volume of content is limited somewhat.
Along with your shiny new encrypted SSD is a leather protective pouch with carry strap and robust zip, warranty information, a short user manual and some free software, Nero BackItUp and ESET Drive Security, with an RRP of £45.
Closer Look
The leather pouch is lined with a soft fabric, ensuring your Pro2 SSD remains scratch free. The carry handle gives an extra line of defence to prevent you from dropping it and losing your data.
If you read our HDD review, you’ll remember just how surprised we were by the rock-solid build quality of the device; the SSD model is no different, with an all-metal front and back with a thick rubber edging. The buttons are constructed from a hard-wearing Epoxy, reducing any wear on the keys you use for your pin which could be a giveaway to any would-be thieves.
The rear is reasonably plain, though it does feature four small rubber pads to stop you scratching the beautiful chassis on your desk.
The included cable is only short, but it helps to keep the entire enclosure small and lightweight. If you require extra length, USB extension cables are incredibly cheap these days.
Security
EDGETM (Enhanced Dual Generating Encryption) Technology
Offering advanced portable data security via built-in FIPS PUB 197 validated AES-XTS 256-bit hardware encryption engine. The data encryption key is randomly generated by a Common Criteria EAL4+ ready Random Number Generator and protected by FIPS validated wrapping algorithms. uniquely featuring a dedicated on-board Common Criteria EAL4+ ready secure microprocessor to enhance security through true random number generation and built-in cryptography. The security component employs physical protection mechanisms to protect itself from any external tamper, bypass laser attacks and fault injections and incorporates active-shield violation technology. More specifically, the secure microprocessor reacts to all forms of automated hacking attempts by entering the deadlock frozen state where the device can only restart through a ‘Power On’ reset procedure (i.e. power off/power on). The security lock feature protects the device against any unauthorised firmware modifications from the host side (fully protected against BadUSB). The diskAshur PRO2 uniquely incorporates a secure microprocessor providing secure algorithms to encrypt both the data and the encryption key, giving you confidence that your data is protected to the highest standards at any given time.
FIPS PUB 197 Validated Encryption Algorithm
Employing AES-XTS 256 bit hardware encryption, the iStorage diskAshur PRO2 seamlessly encrypts all data on the drive in real-time, keeping your data safe even if the hard drive is removed from its enclosure.
Super fast USB 3.1
With super-fast USB 3.1 data transfer speeds of 148 MBps (Read) and 140 MBps (Write), you can now access your files faster than ever before. The iStorage diskAshur PRO2 is also backwards compatible with USB 2.0 and 1.1 ports.
Brute Force Hack Defence Mechanism
The iStorage diskAshur PRO2 is intelligently programmed to protect against all forms of Brute Force attacks. After five consecutive incorrect PIN entries the drive will freeze, requiring the drive to be disconnected and reconnected to the USB port to get a further five PIN entry attempts. If a further five (10 in total) consecutive incorrect PIN attempts are entered again, the diskAshur PRO2 will freeze again. To get a further and final five PIN attempts (15 in total), the “shift” button must be pressed whilst inserting the USB cable to the USB port and then an iStorage preset PIN will need to be entered. On the fifteenth consecutive incorrect PIN entry, the diskAshur PRO2 assumes it is being attacked and will delete the encryption key and lock itself, rendering all data previously stored on the drive as lost forever. At this point, the drive can be reset to factory default settings and redeployed.
Self Destruct Feature
You can pre-program the diskAshur PRO2 with your own unique Self Destruct PIN which, once implemented, instantly deletes the encryption key, all PINs, data and then creates a new encryption key.
Unattended Auto-Lock Feature
Set the unattended diskAshur PRO2 to automatically lock after a pre-determined amount of time where the drive has not been used.
Drive Reset Feature
The iStorage diskAshur PRO2 also employs a useful drive reset feature, which can be implemented with a unique command. This clears all PINs and data, and creates a new randomly generated encryption key, enabling the drive to be reset and redeployed as many times as needed.
