G-Technology ArmorLock SSD – Drive With App Based Security

Storage Media

by Tim FokSeptember 7^th, 2020

The G-Technology ArmorLock SSD is a new line of encrypted hard drives from Western Digital that can be controlled from your smartphone.

G-Technology ArmorLock

Clad in the rugged, slatted shell that we are becoming accustomed to with portable G-Technology drives (like the G-Technology ArmorATD), the ArmorLock is a 2TB, USB-C bus-powered SSD hard drive that cites read/write speeds up to 1000MB/s.

The ArmorLock encrypted NVMe SSD is app-driven for security. Said app provides complete drive and user management – you can lock and unlock your drives as well as choosing who else can gain access and when.

As the anxiety-inducing promo video shows how the ArmorLock SSD works well where data is sensitive – sending and transporting drives as well as peace of mind for personal data.

Access via App

The app communicates with the ArmorLock drive over Bluetooth or USB. There is a separate co-processor for the data processing in order to reduce the affect of transfer speeds.

All formatting and authorizing of drives is done through the app.

There is also a feature that tracks the location of your ArmorLock drives.

Security & Encryption

The white paper on the Western Digital ArmorLock can be found here.

It goes into depth on how the system is designed. Interesting is their explanation on hardware encryption:

 “ArmorLock drives feature 256-bit Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) hardware-based encryption utilizing the XTS block cipher mode.

Hardware-based encryption is more secure than…. software….. as the host computer has access to the encryption key for the disk, which means that malware on the host can steal that key.

In hardware-based encryption, the key used to encrypt data on the drive stays isolated within the drive itself. “

Ruggedness and Size

The Armorlock SSD has up to 3-metre drop protection, 1000-pound crush resistance and IP67 dust and water resistance.

Dimensions are (L X W X H) 134.37mm x 81.53mm x 18.54mm and weight is 200g / 0.44lbs.

Can you see yourself using the G-Technology ArmorLock drive? Do you have to deal with sensitive data from shoots often? Let us know in the comments below.