So if you don't enter the password, your computer cannot see the encrypted storage at all.

Only when you enter the password into the U3 software does the software make the encrypted device visible to the computer - which then assigns it a separate drive-letter (in the case of Windows) to that assigned to the pseudo-CD-ROM.

The encrypted data is in a non-visible 'device' that the computer cannot see. When you first plug this in, all your computer sees is a small 'CD-ROM' device that contains the U3 software and an autorun file. I have an old Sandisk Cruzer device that uses the infamous U3 encryption system. You need to make sure that any erasure tool you use is designed to work with devices that use wear-levelling. This makes erasing these devices more complicated. However this does not apply to flash-memory based devices such as typical USB memory sticks.įlash memory devices use a concept known as wear-levelling, this means that some areas of storage will be rotated out of use and will not normally be accessible when using normal filesystem operations like writing a file. It is always a mistake to store personal data on the property of someone who you do not (or in future might not) wish to have access to your personal data.Ī note on overwriting USB devices that use Flash memory.įormatting any kind of storage device does not completely destroy data, it normally just recreates the filesystem structures without affecting much of the data contents.įor a hard disk, overwriting every data sector once with zeroes (or any character/octet) is sufficient to erase data. I have forgotten the password … unrecognised deviceĬrush it to small particles using a large hammer then buy your employer a new one (or ask them to deduct the replacement cost from your wages). How do I remove my personal data in the encrypted thumb drive?.

Encrypted usb flash drive