Tamper Proof and Tamper Evident Design
In addition to incorporating a secure microprocessor, encrypting the data and the encryption key, the diskAshur PRO2 adds another barrier between your data and a hacker. All the components of the diskAshur PRO2 are completely covered by a layer of super tough epoxy resin, which is virtually impossible to remove without causing permanent damage to the components. This barrier prevents a potential hacker from accessing the critical components and launching a variety of futile attacks. Furthermore, the tamper evident design of the diskAshur PRO2 if breached, will provide visible evidence that tampering has occurred.
Data at rest protection
The iStorage diskAshur PRO2 also employs a useful drive reset feature, which can be implemented with a unique command. This clears all PINs and data, and creates a new randomly generated encryption key, enabling the drive to be reset and redeployed as many times as needed.
Wear Resistant Epoxy Coated Keypad
Designed with protection in mind, the diskAshur PRO2 wear resistant epoxy coated keypad hides key usage to avoid tipping off a potential hacker to commonly used keys.
Test Setup & Methodology
Our test system is formatted and a fresh version of Windows is installed with just drives in place – no additional applications. Windows is then updated to the latest release and the drivers are installed.Included in the list of benchmarks are the following applications:
Benchmarks
AS SSD
ATTO Disk Benchmark v2.46
Futuremark PCMark 8
AIDA64
Test system
Motherboard: MSI Z270 Gaming M7
Graphics: EVGA GTX 1070 SC
Memory: 16GB CORSAIR Vengeance LPX 3200MHz DDR4
SAMSUNG SM961 256GB NVMe
Crucial MX500 500GB SSD
PSU: BeQuiet Straight Power 11 650W
OS: Microsoft Windows 10 Pro 64-Bit
Monitor: ASUS ROG PG279Q
Benchmarks: Anvil Pro
Benchmarks: AS SSD
Simply launch the program, choose your drive, click Start, and it’ll test your SSD’s read and write speed in a variety of ways, delivering a score for each when it’s done. And if that’s not enough, there are also additional file copy and compression-related benchmarks available from the Tools menu. (The author’s support page is German only, but if you need further English explanations then there’s a thread on the program at the OCZ Technology forum.).
Benchmarks: ATTO
Benchmarks: AIDA64
Benchmarks: PCMark 8
Conclusion
If you’ve made it this far through the review, you’ve either skipped the first 11 pages or you’re genuinely interested in what we have to say about the Disk Ashur Pro2 SSD.First off, the build quality, as we found with the HDD model, is rock-solid. It feels bomb-proof. The lovely metal front and back and rubber surround not only look fantastic but feature a tamper-evident design that will make attempts to gain access immediately noticeable. Also, due to the nature of an SSD, the data inside will be much more capable of taking a few knocks and bangs without an issue; iStorage unfortunately provide any actual data on drop protection, however.
Secondly, again, thanks to that SSD, the performance of the drive is set free, beating the manufacturer-quoted speeds, in both read and write, in more than one benchmark. We saw the drive getting close to the Samsung T5 and the HyperX Savage EXO, both USB 3.1 Gen.2 SSDs without any kind of encryption or data protection. The SSD Pro2 also wipes the floor with the HDD model, so if speed is also a key factor, as well as data security, this model is definitely your best bet.
Now, for the price. The 1TB model tested today costs £589, which is a massive sum of money for a simple 1TB USB drive, however, you aren’t buying a 1TB drive, you’re paying for years of experience and single-minded dedication to protecting data. The epoxy-coated pin keys, the sturdy enclosure, the NCSC CPA, FIPS 140-2 Level 3, NLNCSA BSPA and NATO certified encryption, the rapid access speeds; everything adds up to increasing the cost, but if you’re transporting data that, if leaked, could result in tremendous fines or even a termination of a contract, the initial outlay of £589 doesn’t seem so bad. You’re paying for the intellectual property, in terms of the data security, not the physical device.
Secure and dependable data storage in a beautifully well-designed chassis with all the certification you could ever need.
+ The utmost security
+ Solid build quality
+ Included USB cable
+ Enclosure looks great
+ Easy to use with comprehensive instructions
+ Much faster than the HDD model
Cons
– Incredibly costly (the value arrives in the security)
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