It is remarkable to note that ten years ago USB flash drives had not even been invented. Even as soon as five years ago a USB flash drive was viewed as a novelty, an expensive item for the elite, the wealthy, or the eccentric. Paying up to two hundred dollars for a 128 Mb flash drive was considered not only a waste of money for the average computer user, but the device itself was viewed, if not as a needless accessory, an unessential frivolity. Now however, almost every school student, accountant, teacher and anyone else who has even peripheral contact with a computer uses a USB flash drive, often shortened to a USB'

With the abundance of flash drives in the present day, it is imperative to keep them safe. The data held on them ranges from the innocuous baked cupcake recipe to sensitive government data. Regardless of the information stored on them, encryption is becoming more and more important in the digital age.

There are two levels of protection for the flash drive.

The first level is physical protection. Protective cases and elaborate cushioning cases ensure dirt and impacts do little if any damage to the sturdy flash drive. The USB drives themselves are typically enclosed in a study plastic polymer which is resistant to the weather and collisions. Whilst a washing machine would churn a floppy disk or CD into fragments of shattered information (both literally and metaphorically), it is not unusual for a flash drive to survive a deep rinse little worse for wear.

Physical protection extends not only to encompass water resistance and impact damage, but also acts against loss of the device itself. If the data held on the USB drive is sensitive (a.la. CIA codes) then physical protection can take drastic measures against thieves. The typical flash drive has a small flick switch (write protection switch) on its side which locks the drive into read-only mode which prevents the input and output of digital information from the drive. As an added bonus, this measure ensures that no viruses or other malware can insinuate itself into the device.

The more secure form of protection involves digital encryption of the data. The latest (and typically most expensive) flash drives contain inbuilt protection involving a password prompt. If the user supplies the correct password he has access to the information. The disadvantage of this simple (yet undeniably effective) method of data protection is that given patience and the correct illicit

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