Kanguru's Secure USB Memory Stick

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Online Monitoring: Kanguru Management Console

As mentioned above, the Kanguru Defender USB stick can be monitored online. this requires the additional purchase of the Kanguru Defender Remote Management Console (KRMC). The software is available in two versions—Business and Enterprise. The Business version is hosted on the manufacturer’s server (Kanguru Solutions). For each USB drive that is administered using this console there is a yearly license fee of $30. However, the manufacturer offers volume rebates.

If you decide on the Enterprise version, the Remote Management Console needs to be installed on your own server. Like the Business version, you must pay a license fee for each administered USB stick, which is $35 for the Enterprise version, with volume rebates also possible here. However, the hardware and software requirements for the server are significant, as we’ll see.

Each time the program KDM.exe is opened, a connection to the management server is established. Obviously a functional Internet connection is required for this. Once the Internet connection is opened, you can instruct the management server to send a command to the KDM.exe program, which can delete the content on the encrypted partition.

Remote Deletion of Data and Settings Possible

In addition to the data, all the settings are also deleted, such as the password, so the USB stick is reset to its original delivery state. When plugging it in, the Kanguru Defender automatically asks if the program KDM.exe should be started. Because access to the encrypted partition is not possible, this means that people with bad intentions are stopped here. Even if there is no deletion command sent from the Management Console because there is no Internet connection, the data will be completely eradicated after the fifth attempt with an incorrect password.

The manufacturer of the USB memory stick provided us with the Kanguru Remote Management Console (KRMC) on a preinstalled server that is fully controllable through an Internet browser. In order to also provide security when transferring data, the connection between the browser and the Kanguru Remote Management Console is encrypted through SSL.

Over the web interface, administrators get an overview of all of their USB sticks. The devices can be named individually, which makes identification easier. The overview page displays the name and the serial number of the USB drives, and also the date and IP address of the computer where it was last used. Furthermore, the valid license for use of the online function of the Kanguru Defender USB sticks can be managed.

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Marcel Binder
Marcel Binder
5 Comments Comment from the forums
  • snarfies1
    The 2gb Jumpdrive Lightning from Lexar costs under $35 and also has AES256 hardware encryption and, if you really want it, "free" laser engraving (only if you buy direct from Lexar, at an additional $20 premium). It doesn't have any sort of auto-expire feature, but eh. Considering that Staples gives out FREE thumbdrives with spindles of DVD-Rs, its a bit of a jump to invest $50+ for one of them these days.
    Reply
  • hellwig
    As a contractor I simply ask my employer for a USB drive and they ordered me one the next day. When I was a full-time employee at a different employer, not only did I have to use my own USB drive if I wanted to copy files from my workstation to a computer in a separate lab, I couldn't get a hard drive bigger than 40gigs in my workstation.

    Simple point is, some companies actually care about making the jobs of their employees easier, and if that means supplying a $10 USB drive (that they can confiscate at any time) they make that effort. Most companies, however, spend as little as possible to aid their employees and don't understand why their productivety suffers. Their IT departments are also people who have simply undergone a multi-day training session, and are only there to look confused and package the broken components and ship them back to HP or Dell, they don't understand nor care that someone can copy sensitive information to a USB drive and walk out the door with it.

    While it's interesting to see a product like this, the prohibitive cost and complexity will never see a vast market segment. Too many large companies simply care more about the bottom line than anything else.
    Reply
  • b2gills
    Wouldn't the write-protect switch prevent you from deleting files over the Internet?
    Reply
  • ButtonBoy
    In six months the IEEE 1667 enabled flash sticks will render this product moot- and obsolete.
    Reply
  • Check out SanDisk’s solutions at:http://www.sandisk.com/enterpriseA really reliable and easy to use secure USB drive.
    Reply