iStorage cloudAshur Cloud Encryption Module Overview
The cloudAshur looks pretty much identical to the DatAshur PRO2 we reviewed a little while ago. The two differences is that the cloudAshur is silver not black and the cloudAshur does not feature any internal storage.
The drive itself has official dimensions of 87.40mm x 19.40mm x 13.40mm and weighs in at 37 grams with the sleeve attached. This means that it is small enough to easily fit in your pocket. At the end of the drive there is a key-ring if you wanted to carry it that way.
The module has a keypad on it that has 12 buttons including 0-9 and shift and lock buttons, user and admin PINs are 7 to 15 digits. The keypad itself is coated with a polymer that is wear resistant. This means that under close inspection someone could not find out the combination of buttons you press.
Towards the USB connection on the drive there are three small LEDs that indicated locked, unlocked, and activity. Under the hood you have a Common Criteria EAL4+ ready secure microprocessor, which is powered from an on-board built-in battery. When the battery dies you’ll need to plug the drive in to charge it, iStorage says it only takes about 30 minutes to fully charge the battery. This microprocessor allows you to encrypt files in two different modes: AES-ECB 256-bit (FIPS Compliant) and AES-XTS 256-bit. The encryption module is also FIPS 140-2 Level 3, NLNCSA BSPA & NATO Restricted Level (Pending Q3/Q4) certified.
