Kingston Digital Europe has announced that its Kingston IronKey D500S hardware-encrypted USB flash drive has received NIST FIPS 140-3 Level 3 validation. Designed and assembled by Kingston in California, the D500S is described as the first FIPS 140-3 Level 3 validated drive to feature a TAA-compliant and trusted supply chain. The drive’s design, initiated in 2020, aimed for XTS-AES 256-bit encryption and adherence to the NIST security standard, FIPS 140-3 Level 3. An additional objective was to exceed TAA-compliance, which typically only verifies the country of origin, by ensuring all critical components and assembly processes fully meet TAA and CMMC compliance requirements.
Critical components of the drive include a secure microprocessor for encryption and authentication, digitally signed firmware, drive software for multi-password authentication and feature settings, and NAND Flash storage chips. The assembly of the Printed Circuit Board (PCB) with these components and the injection of epoxy into its rugged casing are designed to comply with FIPS 140-3 Level 3 anti-tampering protection. Kingston directly sourced all critical components from TAA-compliant and trusted suppliers, stocking them at its secured California Manufacturing Center to ensure controlled, engineering-supervised assembly. The D500S also includes matching internal and external serial numbers for asset tracking and endpoint management.
Oscar Escayola Kaloudis, EMEA Flash Business Manager and Sales Manager DACH, Middle East and Africa, Greece and Israel for Kingston, EMEA, stated, “We went over-and-above competitors in the USB data protection industry to ensure that the IronKey D500S is an unrivaled best-in-class FIPS 140-3 Level 3 certified drive for securing data-at-rest and meeting stringent government and military standards worldwide,”. He added, “With a trusted supply chain supporting CMMC and TAA compliance, along with design and assembly at Kingston’s USA headquarters, D500S stands out as the most security-focused USB drive on the market—delivering unmatched assurance for customers who require the highest level of trusted data protection”.
The D500S also features a dual-partition option with multiple passwords, allowing an administrator to create two custom-sized secure partitions for admin and user access, including a Hidden File Store for provisioning files. When used on untrusted systems or shared, the Hidden File Stores keep data secure and invisible until properly authenticated. Additional features enable an administrator to set a Global Read-Only mode and to use a Crypto-Erase password to destroy data and reset the drive in compromising situations.
The drive features a rugged zinc casing meeting military-grade shock, vibration, and drop test specifications , along with an IP67 dust and water resistance rating. The D500S offers customizable features and functionality, with capacities up to 512GB and includes a 5-year warranty and technical support.
