Seagate launches Full Disk Encryption hard drives to protect user data from theft

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(NaturalNews) Seagate Technology -- the world's largest manufacturer of computer disk drives -- will begin shipping its first widely available hard drives with built-in hardware-based encryption starting early in 2007.

Seagate's Momentus 5400 FDE.2 -- which stands for Full Disk Encryption -- will include a special encryption chip that will make it impossible for anyone to read data off the disk or even boot up a PC without authenticating ownership of the information using a password. The new technology is designed for notebook computers, which are stolen frequently for the data can be retrieved. The new Seagate Momentus FDE.2 hard drive will be available in capacities of 80GB, 120GB or 160GB.

When a computer using one of the new Momentus FDE.2 hard drives is first booted up for its initial use, a password is established that allows the entire hard drive to be unlocked from that point forward. However, every time the computer is booted, the password will have to be entered or the data on the hard drive will not be accessible at all. The encryption technology uses a 128-bit AES algorithm which is virtually unbreakable; meaning the data on these new hard drives will be very secure.

Although computer manufacturers have not yet publicly announced support for the technology -- which Seagate is calling DriveTrust -- the disk maker expects quite a few PC makers to ship systems with the newer hard drives, according to Scott Shimomura, a senior product marketing manager with Seagate.

Seagate's new FDE.2 Momentus hard drives will be available to notebook manufacturers come January 2007, which means they should ship in notebooks shortly thereafter. Although Seagate wouldn't say how much of a premium users will pay for encrypted drives, the company did indicate that the price markup would be comparable with the cost of software-based encryption, which has been available for quite some time. Still, that would put the extra charge for an encrypted notebook at less than $100.

"There's nothing to say that this couldn't eventually make its way into the smaller form factor drives as well," Shimomura added. "Right now, we're trying to address the markets that have the most immediate need."

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