Protecting Data On USB Drives: Hardware Options, Windows BitLocker and Mac APFS and Beyond

Data Loss Prevention encompasses multiple vectors of unwanted data flow but one of the most difficult and persistent is USB drives because of their data capacity, throughput and disconnected nature. 

USB drives (and other forms of removable storage) are even more important in air-gapped and isolated environments, and certain compliance requirements that require data encryption are getting more attention from regulators – especially in the case of CMMC (Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification).

DLP for USB drives is necessarily endpoint-centric.  And in this technical webinar we will explore what Windows and Mac offers out of the box for encrypting USB drives.  In the case of Windows, we’re talking about Bitlocker and for Macs we’ll compare and contrast APFS Encrypted and FileVault.

For both endpoint OSs we’ll examine:

• Policy – If and how you can require encryption
• Key Management – Where are the encryption keys stored and how are they protected? Are they recoverable?
• Sharing – If and how can you control the sharing of the encrypted device with others inside and outside the organization
• Revocation/Erasure – Can you revoke access or otherwise wipe out the data on lost devices?

I’ll explore how the native technologies in Windows and Mac address these requirements and where they have gaps. 

Next, we’ll discuss hardware options where you restrict users to specialized USB drives that implement encryption at the hardware layer within the drive itself.

Finally, we’ll look at software options for enterprise management of USB drive encryption.

One of the Achilles heals of all these solutions though is the insider threat.  With USB encryption, protecting against theft of a USB drive is very different than protecting against a malicious insider misusing a USB drive.

This is a big subject with a lot to think about in terms of technology options and risk.  My guest is Chris Roney from Netwrix who has done this thinking and will share his insights along the way.  And I think you’ll be impressed with what makes Netwrix’s Endpoint Protector’s USB drive encryption unique.   

Please join us for this real training for free session.