Hydra PC USB encryption devices from Spyrus

Many times, malware and virus coming from the Flash USB drive, so Spyrus has launched a USB flash drive with a built-in antivirus solution.

The anti virus application is called the Hydra PC Sentry A-V and the company assures that it is trained to protect the flash drive from attack of virus and malware. As per the product description on Spyrus' website, the anti-virus can even confront viruses embedded in autorun files, as they are found out and pinned down prior to the opening of the file.

Hydra PC Sentry A-V Features

• Prevents introduction and spread of viruses and malware from the Hydra PC.
• Scans files before encryption and after decryption for viruses and malware.
• Optionally cleans detected viruses from unencrypted source file.
• Automatically or manually updates virus library from internal network or Internet.
• Centrally manages enterprise virus libraries and Hydra PC Sentry A-V configuration.
• Optionally blocks read/write access to removable USB and FireWire storage drives.

Hydra PC encryption and decryption operations are both performed under the umbrella of the Hydra PC Sentry A-V. As the encryption process initializes, all files are sealed so the anti-virus can tell if there's any attempt at modifying them or if there's any trace of infection when the decryption process takes place. Spyrus claims that this file-by-file encryption method is a safer alternative than the sector-based encryption implemented in other USB drives, because the latter solution is likely to still leave gaps through which corruption might find a way to set in.

Also, the Hydra PC is able to encrypt files that go to your PC's HDD or other storage devices, as well as an accessible place on a network. You can configure Spyrus' application so that it impedes access for reading or writing data between removable storage drives, be they USB or FireWire (IEEE 1394), and your PC. The flash drive wearing this anti-viral armor comes with a full encryption protocol set that includes 128b-bit and 256-bit AES.

Even if the security issue is something any of us should keep in mind when transferring data on and from various devices, a product such as this is more likely designed to assist "serious" users, not people like you and I who carry some pictures, or audio and video files on not-too-fancy flash drives.