"Since the USB interface is used to communicate both data and critical security parameters, they are not physically separate. They are logically separated by encrypted and optionally authenticated secure channels," Hamid said. "The secure channel implementation in Bluefly uses a FIPS-validated key agreement scheme and allows for multiple simultaneous secure sessions to be active at any time."

Because I used a to test this drive, the autorun feature did not automatically boot up the drive's setup window when I plugged the drive into the USB port. As the drive's manual instructed, I simply opened the drive's file system and selected the start.exe folder, and off I went. (Note: The setup window is also where you configure your administrator account and password for corporate control of multiple F200 flash drives).

The first thing the setup procedure asks for is your language (English is the default). It then asks you to personalize the drive. You can choose "standard" or "custom." By choosing "standard," you get only the biometric (fingerprint) security option, with no need for two-factor (password) authentication.

Like most good USB sticks with encryption, the Defender allows 10 password attempts before the drive permanently locks and requires a user to reformat it, wiping all data stored on it.