Another Snake Oil Candidate

[Charles Jackson]

I looked at the Ironkey website and, although there is obviously a little
marketing-speak, my snake-oil and BS detectors do not go off.  Some of the
criticisms by Aram Perez appear to be somewhat unjustified.


Perez states:

"Protected by a password that is entered on whatever PC you plug the  
IronKey into and that is somehow auto-magically protected against all  
keylogging spyware that may exist on that PC."

Relevant Ironkey assertion in their FAQs:
A word of caution: if your computer is infected with a keystroke logger
before you purchase your IronKey, and if you initially enter your passwords
into your IronKey on the computer that is already infected with a keystroke
logger, then your passwords of course will be tracked by that keystroke
logger. For this reason, we recommend that you setup your IronKey and
initially enter your passwords into the Password Manager from a computer
that you control and that has anti-spyware and anti-virus software
installed. We recommend that you update your anti-spyware and anti-virus
definitions and run a sweep of your PC before setting up your IronKey.


Perez  also states: 
"They imply that you can use an IronKey with any PC and be completely safe."

Relevant Ironkey assertion in their FAQs:
If I get an IronKey, will I be 100% protected from malware?

No. The IronKey does not replace the need good security practices, such as
regular anti-virus and anti-spyware scans, not sharing passwords, and
avoiding websites that you do not trust. The IronKey does equip you to
further protect your data, identity, and privacy-an increasingly necessary
tool for today's security-minded consumer.

Additionally, new threats are constantly surfacing, so even today's best
solutions cannot guarantee "future-proof" protection. But since you have the
ability to securely update your IronKey, you can make sure you have the
latest and most secure software and firmware for maximum protection today
and tomorrow.


Chuck Jackson 


---------------------------------------------------------------------
The Cryptography Mailing List
Unsubscribe by sending "unsubscribe cryptography" to majordomo at metzdowd.com